How to Find and Land an SA/SE/FDE Job
Embarking on a journey to secure a role as a Solutions Architect (SA), Sales Engineer (SE), or Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) can be both exciting and daunting. With my extensive experience across leading tech companies like AWS, MongoDB, and SolarWinds, I’m here to guide you through every step of the process, ensuring you not only find the right opportunities but also land the job that aligns with your career aspirations. This coaching plan is a comprehensive, personalized program designed to equip you with the tools, strategies, and confidence needed to excel in your job search and interviews. Whether you're just starting out or looking to pivot within the tech industry, I’ll tailor our sessions to meet your unique needs and goals. Here’s what we’ll cover together: 1. **Career Planning & Exploration**: We’ll begin by exploring your interests, strengths, and career goals to identify the roles and companies that best fit your aspirations. I’ll help you understand the nuances of SA, SE, and FDE roles and how they align with your skills and ambitions. 2. **Job Search Strategies**: I’ll guide you in developing a targeted job search strategy, including how to effectively leverage job boards, networking, and industry events. We’ll also discuss how to tap into the hidden job market and make the most of your professional connections. 3. **Resume Review & Optimization**: Together, we’ll craft a standout resume that highlights your technical expertise and achievements. I’ll provide detailed feedback to ensure your resume captures the attention of recruiters and hiring managers. 4. **Interview Preparation**: We’ll conduct mock interviews tailored to the specific roles you’re targeting, focusing on both technical and behavioral questions. I’ll provide constructive feedback to help you refine your responses and present yourself with confidence and clarity. 5. **General Exploration & Mentorship**: Throughout our sessions, I’ll share insights from my own career journey and offer mentorship to help you navigate challenges and seize opportunities. Whether it’s advice on career transitions or insights into industry trends, I’m here to support you every step of the way. My goal is to empower you to approach your job search with a strategic mindset and the skills needed to stand out in competitive tech roles. Let’s work together to unlock your potential and land the job you’ve been aiming for.
What's included
These sessions will be conversational and exploratory in nature. We can also spend time going through job listings and applications together, as well as doing interview preparation etc.
- Tailored job search strategy to effectively target SA, SE, and FDE roles.
- Optimized resume highlighting technical expertise and achievements.
- Mock interviews with feedback to refine technical and behavioral responses.
- Personalized career roadmap aligning roles with your skills and aspirations.
- Insights and mentorship from a seasoned tech industry professional.
Meet your expert
Colin B.
Product @ Poolside | Strategic Career Development for Tech Professionals
I've spent my career at the intersection of technology, customers, and product, from small IT consulting firms to MongoDB, AWS, and most recently Poolside, where I joined as the company's first Solutions Architect and later moved into Product leadership. At Poolside, I helped build the global Solutions Architecture organization from 0 to 7 before identifying an opportunity around sovereign AI, building the first prototype myself, and ultimately leading the resulting product line. Over roughly 14 months, we grew it to ~$3M ARR and 40+ deployments across enterprise, government, and highly regulated environments. I've made several career transitions myself, from IT consulting → Sales Engineering → Solutions Architecture → Product, and I've interviewed extensively across startups and large technology companies. I have an MBA from Boston University and particularly enjoy helping people think through career positioning, technical interviews, compensation, startup opportunities, and how to move between technical, product, and customer-facing roles. I'm also an active builder. Outside of work I've launched my own AI-powered market analytics SaaS and built an open-source agent harness. For anyone looking to understand or build with AI, I'm happy to work hands-on across LLMs, agents, cloud architecture, product strategy, and turning an idea into something real.
