From Layoff to 2 AE Offers in 45 Days: Veronica's Story

Better Career
2 hours ago
4 min read

Meet Veronica

Veronica is a former Business Development Director and Sales Executive who sold into C-suite marketing leaders across business intelligence and cybersecurity.

Laid off right before the holidays, she started her job search determined.

Her goal: move into a remote Enterprise Account Executive role with a strong OTE and a clear path forward.

Laid Off, Final Rounds, No Offers

Before coaching, Veronica was in a tough spot:

Laid off right before the holidays.
Made it to 3 final interviews and walked away with 0 offers.
Cold applications = no interviews.
Watching peers either land jobs immediately… or stay in the search for 9+ months.
Wanted remote roles only, at top companies in BI, AI, or cybersecurity.
Worried about not having a “technical background” in a very technical space.

She could have kept grinding alone, but she didn’t want to lose a year to trial and error.

How we Helped

When Veronica joined the Better Career coaching program, the focus was simple:

Get her into the right Enterprise AE role, faster, in the space she already knew: BI, cybersecurity, and AI.

Together, we:

Clarified her target: Enterprise AE roles selling into CMO / Head of Marketing–type buyers at BI, cybersecurity, and AI-driven companies (Databricks, Snowflake, CrowdStrike, Zscaler, ServiceNow, etc. were all on the radar).
Overhauled positioning: Went beyond her resume to dig into her full sales story, wins, and process-improvement strengths so she didn’t sound like “just another laid off AE/BDR.”
Rebuilt her materials: Restructured her resume and LinkedIn for clarity, enterprise focus, and relevance to more technical companies.
Designed a focused search strategy: Shifted from “apply everywhere” to a clear, prioritized target list and high-intent outreach.
Supported the full lifecycle: Strategy sessions, async feedback on assets, mock interview prep, and guidance on navigating final presentations and offers.

The goal wasn’t just “more activity.” It was better activity that matched her goals, timeline, and comp expectations.

Turning Experience Into a Standout Story

Veronica already had strong ingredients:

Sold to C-suite marketing leaders in technical spaces (BI, cybersecurity, AI-heavy tools).
Had deep familiarity with business intelligence and cybersecurity clients—even if she didn’t come from a classical technical background.
Known for process improvement (creating tools and workflows that dramatically improved team efficiency and performance).
Comfortable navigating long, complex cycles with upper mid-market and enterprise customers.

We doubled down on that by positioning her as:

An enterprise-ready AE who could plug into technical orgs, understand the landscape, and ramp quickly.
Someone who not only sells, but makes the sales org better through process, structure, and efficiency.
A remote-ready, East-Coast-based seller who could still show up in person for key moments in NY/DC when needed.

Instead of trying to “pretend” to be technical, we framed her as the seller technical companies want in front of CMOs.

The Breakthrough Moment

The shift happened when Veronica stopped treating her search like a numbers game and started treating it like a targeted enterprise sales motion:

She built a curated list of 40+ companies that matched her industries, remote preferences, and growth goals.
She prioritized quality outreach over mass applications.
She leaned into coaching (showing up with specific questions, applying feedback quickly, and iterating in real time).
Each new email, follow-up, and interview story was a test and refine loop, not a one-off attempt.

From the assets we built together:

She achieved 60%+ conversion from targeted outreach to interviews.
She turned a previously stalled search into a steady pipeline of conversations with the right types of companies.

That’s when things started to click.

The Results

In just about 40–45 days of working the plan:

Veronica went from months of final-round rejections to 2 competitive AE offers.
Both offers were over $200K OTE.
She accepted an Enterprise Account Executive with a $65k+ increase from her prior OTE.

“45 days after getting started with them, I had two offers and landed EXACTLY where I wanted. More than just landing a job, this process made me a better seller all around.”

Steal This Playbook

Here’s what you can borrow from Veronica’s approach:

Treat your search like enterprise sales. Build a curated list of target accounts (companies), not an endless queue of job board links.
Align your story to the space you want.If you’ve sold into a market (BI, cybersecurity, AI, etc.), lean into that familiarity, even if your title wasn’t “Enterprise AE” yet.
Use creative assets (portfolio, deal reviews, video intro, etc.) to show how you think and sell, especially before final rounds.
Prioritize quality outreach.Tailored messages + clear value + relevant proof beats 100 cold applies that disappear into the ATS.
Use coaching as a force multiplier. Bring specific questions, apply feedback quickly, and treat every conversation as a rep to sharpen your story.
Know your bar and don’t settle out of fear. Veronica aimed for a material jump in OTE and a move into the right space, not just any role that came first.

What This Means for Your Job Search

Veronica didn’t magically “get lucky.”

She combined a clear target, a focused plan, and the right support and it compressed her timeline from “this could take a year” to two strong AE offers in about 45 days.

If you’re stuck in final rounds, buried in cold applications, or worried you’re “not technical enough,” the problem probably isn’t your talent.

It’s the way your story and strategy are showing up in the market.

With the right positioning, assets, and focus, doors that feel shut right now can open a lot faster than you think.

If you want support making that leap into AE or SE roles, we specialize in helping job seekers do exactly that.

Here’s how we help: https://www.bettercareer.org/coaching