A Day In The Life

Alexander Battle

Alexander Battle

Posted 01 October 2016

New York Program

August 2011 Intake


Our Day in Life of this month is Alexander Battle (New York, August 2011), a graduate of Loughborough University, UK, who currently works as an Account Executive (New Business) for LinkedIn based in Sydney; they partner with SMBs across Australia & NZ to help them leverage LinkedIn's network for hiring & branding purposes. Alex describes how "There is a really good vibe in the office and everyone is pretty young and fun. We have a gym, all the food & drinks you could want, arcades, video games, table tennis etc. We work hard but we also play hard".

How did you get into this line of business?
I have always been interested in sales & marketing. During my time on Mountbatten, I was doing a mixed marketing & sales role for Institutional Investor's conference arm. Afterwards, I moved into FMCG and focused more on sales - working for Mars and a food startup in London - before moving into Tech sales and onto Sydney.

Let's talk about a typical day. What time do you get up?
I wake up at 7am, shower, and enjoy my sunny 15-minute stroll to work. I work mainly with New Zealand businesses so I like to get in early for calls/meetings (NZ is 2 hours ahead of Australia).
A typical day consists of as many client-facing meetings as possible, whether that be via phone/screenshare or face-to-face. When I am in NZ, this can make for pretty intense back-to-back type days, but meeting clients is definitely the most enjoyable part of the job!

LinkedIn is also very committed to investing in their employees' development - both professionally & personally - or our 'transformation' as they call it. As such, we have regular team training days and online courses to upskill ourselves as sales professionals; as well as an 'InDay' every 4th Friday, when we are encouraged to set aside our day job and pursue our personal passions & transformation.

Where do you have your lunch?
LinkedIn provide breakfast & lunch, so most people stay in the office. The only issue is that lunch comes at 11.30am and we have now become conditioned like Pavlov's dogs and are all starving come 11am!

What time do you normally leave your workplace at the end of the working day?
I usually leave the office around 6-6.30pm, so it's certainly not a 9-5 type role, but the work-life balance is great! There is a really good vibe in the office and everyone is pretty young and fun. We have a gym in the office, all the food & drinks you could want, arcades, video games, table tennis etc. We work hard but we also play hard - Friday drinks are always eventful! Although it's not quite Boca Grande on a Thursday!

How often do you travel for work?
With NZ being my focus, I travel quite a lot... I head over to NZ once every 3-4 weeks, plus I do the odd bit of travel around Australia. Before I moved to Sydney I had never been to Australia or NZ, so it has been fantastic in helping me see both of these amazing countries!

For friends who have never been to Sydney, what would you suggest they see and do?
Sydney is pretty much like you see on TV....sun, beaches and ridiculously attractive people everywhere! So you should definitely spend some time on the beaches (if you are not ashamed to have a worse body than most 50 year olds here!), do some of the beautiful coastal walks and grab drinks in the sun - The Coogee Pavilion is a personal favourite.

The most touristy drinks spot is probably the Opera Bar underneath the iconic Opera House, but still well worth a visit, especially at night! Australia also has a great food scene - I live in an area called Surry Hills, which is full of awesome cafes for brunch in the sun.

I would also definitely advise you rent a car and get out of the city... Hunter Valley is just 2 hours away and there are tonnes of amazing beach destinations all around!