So here's basically what you're getting into Cvent client services and sales. If you want the short version, it's most likely not going to work out for you and will be a waste of your valuable career time, stay away. If you want the long version here it is.
Cvent has a massive interview process that includes multiple rounds of back-to-back interviews, shadowing, IQ and other aptitude tests. These are tough and annoying but I think it's smart of Cvent to do this. Cvent jobs are demanding and, so as not to waste anyone's time including yours, they only hire the best of the best.
So you get let's say 10 new sales or client services who are some of the nicest, most competent people you've ever had the pleasure of working with. Then The Hunger Games start. Through overwork and underpay, you'll see about half your training class gone within the first year and after 2 years you'll have only a couple people left. When I say overwork I'm not just talking hours at work. You'll have other gals at Cvent tell you "oh, I never work more than 40 hours" and it's true, but it's misleading. I'm also talking what you're actually doing within those hours. Everything at Cvent is so broken and needlessly complicated that your pay check will be screwed up, deals you close will be screwed up, technology will break or be shipped wrong or get messed up in some way you didn't even know was possible before Cvent, and before you know it you're doing six people's jobs for three fourths of a job's salary. If you're in sales you're kind of lucky because you don't have to travel unlike client services whose lives basically get destroyed. This isn't an observation- client services people have told me this. The only friends they have are Cvent friends. You're also kind of not lucky though because you're being hounded about quota which is your lone metric for success and your lone chance at having a decent pay check but only one of the six jobs you have to do.
So now it's year two and a couple people are left standing from The Hunger Games. Many sales or client services people opt to become managers at this point. Not having any experience beyond college and being walking dictionaries of the jerryrigged cheapo way that Cvent does everything, Cventers make some of the worst managers I have ever seen. It's nothing against them personally. They're still the same nice people you started out with. They're just totally naive about how to be managers and, in a company where most of the other managers came up the same way and are completely naive, they never have a hope of getting any better. Here is what a sales manager at Cvent does: they make sure you fill out a forecast spreadsheet, they ask you "does line 6 say 10,000?" at team meetings, you say "Yes it says 10,000". That's it. Their boss does the same thing to them and it's the Cvent way. No growing their teams with personal development, new strategies, exchanging best practices or anything that's the definition of being even a mediocre a sales manager at any successful company ever. Cvent managers are the keepers of the spreadsheets. A Cvent sales team is a bunch of numbers plugged into a formula. It's not an evolving strategic unit for the company and it's certainly never fun or gratifying to be a part of on a personal basis.
I'll stop there and just say those are my big gripes with Cvent sales and client services. Other sales and client services people have other gripes on Glassdoor and I would encourage you to filter down to those roles and read them. I haven't seen one yet that I thought was wrong. Also pay attention to the people who are writing them. These are usually very seemingly competent, thoughtful people. Cvent is where good workers go to get shredded up and have an ugly six month stint on their resume. I'm lucky I stuck it out as long as I did. Compared to the effort I put in though I got very little career-wise out of Cvent and consider it as much a waste of my time as someone who left after six months, so we're all in the same boat I guess.
So should you work at Cvent in sales or client services? If you've worked in the events industry for a couple years and you're in love with it or Cvent is your only option compared to sitting at home on your momma's couch, I'd say give it a go. For everyone else stay away. Cvent is a company that's designed both intentionally and unintentionally to actively work against you as an employee every step of the way. There are too many better options out there to waste your time and energy on Cvent. Bleed any color but blue. You'll thank yourself 10 years from now.
