Sales Development Representative

Job Title

Sales Development Representative (Chicago)

About SV Academy

• Since 2017, SV Academy has placed over 6,000 people into full-time tech sales careers.
• Works with 400+ employer partners across SaaS, AI, fintech, cybersecurity, and other high-growth verticals.
• Business model: Partners pay SV Academy; trainees do not.

About the Role

• This is a full-time job.
• Includes free sales training, a 90-day paid Residency at a partner company, and a clear path to a long-term sales role at one of SV Academy's 400+ partner companies.
• Cohorts begin every week and are limited to 25 Residents.

Compensation Structure

• Days 1-10: Free sales training. No tuition, fee, or debt. Live, instructor-led training on Zoom, Monday through Thursday, 6-9 pm (ET or PT).
• Days 11-100: Paid Residency. $2,500/month base + 100% of earned commissions. W-2 employee of SV Academy, embedded at a partner company.
• Day 100 onward: Transfer to partner's payroll. $50k - $85k total annual compensation (base + commission). Full health, dental, vision, and retirement benefits begin upon transfer.

The 100-Day Program

• Days 1-10 (Free Sales Training):
• Ten days of live, instructor-led training via Zoom.
• Learn B2B sales fundamentals: outbound calls, email and LinkedIn outreach, objection handling, qualification.
• Familiarization with CRM and sales engagement tools: Salesforce or HubSpot, Outreach or Salesloft, ZoomInfo, LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
• Days 11-100 (Paid Residency):
• Full-time work at a partner company as a W-2 employee of SV Academy.
• Responsibilities include: outbound prospecting via phone, email, and LinkedIn; qualifying inbound leads; scheduling discovery meetings for Account Executives.
• Daily coaching from an SV Academy mentor and partner's sales leadership.
• Day 100 (Transfer to Partner):
• Successful Residents transfer to the partner's payroll with compensation and benefits starting immediately.

Who Tends to Succeed Here

• No prior sales experience required.
• Qualities desired:
• Competitive and motivated by clear goals.
• Comfortable on the phone, including cold calls.
• Coachable; takes feedback and acts on it.
• Resilient; able to handle rejection.
• Strong written and spoken communicators.
• Prior experience in roles like retail, hospitality, customer service, fundraising, fitness instruction, or teaching where you communicated with people and met goals is a strong foundation.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Required Qualifications:
• English proficiency sufficient for professional work communication.
• Permanently authorized to work in the United States without the need for sponsorship.
• Preferred Qualifications:
• Completed Bachelor's degree.
• Experience in a customer-facing role (e.g., retail, hospitality, customer support, fundraising, account management).
• Experience in a goal-driven role with measurable targets (quotas, KPIs, bookings, revenue, or activity metrics).
• Ability to attend evening sessions during the 2-week bootcamp.
• Confident and engaging communicator.
• Excited by ambitious goals and motivated by a high-performance environment.

Benefits

• Comprehensive 2-week online bootcamp training.
• Paid 3-month residency with an employer partner.
• Hybrid work environment.
• Exposure to leading technology companies and sales teams.
• Professional development and mentorship opportunities.
• Supportive community and network of peers.

Application Process

• Apply through the posting.
• Response within 2 business days.
• If a fit, a 20-minute intro call will be scheduled.
• Cohort placement involves matching with a partner company and start date.
• Cohorts begin every Monday and are limited to 25 Residents. Apply early for priority consideration.