Is it worth taking a GCP TAM role as an L4 with 8 YOE. I made Manager at Deloitte last year and have worked in cloud consulting for the last 5 years, I had made it very clear to the recruiter that I’m looking for an L5 and even with interviews going really well they came back with you would be really strong at L4 so we recommend going into HC with that. Feeling very demotivated and frustrated tbh because after all the effort I’ll have to start where juniors with 4 YOE are staring at GCP Google
Rising Star
Real situation on level:
Me:
2019: Hired as L4; OTE 242k.
2020: 270k.
2021: 365k. All good perfs. promoted to L5.
2022: OTE 420k.
My friend with the exact same exp as me:
2019: hired as L5; OTE 320k.
2020: 350k.
2021 374k. All bad perf scores.
2022 OTE: 395k.
Was pissed that multiple friends with identical experience hired as 5 and I was 4. But used it to my advantage - made it clear I should be expected to perform worse and if I outperform 5/6’s (which I did) it should be rewarded. Now make more than my friend who started at 5. Could be a blessing in disguise.
Chief
Great way of looking at the situation.
Way too many people get caught on their level because of their ego.
It's all about the long run - often coming on a level below your expectations that prepares you for a longer career
Thanks for your perspectives!
First off thank you chief for taking the time to respond to all the questions above, it really does help me get clarity on certain parts of the process. Let me give you my thoughts on what you said for my particular situation:
1. Everything you explained an L5 does I do in my current role at Deloitte in cloud, I run an entire project, I command the room with clients, I can dig deep into technical issues but by the sheer nature of consulting we have a tech team that handles a lot of this which I’m told is no different for TAMs with Customer Engineers/SREs, I have developed entire solutions and set direction for internal initiatives, I know AWS well and have a solid foundational understanding of GCP
2. Let me debunk your myths about long working hours in consulting, it’s not because we’re slow or less efficient, the sheer volume of work we are expected to handle to prepare us for the next level requires the time…..we don’t just manage projects or teams, we set strategies for the firm/our group, we run sales pitches, we recruit, we mentor & coach, we spend at least 100-120 hours a year doing reviews for junior team members performance feedback, we train and up skill to keep the firm competitive, we present at conferences, we write proposals, build internal firm assets, we support fellow projects under fires and all of this is above & beyond our regular 40h work week on the project….the list can go on, it’s the commitment to the role and the drive from peers around you that makes you put in the hours
3. The monetary aspect was never too important for me like I mentioned earlier, Google offers stocks which grow with the market and the $$$ follows but the base comps are significantly lower. That’s what brings the TC in the same range +/-10-15%
So yes I agree with you that Google is no Consulting firm and it cannot be one because the philosophy toward work is very different. I’m also not saying that one is better than the other, consulting burnout is real and that’s the reason I’m recruiting for tech to improve WLB while working on something challenging.
The core of my issue is that there may not be a direct correlation to leveling between Consulting and Tech but in a span of 3h and 15mins you cannot assess how good I am at all these things and when there is no reasoning provided towards why you’re leveled a certain way after you’ve put in significant time & energy to recruit, it leaves a bad taste. Maybe I’m not ready for an L5 or maybe the Googlers I spoke with could not deduce that in their short, scripted conversation. All I have to choose now is whether to join at a level below what I truly deserve or wait another year and try again…
OP, mind sharing what your final offer was? Did you accept??
To be super blunt- just because you ask for L5 doesn’t mean you’re qualified or meet the skillset for it. Your interviewers assess you at the level they think you can succeed best at - not what you think you deserve.
L4 is not junior level, and you should not think of it that way. I started at L4 with 9 YOE. Your YOE does not correlate to applicable experience to the new role.
What about for level 3?
Woah Managers at D getting an L4. I was an Analyst with 1 yoe and joined as an L4 TAM. Can’t complain but surely ask for atleast an L5.
Chief
It really depends on your tech experience.
We have been downgrading mgrs to level 4 cloud consultants lately.
Ironically...we have hired a few senior consultants as level 5s.
It's all about how close you are to the tech and SC are usually closer to the tech.
Whats the TC for both?
G3, very inspiring! Thanks for sharing
I didn’t accept actually and joined AWS as an L6 in the same role…..I like it so far but will attempt to go to GCP sometime later! The comp difference was too high for me to pass and I did not want to take it back to google and renegotiate so I just let it pass
What was the aws offer vs final gcp if you don't mind sharing
DM me, I’m you 6 months ahead and yes I took the role
I'm OP 1.2 years ago lol. Mind sharing your comp?
There is a lot on conversation around down leveling, not getting the level deserved. There is only so much that a candidate can do other than perform well in interviews (subjective to interpretation by the HC). We can only vent on FB.
+1 to rejecting the offer and interview again for the desired level. Have a team mate who did that. You can ask to be interviewed for L5 again.
If you have cloud experience and are a M at Deloitte, you should be leveled as L5. that said your WLB will be way better at Google compared to Deloitte and you can make L5 in a couple of years. End of the day what do you want to do?
Excellent reply, chief
G6, is the bump due to equity organic growing or refreshers or raise on base ?
Rising Star
Sales commission, stock growth, stock refresh, salary raise
The counter at L4 represents how you interviewed. You could have 3 yrs experience and be offered L5 if u interviewed at an L5 level.
So did you accept the offer?
OP, did you accept?
OP, you take the offer?
Very good to know - thanks