I needed to think. Sitting down for a bit to process what I had just done was not such a bad idea. I walked out of the reception room and made a bee line for my car. As I walked to my car, I noticed a group of people hanging out at the other end of the building. Some of them were exiting the double doors, leaning against the cars and smoking. Some of them were playing on their cellphones and others were engaged in intense conversations. I couldn’t quite make the connection but I felt that was a lot going on for a workplace. I got into my car and just sat there. I didn’t turn on the ignition or the radio. I sat pure silence. I couldn’t think of anywhere to go. I just needed a moment to collect all my thoughts and process what I had just experienced.
Did I just agree to do a job described as “stressful”? Did I just agree to do a job that pays less than what I made before I started graduate school? Did I just agree to work with customers who can be considered “unreasonable” and “irate”?
Have you ever had a moment where you just wanted to say “Oh no, forget this” and just leave? Everything in me wanted to turn on my car, put it in reverse, pull out of the parking lot and drive away. I have heard of horror stories of how draining and stressful a customer service jobs can be. Granted that I have had a lot of friends who had worked at a call center at some point in their life, they always looked at it as a college job or a temporary situation. Not a job as Master degree holder.
You have all these thoughts of how logical it would be to just drive home and hit the keys again looking for a job online. But then, a small voice in your head says “What other options do you have? I mean, you have been looking for what…six months? And not even a call for an interview? You are half way to making some money and you want to run? “. I am sure if this voice were an actual person, it would be looking at me with crazy eyes. That good old voice that just wants to squash what was otherwise a really good idea.
**Sigh**
For close to two hours, I went back and forth on whether to stay or whether to leave. The final consensus: I was going to take the job if offered to me. I will give myself three good months but the moment I feel that this job is something I can no longer handle, I will quit. I breathe a huge sigh of relief. I had figured out my grand plan and avoided having a “chip on my shoulder” mindset. I didn’t want to feel like I was above working in customer service. But if I were to work at a customer service rep, it will be temporary.
I took a deep breath and fixed my hair. It’s funny how quickly time flies when you have a lot on your mind. I decided to go back into the building and wait for the second part of the interview process to start. In the reception hall, I noticed a couple of people texting on their phones and some taking a nap. I sat close to the door and waited. Twenty minutes later, “Katt Williams” walked into the reception hall and called my group for the second part.
We were brought back into the room where we took the assessment and were told to wait for our individual interviews. Soon after sitting down, a lady stepped out of her corner office and said my name. She was average height and very well dressed and her hair was slicked back into a bun. I stood up and she told me to follow her into her office. The lady introduced herself as the hiring manager asked me if I fully understood the questions I answered during the assessment. I said yes.
“Will the pay rate be enough for you to take care of your monthly financial obligations?” the lady said in a very stern voice.
“Yes” I said but what I really wanted to say was “Uhm, no! Can we negotiate the pay?”
“Well, if that is the case, I just want to welcome you to our company. You did very well on your assessment. Consider it a privilege to work here. Many are called, but few are selected.”
I found that very hard to believe but I decided to be open minded. Maybe the level of professionalism that sought for the company was very high. Or so I thought. The lady directed me to a scheduling manager where I was told that I would have to select the days that I would like to work and my hours. That will be my fixed schedule for the next six months. Based on the schedule I picked, that would it will now determine my training schedule.
“You have selected to work Monday through Fridays with weekends off. You will be training in group B which will be from 3PM to 11PM.”
Huh?? Getting off work at 11PM??? So much for happy hour!
“How long is this going to be for?” I asked still thinking I can just get up and leave.
“Six weeks, and you will be paid during this time”.
I guess I can handle that. I signed some papers and was told to that I will start my training on Monday.
I slowly lifted myself from my chair and walked out of the scheduling manager’s office. I felt a little light headed. Just like that, I had a job. A part of me was happy that I would start making some kind of money, no matter how much. A part of me was concerned about the future. In business school, I was taught to approach things with a game plan, with a strategy. How will this job affect my overall career? How will I be able to leverage this experience towards a more professional position? Will there be room for growth within the corporation? If so, how? What is an acceptable time to be at this position before seeking other positions? (Immediately!!!).
All these thoughts made me want to just go home and get some rest.
I didn’t realize when I reached my driveway. The drive home seemed so short because of the myriad of thoughts going through my head. I put the car in park and slowly peeled myself out of my car. I decided that once I walk inside the house, I would walk upstairs to my room quickly before anyone asked me how the day went.
“So how did things go?” my dad asked once I locked the door behind me. **Sigh**. I didn’t know my dad was going to be back from work so early.
“It went well” I said casually while still making my way towards the stair case. My mom, who just happened to be home early as well looked up at me.
“Come sit down and tell us how everything went” she said. **Sigh**
I really didn’t want to go into details so I sat down and gave them a very condensed version of what happened.
“Long story short, I got the job…so that’s that, I guess” I said with very little enthusiasm in my voice.
What happened next cannot be explained in words. Till this day, I can’t comprehend what would cause anyone to react this way.
“So, you got a job??” my dad exclaimed.
I nodded. “Well, this is cause for celebration!!!! “He said with a huge laugh. My mom followed by lifting her hands in praise.
“Let’s eat cake” my dad said. He then called my brother and told him about my job and that he needed to go to the store to get a cake.
“Really??? Is it really that serious? Cake?? ” I said to myself. This isn’t even my dream job. What is there to even celebrate?? With cake for that matter? I didn’t see this as being celebratory event.
Hindsight being 20/20, I can see why any type of job was a reason to celebrate. You really don’t know how bad the unemployment rate is until you walk into a company and see a bunch of people applying for the same job as yourself. And the hiring manager did say that not everyone who applies gets hired. I was part of the select few. This was something to be grateful for, no matter the job. But for that moment, I faked excitement and walked to my room to change.
Shortly after, I walked downstairs to find a store bought cake on the dining table. A birthday cake with the words “Congratulations” on it and a bottle of apple cider.
I cut the cake and my mom took a picture with her camera phone. I can’t make this stuff up.
We ate cake, drank cider and the very next day, I started my first day of training.
“Girl…the first time you get on the phone, the customers are going to curse you out and you are going to cry…you might as well just quit right now…” were the first words my trainer told me as signed in and asked what the job was like…
**Sigh**
The Musings of a Job Seeking MBA 