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In a word, an account executive is a salesperson. Their day-to-day roles include finding new clients, serving existing customers and nailing the sale deal on the head. Essentially, it's safe to say that your communication skills have to be off the chart. Especially since most account executives work on commission.

In general, you'll probably want to secure a bachelor's degree before pursing this career. Even after you graduate, you'll probably have some more to learn. But no worries because your employer will probably supply that.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an account executive. For example, did you know that they make an average of $32.02 an hour? That's $66,604 a year!

Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 20,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does an Account Executive Do

There are certain skills that many account executives have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and leadership skills.

Learn more about what an Account Executive does

How To Become an Account Executive

If you're interested in becoming an account executive, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 78.0% of account executives have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 6.5% of account executives have master's degrees. Even though most account executives have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an account executive. When we researched the most common majors for an account executive, we found that they most commonly earn bachelor's degree degrees or associate degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on account executive resumes include master's degree degrees or high school diploma degrees.

You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become an account executive. In fact, many account executive jobs require experience in a role such as sales representative. Meanwhile, many account executives also have previous career experience in roles such as account manager or sales associate.

Account Executive Career Paths

Average Salary for an Account Executive

Account Executives in America make an average salary of $66,604 per year or $32 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $103,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $42,000 per year.
Average Account Executive Salary
$66,604 Yearly
$32.02 hourly
$42,000
10 %
$66,000
Median
$103,000
90 %

What Am I Worth?

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Account Executive Education

Account Executive Majors

30.7 %
12.7 %

Account Executive Degrees

Bachelors

78.0 %

Associate

9.7 %

Masters

6.5 %

Top Colleges for Account Executives

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-State Tuition
$53,308
Enrollment
6,819

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018

7. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-State Tuition
$49,880
Enrollment
4,177

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238

9. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-State Tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407

10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-State Tuition
$50,530
Enrollment
4,571

Top Skills For an Account Executive

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 10.2% of account executives listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Account Executive Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Account Executive templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Account Executive resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Account Executive Demographics

Account Executive Gender Distribution

Male
Male
57%
Female
Female
43%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among account executives, 42.8% of them are women, while 57.2% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among account executives is White, which makes up 71.6% of all account executives.

  • The most common foreign language among account executives is Spanish at 53.6%.

Online Courses For Account Executive That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  The courses listed below are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the course, we may receive a commission.
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The Complete Startup Playbook for Business Development & B2B Sales to learn Lead Generation, Pitching, & Closing Deals...

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Best States For an Account Executive

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an account executive. The best states for people in this position are Connecticut, Rhode Island, Oregon, and Washington. Account executives make the most in Connecticut with an average salary of $78,785. Whereas in Rhode Island and Oregon, they would average $78,428 and $77,441, respectively. While account executives would only make an average of $74,865 in Washington, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Oregon

Total Account Executive Jobs:
1,292
Highest 10% Earn:
$123,000
Location Quotient:
1.23 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here

2. Connecticut

Total Account Executive Jobs:
879
Highest 10% Earn:
$124,000
Location Quotient:
1.05 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here

3. Idaho

Total Account Executive Jobs:
467
Highest 10% Earn:
$111,000
Location Quotient:
1.12 Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
Full List Of Best States For Account Executives

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Top Account Executive Employers

We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ account executives and discovered their number of account executive opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that AT&T; was the best, especially with an average salary of $52,440. Comcast follows up with an average salary of $76,534, and then comes T-Mobile US with an average of $39,800. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as an account executive. The employers include Kronos Incorporated, Salesforce, and VMware

Most Common Employers For Account Executive

Rank  Company  Average Salary  Hourly Rate  Job Openings  
1IBM$128,616$61.83447
2Yelp$128,208$61.641,027
3ViacomCBS$105,744$50.84559
4Salesforce$92,692$44.56484
5Comcast$76,534$36.802,416
6Comcast Technology Solutions$66,604$32.02528
7PLS Logistics$66,604$32.02390
8Xerox$62,964$30.27489
9Ricoh$62,090$29.851,087
10TQL$61,022$29.34388

Account Executive Videos

Becoming an Account Executive FAQs

How long does it take to become an Account Executive?

It takes 5 years of professional experience to become an account executive. That is the time it takes to learn specific account executive skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 8 to 10 years years to become an account executive.

Do you need a degree to be an account executive?

No, you do not need a college degree to become an account executive. To become an account executive requires, at minimum, a high school diploma.

Over 70% of account executives have a bachelor's degree, and most have their bachelor's degrees in business administration, finance, business management, and marketing.

How much does an account executive get paid?

An account executive gets paid around $97,000 annually. The national average starting salary is $65,000, plus a commission or bonus around $20,000 to $40,000 annually.

The average entry-level position for an account executive is $43,000 plus commission. An account executive with a master's degree earns more money ($73.000) compared to someone with just a bachelor's degree ($65,000). Only 7.3% of account executives, however, have a master's degree.

How much money does an account executive make?

An account executive makes approximately $65,000 a year. Many factors can impact what an account executive earns annually, as this number only includes base salary.

Entry-level account executive positions earn an average of $44,000 per year. This salary reflects the education and experience of the candidate as well as the size of the company and city of employment.

Is an account executive a good job?

Yes, being an account executive is a good job. High-energy individuals with natural social skills will find the career both exciting and fulfilling. Plus, a strong job outlook indicates a positive future for account excutives.

Is an account executive a manager?

No, an account executive is not a manager. While account executives oversee team members tasked with acquiring new clients, they are not considered part of the management team.

An account executive is responsible for recruiting new customers and following up on leads for potential new business. This often results in account managers working with others in the sales department to present a proposal to a potential client.

Is it hard to be an account executive?

Yes, it is hard to be an account executive. To become an account executive requires some educational credentials and work experience. More importantly, an account executive is expected to have exceptional communication skills, a large social network, and a drive to stay relevant and up-to-date on the latest trends.

What level is an account executive?

An account executive is considered a lower-level position in the business sales profession. Although very important, the position of account executive ranks near the bottom of the business sales hierarchy.

What qualifications do I need to be an account executive?

Account executives must meet certain education and job-specific qualifications, including a bachelor's degree, business or sales experience, and strong communication skills.

A four-year degree in business administration, accounting, or marketing is typical of someone pursuing this career path. Some candidates earn an MBA, and all coursework should focus on consumer research, marketing, and communication methods.

What's the difference between an account executive and an account manager?

The difference between an account executive and an account manager is their involvement with the client. Account managers are responsible for ensuring client satisfaction once the client is already on board with the company. An account executive is tasked with finding and signing new clients to the company.

Account Executive vs. Account Manager

An account executive is responsible for finding and signing new clients to the company, while the account manager is responsible for ensuring client satisfaction after they have signed the sales contract.

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