Here’s how tenure has changed for software sales over the years.
Today I want to discuss tenure in software sales. I’ve been in the business for over 25 years, and over that time, the definition of tenure has changed quite a bit. There are two types I want to talk about: non-optimal tenure and elongated tenure.
It used to be that the perfect amount of time to spend with a company was around five or seven years. Now, things have sped up. I would say the optimal range for tenure is closer to three to five years. Even a little over two years is considered decent tenure, although it isn’t as good as the three to five range.
“If you spend too much time with one company, people may worry you’ve become too ingrained in their culture.”
On the other hand, if you have multiple positions on your resume of fewer than two years and especially less than 18 months, that’s considered non-optimal. If you spend more than seven years with a company, things also start to get a little dicey. If you spend too much time with one company, people may worry you’ve become too ingrained in their culture. They may be concerned with difficulties in the onboarding process.
If you’ve spent a long time with one company, it doesn’t mean you can’t find a new job. It just may take a little longer than it otherwise would have for you to find the right fit. Likewise, job hunting could be more difficult if you have non-optimal tenure.
If you have any questions about today’s topic, please call or email me. I am always willing to help!