Misleading role with no path to growth or support
Pros
Strong product. Friendly and close-knit team. Free food. Some exposure to SaaS tools and customer workflows.
Cons
This is not a technical or sales engineering role, despite the title. It’s an inbound BDR position. During onboarding, I was told that the “Associate Sales Engineer” title is intentionally used to attract more technical applicants, but the day-to-day work is NOT technical and doesn’t align with a sales engineering track. The interview process isn’t fully transparent, and the actual responsibilities differ from what’s described. There’s little to no technical enablement, and expectations vary depending on the manager or AE you’re paired with. After more than a year in the role, ONE Sales Engineer position opened up (after being assured there'd be enough spots for all of us back when we started). All 4 ASEs on the team interviewed, and all of us were rejected for “lack of experience.” It’s discouraging, especially given the lack of support or development to help us grow into that role. It raises real concerns about how the role is structured and whether internal mobility is genuinely supported. Our manager is kind and well-meaning but largely disengaged. While he acknowledges some of these challenges, his focus tends to be on internal dynamics rather than team advocacy or enablement. I’m sharing this to help future applicants make informed decisions. If you're looking for true sales engineering or a technical presales role, this may not align with your expectations. I wish I had known that going in.
