Account Executive Jobs in the United States

Account Executive Jobs Overview

Being an account executive is a great way to get involved in all the interesting details of a business. This position involves working with clients to help them access your company's services. Account executive jobs often include responsibilities like:

• meeting with clients to discuss their needs
• assigning your client's work to teams of coworkers
• selling your company's services to potential clients
• negotiating contracts with clients
• creating reports to update people on project statuses

Typically, being an account executive is a full-time job that will have you constantly on the go. You might spend some days at your desk, but you'll spend others in board rooms, conference halls, and restaurants.

Account Executive Salaries

Account executives earn a salary on par with many other types of managers. The median salary is $78,187 a year. Some may earn from $57,000 up to as much as $117,000 annually.

This career is often partially commission-based, or you may get a bonus based on how much business you bring in. Account executives typically earn more when they work in fields like software, technology, and business-to-business services. Those working in New York, Illinois, California, and Texas also have higher-than-average salaries.

Ready to see how much you can make as an account executive? Check the Monster salary calculator for a personalized estimate.

Choosing the Ideal Account Executive Job

When you're hunting for jobs, you'll see a wide range of different options. To narrow your choices and select the right jobs for your needs, you need to consider the following details.

Your Skills and Background

Start by seeing whether you meet the qualifications listed in each account executive job description. You can quickly find jobs that are a good fit by thinking about your educational level and years of experience. Ideally, any job you pick should be one that you feel fully confident you can succeed in.

With account executive jobs, it's also useful to think about whether you've spent time in that specific field, whether it’s software development, social media marketing or automobile manufacturing. Though it's not a requirement, picking an industry similar to your past jobs or hobbies is often helpful.

Company Culture

Do a quick search of the company to see what it's like to work for them. Look into their background, their employee culture, their size, and their management style. This helps you find a company with the type of workplace culture you enjoy.

Researching the company behind the job listing also helps you find account executive jobs with your desired level of work-life balance. By reading reviews from former employees, you can see things like how many hours you're likely to work and how often you'll be dealing with work communications in your free time.

Your Career Plans

Take the time to assess your career goals, and decide if this job will help you get there. Think about things like what type of experience it offers and whether it provides opportunities for promotions.

For example, if you hope to become a sales manager, you might want to work at a company that specializes in sales. If you want to become a marketing director, you might be better off being an account executive at a company that focuses on marketing.

Applying for Account Executive Jobs

After finding a job that suits your skills, goals, and work needs, it's time to create a winning application. Follow these steps for a great job application.

Review the Job Posting Closely

For each job application, it's useful to read the listing again while you work on your application. Make sure you follow all instructions and submit all the information they request.

The job posting also gives you useful tips on what to highlight in your application. Look at the skills they request from an applicant, and make sure your resume and other documents clearly state that you have those skills.

Craft an Excellent Resume

Your resume should be a one-page document that clearly lists your education and your job experience. Make sure to use bullet points and headers to format it clearly and point out your biggest achievements. If you aren't sure what format to follow, take a look at this account executive resume sample for inspiration.

Many modern companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to process resumes, so make sure you include resume keywords that will send your resume through software filters and into the hands of a hiring manager. Popular keywords to use in your resume include:

• account management
• sales
• customer relationship management
• marketing
• business-to-business
• sales presentations
• software as a service

Even if you're great at pitching businesses to new clients, pitching yourself to an employer can be trickier. Our professional resume writers can help with this. They'll look at your information with fresh eyes and help you design a resume that appeals to the type of employers you want to impress.

Write a Cover Letter

Because they're so formal, resumes can feel a little impersonal. To appeal to the hiring manager directly, include a cover letter. This lets you mention more details that show why you'd be a great addition to the team.

As this manager cover letter example shows, it's important to stress the value that you add to a company. Describe past successes and include any hard metrics like improving sales or decreasing expenses. You can also briefly mention your career goals and express why working at that company is important to you.

Sign Up for a Monster Account

To apply for account executive jobs, create a Monster account for free. It's quick and easy, and you get access to free professional resume reviews, personalized job recommendations, and other useful resources.

Monster guides you through each step of the application. You'll just need to upload the correct documents, answer a few questions from the employer, and send in your application.

Should You Follow Up?

If you're passionate about a job, you don't need to wait around until you hear back from the employer. It's fine to go ahead and send a follow-up message if it's been three to five business days since you sent the application.

Application follow-ups are fairly short and simple. You can follow up by phone or by email. Once you have the contact information for the company's hiring manager or HR department, contact them with a follow-up that includes these four essentials:

• your name and the position you applied for
• a statement of your interest in the job
• your ability to provide more information if they have questions
• your appreciation for their time

Tips for Account Executive Job Interviews

To land account executive jobs, it's essential to ace your interview. Follow this advice to make sure your interview goes as smoothly as possible:

• Research the company ahead of time, and use this information to provide more detailed answers to questions.
• Don't be surprised if the interview includes several people or consists of multiple rounds. This is very common in account executive jobs, so you should expect to commit some time to the interviewing process.
• Expect that the interview might include practical portions asking you to do things like sell the interviewer a pen or role-play an account executive calming a disgruntled client.
• Look up common interview questions, such as listing your greatest strengths and weaknesses, and come up with effective answers to the questions.
• When possible, answer questions with concrete examples of how well you've performed at jobs in the past.
• Send a short email within 24 hours of the interview to thank the interviewer for their time.
• If you don't hear back within a week of interviewing, call and ask if the position is still open. This can also be a useful way of getting feedback on your skills.

Handling Offers for Account Executive Jobs

Once you create a stellar resume and perfect your interview skills, you're likely to start receiving job offers. These formal offers will provide an overview of the job and its benefits so that you can decide if it's right for you. Here are some things to think about after you get an offer.

How Should You Respond?

The account executive industry values professionalism and timeliness. After getting the offer, politely thank the person who made it, and let them know that you'll get back to them soon. Usually, it's best to reply within a day or two.

You can choose to respond by accepting the position, turning it down, or negotiating it. If you choose to negotiate, make sure you approach the conversation with plenty of data on things like comparable salaries in your city or common responsibilities for account executives.

Does the Position Pay Enough?

For most account executive jobs, the offer is the first time you'll get a look at the salary the company is offering. Ideally, it should be at least somewhere around the average salary paid to account executives.

The compensation package for these types of jobs can include options like health savings accounts, pensions, or extra paid vacation. These can all help to balance out a lower salary.

Can You Handle the Responsibilities?

In the job offer, you'll also get a clear list of all the duties associated with the position. Try to take some time and think about what it would be like to handle all those responsibilities.

Ask yourself things like whether the tasks interest you and how long they would take. If you're uncertain about whether you'd be handling things like sales or marketing for clients, make sure to check in with the employer before accepting. Setting clear expectations makes it easier to end up with a job that suits your skills and abilities.

Career Paths for Account Executives

What's next after you land your ideal account executive job? This will depend on your goals for the future. Planning your career path makes it easier to achieve them.

Many account executive jobs are stepping stones from entry-level positions to managerial positions. It's common for account executives to gradually take on more clients and oversee more coworkers until they become senior account executives.

Eventually, some account executives end up in positions like director of sales or regional manager. Others move into executive positions like chief operations officer (COO) or vice president of business development.

Wherever you plan on going next, an account executive job gives you a valuable chance to network and improve your skills. A track record of managing clients and improving profits helps you to get the promotions you want. You might also find it helpful to get additional credentials such as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.

Jobs Similar to Account Executive Roles

• account manager
• business development associate
• customer relationship management
• sales executive
• sales operations manager