Staffing Services
Ah the staffing services. After my adventure with the Job Services office I trotted down to the Staffing Agency. I know, I'm not a secretary but they have other jobs there. A lovely bunch of motivated HR people - unlike Job Service, they only get paid when I do. They took all my measurements: Typing - 50 wpm or better with 0 mistakes; Software mastery of - Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access; Thinking ability - solving complex problems and moral issues in the workplace; IT certifications; Resume evaluation - mine was stellar after having been worked on for 7 months.
After all this and assessing that I was at the top of the candidate heap as far as skills are concerned. They offered me a position with a fortune 500 company answering phones in customer service. The job is for one week and one day and pays $20 a week more than unemployment that is 40% of my old salary. I am now a working poor. But I am working - for a few more days.
The job? Well it's just what you think, after a day of training I started on the phones. Frustrated people call up with machines that don't work, billing problems, or just angry with their sales rep who calls but never shows up. I'm in a room with 300 other customer service reps who are all taking the same kind of call. Part of this department was recently outsourced to the Philippians so I also get calls from angry customers that jobs have been outsourced. It's a long day but most of the people on the phones are happy to hear a sympathetic voice on the phone who speaks English. Friday was my last day. They did wonder if I would stay on but I had to turn them down, the drive was 30 miles one way and the pay just wasn't ever going to be good enough. Back to searching.
After all this and assessing that I was at the top of the candidate heap as far as skills are concerned. They offered me a position with a fortune 500 company answering phones in customer service. The job is for one week and one day and pays $20 a week more than unemployment that is 40% of my old salary. I am now a working poor. But I am working - for a few more days.
The job? Well it's just what you think, after a day of training I started on the phones. Frustrated people call up with machines that don't work, billing problems, or just angry with their sales rep who calls but never shows up. I'm in a room with 300 other customer service reps who are all taking the same kind of call. Part of this department was recently outsourced to the Philippians so I also get calls from angry customers that jobs have been outsourced. It's a long day but most of the people on the phones are happy to hear a sympathetic voice on the phone who speaks English. Friday was my last day. They did wonder if I would stay on but I had to turn them down, the drive was 30 miles one way and the pay just wasn't ever going to be good enough. Back to searching.
posted by Hollis Martin at 4:32 AM
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