Descartes x Redeployable: Ex-aircraft Engineer to successful tech Account Executive

Descartes needed an Account Executive

“Getting access to individuals who are structured, hard-working, coachable and want to develop themselves and the company – it’s only a positive for us,” - Zaeem Batavia, Sales Director at Descartes Systems Group. 

Descartes needed a new Sales Development Rep. As an innovative logistics solutions business, they were looking to recruit new sales talent to help them scale even further.

They’re a diverse and rapidly-growing company. So really, they had little trouble attracting new talent. But they wanted candidates that could grow their careers with them and commit to a hugely exciting industry. But they were fed up with traditional recruitment, and struggling to find the perfect candidates with the right passion and drive. 

“Typically, a business of our global scale would say, ‘We want someone with five years of industry experience’ and then hope for the best. But we wanted to be a lot more open and innovative than that.”  

With a database of talented, trained and vetted ex-military candidates looking for new careers in tech sales, Redeployable could present candidates that fit Descartes’ criteria.

“The first thing that was different with working with Redeployable was that it wasn’t the same people you see listed by other recruitment agencies. The second thing was how prepared Tom was ahead of interviews. He came knowing what we wanted to cover, shared an interactive CV, and had an eagerness to learn.”

Tom Bennett had already left his role in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in the British Army, but was stuck on auto-pilot in his first job post-forces. He wanted something he could get excited about and really make an impact. Through working with Redeployable, Tom quickly found his military skills could be easily applied to a new and exciting industry.

It was a case of one interview, one hire.

“You also get all the soft skills with the army, whether negotiating, speaking to people from different backgrounds or appearing confident in different situations,” said Tom. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here and it almost feels weird to be happy going to work in the morning,” Tom added:

“Redeployable has been great in ensuring I found an opportunity with the right company. I’ve found a new career with Descartes that is 100% working from home, has a low turnover of staff and invests in its people to improve them. The training has been second to none, and I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to be here.” - Tom Bennett

Since starting his career at Descartes, Tom’s been promoted to Account Executive. We’re excited to see what he does next.

“We absolutely want to keep working with Redeployable,” - Zaeem Batavia, Sales Director at Descartes Systems Group.

Fancy trying your luck in a tech sales role? Head to the platform.

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