The Translation Agency Industry’s Top-Earning Career Paths

13th July 2018

Adaptive’s recruiters are often asked by candidates how they can build their careers to raise their market value and earnings. Here we share our map of the paths which lead to some of the top-paying roles in the global language services industry. First things first - you don’t have to be a salesperson to make big bucks. Often when Adaptive is approached by candidates looking to up their earnings in the language services industry, there’s an expectation that only the high-flying BDMs and C-suite management are making top money. After all, BDMs are on commission plans and signing big customer deals can be very lucrative. And it’s true – top BDMs and sales managers can be making as much as anyone on this list. But salespeople not the only ones with strong pay packages in the language industry. In fact, we’ve left sales out of our list below to offer alternate options to translation and localization industry professionals looking to build their careers. So here we go - four routes to top-paying roles if cold calling isn’t your thing: 1. Business Unit Leadership e.g. VP Life Sciences, VP Engineering Broad-ranging VP titles usually signify a role that is a mix of client relations, operations and specific expertise in a particular area. Professionals in these positions are in charge of ‘business units’ which operate like mini-companies within the larger organization, focused on one specific area – such as services to the Life Sciences market or engineering services. This means the VP’s responsibility is wide, often covering a separate profit and loss account for their unit. VPs leading these areas can come from a variety of backgrounds, but have often worked their way up an internal hierarchy where their increasing experience makes them more and more valuable. They head up hiring, account management and ensure that their company’s service offering continues to be competitive and evolve with the market. Career Entry Point: Project Manager, Account Manager, BDM Key Skill: ability to combine rounded business skills with deep subject-matter expertise Average Salary Range: $100,000 - $160,000 + bonus 2. Internal Technology Management e.g. CTO, VP of Technology At the highest level, technology managers need to be more than just experts in localization workflows, and lead areas such as networking, security, compliance, training, technology change management, data recovery and more. Their focus is on the role technology plays in helping the company reach strategic goals and impacting overall P&L. Localization career paths typically go from specialist to generalist with candidates building a base in CAT tools, internal and client workflows and then rounding out generalist IT competencies to continue progressing. Career Entry Point: CAT Tools Specialist, Localization Technology Manager, Localization Engineer Average Salary Range: $120,000 - $180,000 + bonus Key skill: ability to visualize and implement technology changes which make high-value improvements to the global organization 3. Operations & General Management e.g. VP Operations, General Manager A great goal for Project Managers! Many of the industry’s top-paid professionals in operations (production) leadership started ‘in the trenches’ as PMs. Growth in this career channel comes from deep first-hand knowledge of internal workflows, aptitude for working directly with key customers and versatile operational skills – organization, planning, financial management and personnel leadership. As operations candidates move up the career ladder, they broaden their generalist business skills and combine them with their expert knowledge of localization processes to eventually step up and take overall responsibility. Career Entry Point: Project Manager, QA Manager Salary range: $120,000 - $150,000 + bonus Key skill: ability to design and maintain efficient teams and workflows to deliver reliably and profitably for customers 4. Client Solutions Development e.g. VP Client Solutions, Global Solutions Manager A specialist team within most LSPs, solutions professionals focus on bridging the gap between sales, production and IT. Their focus is building creative solutions for prospective and existing customers, which involves customizing, integrating and potentially selecting new tools to bring together clients’ existing technology systems and those used by the LSP. Many client solutions experts get their start in engineering and are well versed in CAT tools, but also work to develop strong client relationship skills throughout their careers. Often professionals in this space work on the client side for at least a few years, building inside knowledge from the buyer perspective. At the top of the tree, global managers for solutions teams build some of the most advanced workflows in commercial localization. Career Entry Point: Localization Engineer, CAT Tools Specialist, Project Manager, Account Manager Salary range: $130,000 - $150,000 + bonus Key skill: ability to think creatively to create unique technology-based workflow solutions * * * Adaptive Globalization recruits within the translation, localization and language technology sectors from entry-level to VP+. Feel free to get in touch to discuss hiring or career development – ray.green@adaptiveglobalization.com You can check out Adaptive Globalization’s vacancies for PMs, Account Managers, Loc Engineers, BDMs and more in our job listings here.

Sit down with Head of Client Services at Avantpage Translations

11th July 2018

#Project Manager

Joanna Oseman is the Head of Client Services at Avantpage Translations and has been with the company since 2016 where she started as a Project Manager. Since then she has moved into an Account Manager role and now is the Head of Client Services for the company - Shelby Crane, Recruitment Consultant at Adaptive Globalization in New York, caught up with Joanna to just to see what every day life is like at Adantpage, and how she managed to branch out within language service industry. Here's what we found out: SC: How did you get into the localization industry? JO: When I moved to the US after living for several years in France, I wanted to keep the language going and so I looked for work as a translator. I started with volunteer work, and eventually built a freelance career translating from French to English for a few core clients. After years of doing that I expanded to working with a team to offer other languages, creating my own small company and wearing all of the hats that this entails. I found that I loved the project and client management aspects that came along with this, but was ready to work with a larger company and move away from the solitary life of working for myself. I joined Avantpage as a Project Manager at first, moving to Account Manager shortly afterwards before heading our Client Services department. SC: In your role, what is your day-to-day like? JO: Pretty non-stop and very rarely the day I thought it was going to be! A mix of fielding client inquiries, answering new sales requests, checking in with my team and our Operations colleagues, planning for upcoming projects and contracts, etc. All of our teams work closely together, so there are a lot of meetings. We’re also working to become a more data driven company, and so I have several long term projects underway that have to do with tracking and measuring various information and processes throughout our company. Face to face client meetings are definitely my favourite part of the job, so I also spend time scheduling and preparing presentations and business reviews. SC: What makes Avantpage Translations an exciting place to work? JO: The fast paced environment leaves no room for feeling bored or wondering what to do next - I can’t remember ever experiencing that feeling here. And we really have a great team of fun and passionate people. Everyone here works with Avantpage because they care about the industry and about the LEP communities that we serve, so we’re constantly brainstorming and working to power through our workloads together. Our team is pretty spread out (Davis, CA; Reno, NV; Mexico City, Mexico and Warsaw, Poland) but despite the distances, we work really closely together. It’s an interesting way to get to know people from other places and cultures and we’re a close-knit group! SC: What’s your vision for the industry in the next few years? JO: Obviously there’s a lot of automation heading our way, which is really interesting to be part of. We always have this top of mind when looking at the optimization of our processes, but also in terms of what Project Management will look like down the road. PMs are already taking on more roles than they had five or ten years ago, and I’m sure this will continue to evolve. At Avantpage we also stay very aware of immigration trends and how this will affect what we do. Because we work in highly-regulated fields (healthcare and elections), we see the demand for our work increasing as the needs of LEP populations in the US develop. SC: What advice would you give to people who are interested in what you do? JO: My best advice is to get as much experience as you can in all aspects of the industry that interest you, in order to figure out your best fit. I’ve worked in several different areas, from translation to project management and vendor recruiting - all of that led me to the role that I have now and continues to inform decisions that contribute to the overall success of our client partnerships. SC: Avantpage has recently gone through a rebranding. Can you tell us a bit more this? JO: This process kicked off to mark Avantpage’s 20th anniversary in 2016 and was an opportunity to take a step back and look at who we are and why we do what we do. We did a lot of story-telling and the entire process was a collaboration between our various teams. During the rebrand we identified our three core values: rigor, empathy, and opportunity. Working from this basis, we wanted to use the occasion to take a stand for what we really believe in at Avantpage - helping our clients to empower immigrant communities through language access. Our Head of Marketing, Sabra Rubinstein, coordinated all aspects of the re-brand, which involved a complete revamp of our website, social media, and outreach/marketing materials. We’re all super excited about it and we’ve been getting great feedback from our partners and clients. SC: What is the best advice you've ever received? JO: I have a couple of colleagues in particular at Avantpage who give me so much daily advice that I couldn’t pick one piece as being the best - it’s one of my favourite things about our team here. A practical bit of wisdom that I always try to follow is to be wary of making rash decisions, especially when feeling fired up or emotional. I have a tendency to be impulsive, but with business as well as life decisions, I am careful now to take a bit more time - to let something sit overnight, talk it through with others, and look at things from all angles. It’s definitely a balancing act as I’m constantly working on projects where acting quickly is key, but taking a deep breath first is never a bad thing! You can reach out to Shelby, or Joanna, on their respective LinkedIn profiles. Check out some similar roles to Joanna's, Adaptive Globalization is always looking for top candidates across many aspects in the Localization industry - see our jobs, here.

Five Lesser-Known Conference Picks for LSP BDMs

15th June 2018

#BDM

Along with industry calendar staples, here are some off-the-beaten-path conference options for translation and localization sales professionals For some it's one of the top perks of the job - company-paid travel opportunities to hang out in some of the world's top cities while enjoying good food and drink along the way. For others, it's a dreaded few days of airport security, taxis, hotel rooms and living out of a suitcase. Whatever your take on the travel aspect, there are few better prospecting opportunities than conferences, with hundreds of potential customers gathered together with the explicit purpose of finding ideas and partners to drive their businesses forward. On the localization circuit, there are some established events. LocWorld, TAUS, ATC and the fast-growing Slatorcon among them. To dot the 'i's and cross the 't's, the guys at Nimdzi Insights have made a pretty comprehensive schedule here. But when it comes to sending sales reps outside of the loc bubble, many companies struggle for direction. With industry-specific conferences and trade events, results can be hit and miss. Those targeting the gaming space swear by GDC, whilst those with their sights on the LifeSci space favor events such as DIA. On a more general footing, here are a few conferences Adaptive's loc agency customers have attended with good reviews: 1) Brand2Global Billed "a world leader in promoting education and training in the fields of Global Branding, Global Marketing, Global Digital Media, and Localization", Brand2Global’s conferences feature speakers and attendees who head up global marketing for major brands. 2017’s speaker list included representatives from Microsoft, HubSpot, GoPro, Gatorade and Citrix. 2) SaaStr “The world’s largest community for B2B’ software”. Held over 3 days and attended by 15,000+, the SaaStr conference brings together leaders and learners in the world of software-as-a-service, a favourite IT niche with localization BDMs looking to get in at ground-level with the next company poised for explosive growth. 2019’s lineup is already assembled and features luminaries from Box, Pinterest and Slack, along with plenty of VC and PE experts. 3) TechCrunch Disrupt “Before there were tech conferences, there was Disrupt.” Hackathons, ‘Startup Alley’… Disrupt is all about early-phase businesses and bringing together investors and innovators for discussion and collaboration. For BDMs looking to engage early with high-growth companies at a low level of localization maturity, this can be a great base and afford some valuable networking. 4) WebSummit The accolades for this event are seemingly infinite: Inc. magazine calls it “the largest tech conference in the world”, Forbes “the best tech conference on the planet”. Attendees top 70,000 and speaker numbers run past 1,000. An all-star featured speaker lineup includes C-level representatives from Booking.com, Twitter, eBay, Nestlé and Tommy Hilfiger. The sheer scale of the event means any brave loc participants need to plan carefully to find relevant sessions to focus on, but there’s no event with more tech heavyweights in one place at one time. 5) Dmexco The self-styled “global business and innovation platform of the digital economy”, dmexco focuses on digital commerce, marketing and transformation. Heavily attended by digital services companies for a while, increasing numbers of language service providers are adding this event to their conference calendar also. Past speakers include Jack Dorsey (CEO, Twitter), Sheryl Sandberg (COO, Facebook) and Sir Martin Sorrell (Founder, WPP). You can check out Adaptive Globalization’s current BDM vacancies in our job listings here.

Top tips to secure that sales job in language services

24th April 2018

Adaptive’s recruiters often get asked for tips and advice on interviewing by sales candidates in the language services space. It’s a very interesting topic, as client interview processes have changed and evolved, and preparing correctly for an interview is crucial in a competitive job market. In this post, I’m keen to share the reasons why clients interview the way they do, and what you need to do to get the sales job you want (and deserve). Let’s look at the beginning of the process: Your CV: What are you up against in terms of content on your CV? Have a think of the core part of your job working in sales, what is it? What does the employer want to see in your CV? They want to see how you sell, what techniques you use when selling, who you’ve sold to, and what you’ve achieved. Revenue – candidates often don’t show off the revenue they have brought to a company. This is the key measure of success in your role, so why are you not showing this in your CV? Often candidates who have missed goals or come in at under 100% are concerned with putting this in their profile. However, including no sales data at all can raise more suspicion in an employer than an honest track record. Reaching sales goals is a complex process that involves many factors – sales support, marketing, pricing, delivery, branding, resources… interviewers understand this and contextualize accordingly. Even if you are not comfortable putting your full sales quota attainment history in your CV, it’s a good idea to showcase key clients or number of clients won, major deals closed, contracts awarded and other quantifiable achievements. At the end of the day, if you are claiming a high salary and large commission package, you will need to show what you are capable of for companies to take your CV seriously. Grammar and punctuation – make sure that you have a polished CV without any errors, have it proof-read by a family member or friend. Are we back at school? No. But a lot of candidates throw together a CV with basic glitches without realising. This is the document that represents you – it gets you in the door when you’re seeking new employment and it determines whether a future boss will make time out of their diary to speak or meet with you. Consider what making these small mistakes will do when pitching to a new client for a large translation or localization project. If they noticed a spelling or grammar mistake from someone selling Language Services, will that supplier make it to the next round? Preparing for the meeting In your daily sales role, when you’re heading to a new client’s office to present to the Sales Manager, Sales Director, CEO and Marketing Director about your service, think about the process you go through – for example: Research the prospects Discuss the areas the prospect is looking to find a solution for Consider which solutions you can create to solve the issue for them Strategize on how you will add value to the prospect Why have you done this? Would you ever show up for a meeting unprepared? No, you won’t, so why would you turn up to an interview unprepared? Clients want to see that you have taken the time to research them. They want to hire someone who is diligent in their work, understands the process of finding information and how to use it in a real-life situation. (By the way, the interview is a real life situation of winning business. That business pays your salary and commission!). Do you turn up 15 minutes before your interview, or is this just a myth? Short answer; it’s not a myth. It displays you’re prepared and ready to go when the meeting starts. It also gives you time to catch your breath and get familiar with the surroundings and the feel of the place. You wouldn’t show up late to a pitch, would you? If there are travel problems, realise this early and make sure you are prepared for any delays. You never know there might be someone on the interviewing panel who has flown in that morning to meet with you. Don’t make them late. In the meeting Keep answers focused You’ve come in, met everyone, then you sit down to the first question. You’re feeling good, looking smart and well prepared. Then, you end up talking too much and stray away from the point of conversation, even after the first question! It’s not just junior staff who do this, it can happen to the most seasoned sales pro looking for ways to make an impression and showcase knowledge. Think about taking a deep breath and consider your answer carefully. In quite a few cases, we hear feedback from candidates who listened to the question and dived straight into the answer without thinking. Before you know it, you’ve answered something completely different to what was asked of you. Short and concise answers are key. Show that you are listening. Answer the actual question and if asked for an explanation which will be a longer answer, then breathe and deliver. Don’t forget body language and eye contact This is absolutely key - keep eye contact, be open and confident in yourself. If you were sitting on the other side of the table, staring at yourself and asking the interview questions, which version of you would you want to see? The one looking at the table, speaking quietly, not showing much ambition or drive for that job? Or the smiling, happy, confident, professional version? Present your plan In almost all sales interviews the future employer will ask you to take part in a presenting task, maybe a 30/60/90-day plan with a forecast for revenue and areas you will be looking to approach for new business. When you are presenting, think of the following; Keep it straight to the point of what you have been tasked to do The presentation does not need to be 50 pages long, just remember, you will most likely have 10-15 minutes to present. Do not be surprised if you are stopped to be asked a question, this should not throw you off though – breathe and continue Bring out your personality when doing this – you need to get their attention and they want to know if they can work with you. Enthusiasm & humour - bring this to the interview, if you are not enthusiastic the client may doubt your interest and they will switch off immediately. Make sure you are excited about what you are doing and saying. This will lead to you being more comfortable and better able to show your personality alongside your knowledge. Q&A – make sure that you back up everything you have said during the presentation to answer the questions the employer will ask. In short, make sure your presentation doesn’t raise obvious questions you can’t answer! Questions – what to ask and why? So, you are getting to the end of the interview and you get asked: “Do you have any questions for us?” A few areas to think about, to help prepare for questions: Why are you applying to work for this company? From the research you have done so far, what do you want to know? What solutions are you expected to sell, in which territories/markets? What about the internal side to the business, what is the culture like? What are their values? Career growth, how do you grow within the company? Be interested enough to ask how the next three-five years of your career will look like from a personal and professional standpoint. Master the close: How do you close the interview? First up, don’t put the interviewer on the spot. We advise asking for initial feedback, and asking when you can expect to hear from them next. Maybe ask the client about the points of your interview that stood out to them, and why. What are the next steps to the process, do they (the employer) have any further questions for you? With this, you will be able to gauge where you stand. Keep the meeting positive, don’t ask for negative feedback - look at the positives and keep the mindset of the meeting in that same manner! Lastly, just enjoy it! This is your chance to get yourself your next big career move. Getting a new job can be stressful, but the interview stage is a process everyone has to go through and it should not be looked at as a daunting prospect. This is where YOU can better yourself by gaining that next job that can propel you to greater heights than you expected of yourself! Lastly, best of luck in your interview stage – go get them!