Fit for a Queen? How to Know if Your New Sales Kingdom Is a Dumpster Fire

You’ve landed your dream sales job—or maybe just the first one that would hire you. And quite frankly, you are probably ecstatic. You no longer have to endure the incessant steps of an interview process. You won’t waste endless hours putting together pitch decks for jobs you didn’t get. What a waste. And you’re probably just eager to get a paycheck.

Next up is training. Training is where the organization’s truth comes out. They had you dancing on the head of a pin trying to prove yourself for the past 4-6 weeks. Now, this is really where you learned what you really signed up for.

Early in my career, I worked for companies where the training department had travel and training agendas seamlessly lined up. And when I got off the plane to go to corporate, a black car was there to drive me. Impressive right? It set such a great first impression. I have also worked for organizations where travel was a shit show. No clear agenda, and I was told to get a taxi or Uber once I land. Which I have no problem with; though, it wasn’t as impressive as having a car and driver waiting for me. And I am pretty sure most companies don’t arrange car service anymore. Cheap.

Anyway, I greatly regretted taking the position at one of the companies I worked for. I felt this regret the very first day I arrived at corporate for training. To this day, I still wonder why the hell I didn’t leave the first day of training. The new hires, about 10 of us, were in the training room. The trainer came in and said, “We hired you because you are the best of the best.” I just got the feeling like, cringe. She added that the organization’s leaders would be watching us. We should carry ourselves in a certain way. Further, the leaders would be in to introduce themselves. Ick.

What a disaster. Here I was, 13 weeks pregnant, not that it should matter, but I was thinking this place is douchie. I have many hellish stories about this organization. I can share them later. Nonetheless, you will get a sense of its culture on your very first day of training.

Ask as many unfiltered questions about the culture as you can, that you may not have asked during the interview process, because you were so focused on showing how wonderful you were to get hired. Talk candidly with the other new hires to see what they learned during the hiring process. Learn more about the leadership team. Does the organization offer a culture of cross-collaboration? What does the corporate office look like? Is it giving vibes of inclusivity, or were leaders promoted because the culture is a “good old boys club”? If that is the case, get the hell out of there. And most importantly, can you expense the Uber Black SUV, or are you limited to the UberX? UberX, again, then get the hell out of there. Cheap.

Advice #1: Trust your gut. (Trust your gut with everything: work, relationships, Uber rides, ordering fish on a Tuesday, etc.) If you truly feel that this organization is going to be a nightmare, you are probably right. Leave. I know it will suck to go through the job search and interview processes again, but trust me. Start looking. An organization’s culture has a significant impact on your work and personal life. Don’t be complacent and think you will suffer through it. Cut your losses on the first day and continue your job search.