Telemarketing/other bullsh*t jobs for those in rust-belt cities...EFF 'em.

[RudeGirl]

Last week, I interviewed for a position at the inbound side of Dial America. I was told that the job involved answering questions about healthcare contracts for seniors, and that the pay increased incrementally in accordance with number of hours worked (e.g. 20 hours/week= $7.50, 25/week=$8, etc). The interviewer seemed fairly personable, and we eventually got to discussing management opportunities further down the line, since I've worked at that kind of thing before.

I call back, and they inform me that I will instead be trained for a minimum wage/commission job selling Bank of America credit cards, on the outbound side. The secretary tells me that by the time I interviewed for the position, the inbound positions had already all been filled. I told him that was bullshit, and then punched into the direct dial of the woman who interviewed me. She said that DM had cut 20 inbound positions, and that I could feel free to wait until one of the remaining positions was vacant, but that they thought they'd just start me on the outbound side. She said that the way things were going, they would probably convert to all outbound credit card selling eventually. She added, "And if I were you, and interested in the management side of things, it looks pretty bad to not be able to be flexible."

Flexible? Please. Don't even go there. Sorry, moron...I think I know a few more things about economics than you do. First of all, any company that eliminated 20 positions that they just had vacant a week ago is tanking. It can't be lucrative for a healthcare company to contract out to a call center for their customer service needs if the call center pays their workers more than the market will bear. A company CAN survive doing outbound infinitely, though, because the workers are guranteed only minimum wage unless they sell enough credit cards to make commission, and every rejection brings the telemarketing company as much money as every sale.

Flexible? Come on. I live in southwestern PA, and if you know anything about Pennsylvania, you know that it's a state with negative job growth and population loss. I understand that all we have here is food service and telemarketing jobs, but you don't need to make me feel like a beggar, grateful for your minimum-wage jobs of lies and horseshit.

Share your similar stories, here, if you got 'em. :cool:

[shimmer728]

[QUOTE=RudeGirl]
Flexible? Come on. I live in southwestern PA, and if you know anything about Pennsylvania, you know that it's a state with negative job growth and population loss. I understand that all we have here is food service and telemarketing jobs, but you don't need to make me feel like a beggar, grateful for your minimum-wage jobs of lies and horseshit.
QUOTE]

I'm from southwestern PA (Pittsburgh area--where are you from?) and now live in economically depressed, poverty-stricken central PA. This is so true! It's really sad.

I have never experienced something quite like this, though. That really blows.

[RudeGirl]

I live in Pittsburgh, y'know, Murphy-cum-O'Connor-Land.

Everything here is either unionized or has moved south or to the 'burbs that are miles and miles outside of the city proper. Or gone under. Or...

Blah!

[lilyflower]

Northeastern PA isn't any better - which is why I moved to New Jersey.

[ma1939]

I can relate. Several month ago, I quit a call center sales job with a company that sells musical instruments. I had been bullshitted by the person who hired me. He told me that I could easily expect to make $12-13 at this commissioned sales job. He also told me that I could easily move up into management if I stayed there a year or two.

It turns out that this company was going through a warehouse move (the jerk who hired me didn't mention this to me at the interview) and this was in turn causing delays in people receiving the stuff they ordered. In fact, there were so many customer complaints that that the customer service dept. couldn't handle them all, and they were spilling over into the sales dept.

Well, instead of making sales like I should have been, I was dealing with bitchy, whiny customers. So I wasn't making any commission and was averaging about $6 an hour. In addition, I spoke to several college-educated people at this company who had been there for years, and they said they had never been offered any management positions. I got so sick of this shit after a few weeks, I said f*ck it and quit without giving any notice. I can't believe I quit a retail job that I was content with to go work at this shitty company that was an hour's drive from me.

[shimmer728]

I live in Pittsburgh, y'know, Murphy-cum-O'Connor-Land.

Everything here is either unionized or has moved south or to the 'burbs that are miles and miles outside of the city proper. Or gone under. Or...

Blah!

My BF lives in Pittsburgh, so I spend lots of time there.

Welcome, by the way! :)

[HereComes30]

Sidenote....

Traffic near your exit this weekend was KILLER Shimmer! I was driving like 15-20 mph for 30 miles or so between Sideling Hill and Bedford.

[winneythepooh7]

Last week, I interviewed for a position at the inbound side of Dial America. I was told that the job involved answering questions about healthcare contracts for seniors, and that the pay increased incrementally in accordance with number of hours worked (e.g. 20 hours/week= $7.50, 25/week=$8, etc). The interviewer seemed fairly personable, and we eventually got to discussing management opportunities further down the line, since I've worked at that kind of thing before.

I call back, and they inform me that I will instead be trained for a minimum wage/commission job selling Bank of America credit cards, on the outbound side. The secretary tells me that by the time I interviewed for the position, the inbound positions had already all been filled. I told him that was bullshit, and then punched into the direct dial of the woman who interviewed me. She said that DM had cut 20 inbound positions, and that I could feel free to wait until one of the remaining positions was vacant, but that they thought they'd just start me on the outbound side. She said that the way things were going, they would probably convert to all outbound credit card selling eventually. She added, "And if I were you, and interested in the management side of things, it looks pretty bad to not be able to be flexible."

Flexible? Please. Don't even go there. Sorry, moron...I think I know a few more things about economics than you do. First of all, any company that eliminated 20 positions that they just had vacant a week ago is tanking. It can't be lucrative for a healthcare company to contract out to a call center for their customer service needs if the call center pays their workers more than the market will bear. A company CAN survive doing outbound infinitely, though, because the workers are guranteed only minimum wage unless they sell enough credit cards to make commission, and every rejection brings the telemarketing company as much money as every sale.

Flexible? Come on. I live in southwestern PA, and if you know anything about Pennsylvania, you know that it's a state with negative job growth and population loss. I understand that all we have here is food service and telemarketing jobs, but you don't need to make me feel like a beggar, grateful for your minimum-wage jobs of lies and horseshit.

Share your similar stories, here, if you got 'em. :cool:

I am going to be Devil's Advocate here. If someone told me that something was "bullshit" I would be not only pissed, but a red-flag would go up in my head. I don't think that is appropriate to talk to ANYONE, especially in a company you are trying to work for. It is also known that in any industry, you need to start at the bottom and work your way up into management. It is for good reason. Sadly, not too many new grads or people new to the work force understand this concept.

[bridgetjones]

I would be pissed too. I would however not tell the person that interviewed me that I was pissed. Although I can get that you just had enough of this BS as a whole. Hey I am sick of it too. I'd like to tell certain ppl what I think of their companies recruitment practices. It can be dehumanizing.

I am currently working in a call centre until I can find a real job. It is those job that are easy to find bc of the turnover. I turned down a call centre job at a bank bc I hated their recruitment practices, hated their scheduling practices and bc they would not even allow you to apply internally for a year! Excuse me I can stick about for a few months to a year but not longer than... I do have an expensive business degree. Is that arrogance? AHHH!!! :mad:

However it seems every agent mostly has crap sales jobs or like call centew jobs for me. Oh yeah and moany job posts for these sort of financial jobs. Ahhh!!! Or like jobs I am not yet qualified for... It is frustrating. Ok rant over... Feel your pain... :redface:

[RudeGirl]

I am going to be Devil's Advocate here. If someone told me that something was "bullshit" I would be not only pissed, but a red-flag would go up in my head. I don't think that is appropriate to talk to ANYONE, especially in a company you are trying to work for. It is also known that in any industry, you need to start at the bottom and work your way up into management. It is for good reason. Sadly, not too many new grads or people new to the work force understand this concept.


I appreciate your take, Winney. However, I don't actually care what this joint thinks of me, or of my work ethic, because they're not a serious company with serious goals. They're simply a scam, pyramid scheme-type, credit-card selling joint that is losing business, as well as workers, and they aggressively recruit because they have to, because everyone quits. This is something that unfortunately doesn't become apparent until one has already interviewed with them, though.

The media has been depicting this newest batch of college grads as "the entitlement generation," or the "generation with expectations that are too high," or some variant thereof. I tend to have the opposite view of myself, personally; I kind of don't think I'll get anyplace anytime soon, and I wish I had foregone college in favor of starting out in a blue-collar field, or something like that. I'm being realistic: If I stay in this city, the only opportunities ARE telemarketing or fast-food, and those are jobs, not careers, period. It's a depressing prospect, but it's a very realistic one, too. That said, there are a handful of companies less shady than this one.

p.s. I would never use any taboo language with a potential boss or recruiter of any kind. I'm thinking, "this is bullshit," but saying, "so, yes, I wasn't offered a position remotely close to the one described to me or one i interviewed for, and I'd like to understand why this is..."

[shimmer728]

Sidenote....

Traffic near your exit this weekend was KILLER Shimmer! I was driving like 15-20 mph for 30 miles or so between Sideling Hill and Bedford.

Really? I'm surprised. I know it was a big travel weekend, but there's never THAT much traffic in the area.

[HereComes30]

I think it was mostly because of the back up of traffic from the Cumberland Maryland exit onto the the turnpike. Both Sideling Hill and Bedford rest areas were PACKED with people as well...lines for gas, coffee, and BK. Of course fog and rain didn't help any.

[winneythepooh7]

I appreciate your take, Winney. However, I don't actually care what this joint thinks of me, or of my work ethic, because they're not a serious company with serious goals. They're simply a scam, pyramid scheme-type, credit-card selling joint that is losing business, as well as workers, and they aggressively recruit because they have to, because everyone quits. This is something that unfortunately doesn't become apparent until one has already interviewed with them, though.

The media has been depicting this newest batch of college grads as "the entitlement generation," or the "generation with expectations that are too high," or some variant thereof. I tend to have the opposite view of myself, personally; I kind of don't think I'll get anyplace anytime soon, and I wish I had foregone college in favor of starting out in a blue-collar field, or something like that. I'm being realistic: If I stay in this city, the only opportunities ARE telemarketing or fast-food, and those are jobs, not careers, period. It's a depressing prospect, but it's a very realistic one, too. That said, there are a handful of companies less shady than this one.

p.s. I would never use any taboo language with a potential boss or recruiter of any kind. I'm thinking, "this is bullshit," but saying, "so, yes, I wasn't offered a position remotely close to the one described to me or one i interviewed for, and I'd like to understand why this is..."

The reason I brought up what I did is because I work in the human services profession. Often college grads are lumped in the same category entry-level positions as people with a high school diploma. Often college grads come in with an entitlement attitude that they should have my job. It is an eye-opening experience though however, that working with people and taking some college courses are two different things. If one is good at what they do, however, they will progress pretty quickly. My 23-year-old sister lives in a very depressed area in terms of jobs. She just got a F/T job that she loves in her field, but she has to pay her health benefits out of pocket right now. I have encouraged her to leave time and time again, but she has chosen to stay. I think that is something you have to ask yourself if you want to deal with if you stay. That is the main reason I got the hell out of dodge--there were no opportunities for me career-wise.