Call Agent
Description:
I worked for a company called Convergys. My title of “call agent” meant that I took inbound calls for various different reasons. Most of the calls I took were to place orders for ads shown on TV. In other words, when an infomercial is aired on TV, I was the person on the other line of that 1-800 number flashing at the bottom of the screen. I also placed applications for credit cards over the phone.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
This was my job in high school for about 5 months.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
The minimum hours required per week was 20 hours. This sometimes felt overwhelming during school. To help ease the stress of school and a job, I would take my homework with me and work on it when the phone lines weren’t busy.
What I learned:
I learned all about credit cards working on this job. I learned the basics, what APR meant, how people apply and get their credit checked, just about all I could ever want to know about credit cards.
This job also taught me so much about the world of marketing. I had to sell products over the phone, and also was required to try to sell more to the customer than what they originally called for. Learning the best ways to persuade people is extremely useful when being a salesperson. I also learned so much about customer service. We would receive callers from all across the nation. Not everyone is the same, and not everyone is calling for the same reason. This job teaches how to deal with unpleasant situations in the best manner possible. It also gives you a better perspective of the marketing world, in that it shows which products are good, which products are not so good, and what to watch for in telling whether or not you are getting a good deal.
This job was extremely good in prepping me for future jobs. It gave a great background for customer service, and it provided me with a wider knowledge in the world of credit cards, infomercials, and marketing in general. It would be a great job for a college student to gain needed skills in the business world, and is also extremely beneficial in that it pays tuition reimbursement!
Google poster
Description:
This job does not involve other employees, so I have no one working for me. I work for Google to post ads on websites for them. My responsibilities are very simple. I sit at any computer I want that has the correct software and use it to post ads on internet sites for as many or as few hours as I want. It is an easy job. The only knowledge required is a basic knowledge of the internet. The rest you can learn by using the software tutorial.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
I found this job as I was surfing the internet for jobs I could do from home and trust that they would actually pay me. As I was looking around, I found an ad that said I could work for Google from home and work the hours I want for a good rate of pay. I decided to check it out and clicked on the ad. I e-mailed the HR office at Google to make sure the offer was legitimate. They told me it was so I ordered the software kit that is required, installed the software, and started working for Google.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
The only real challenges I had with this job were making sure that I could trust them to pay me for the work that I did and making sure the software would work on my computer. I actually found that their software does not work on Macs, so I had to install windows using a partition programs so that I could have both operating systems. I used windows for the software and work, and used Mac for everything else.
What I learned:
First, I am still involved with this endeavor because it lets me work as much or as little as I want and when I work is up to me as well. I learned that anyone who wants a job can have one, even if all they want to do is sit at home all day. It does work, but the source of the job needs to be thoroughly checked before the job is accepted. I learned that it is important to know all the details of what is going to be expected and that if you have any terms or conditions, bring them up right from the start. I will say that I got a large benefit from it. I made a good amount of money in a short amount of time. I also learned more about looking for a job online. It was very useful to me and still is very useful to me. I still make enough to pay for college.
Interactive Web-tutorial Designer
Description:
My actual job is to design creative visuals and illustrations for an online interactive textbook for General Chemistry. In addition, I help write and edit script, then film a professor delivering it. The whole project is aimed at coming up with new and innovative ways to help students learn chemistry, a subject that can be tough at best. We generally have 4 to 6 people working on the project at any given time, and the environment is pretty fun. The key is to be creative and excited about the information and how it’s being presented.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
I’m going into dentistry, and so I’ve taken several science classes as pre-requisites. But I’ve worked as a graphic designer in the past, and in conversations with a professor of mine it came up that I had those creative skills. It turned out that he was already working on this project and needed someone with a graphic design/creative background. I think the key thing here is to take time to talk with and work closely with your professors. I only got this opportunity because I happened to tell my professor about some interests that I had outside of chemistry. Now I get to mix something I love doing with something I’ve spent the last two years learning a great deal about.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
My biggest challenge was simply learning how to be proficient at several new systems that I wasn’t familiar with. I’d never web-designed before, so I had to take the time to learn how to work with basic html and how to use the program we use to design and publish the webpage. I did this mostly by practice and trial/error. Just working at it really helped me figure it out. The same goes for filming and video-editing – another skill I needed to acquire. Just doing it was the best way to overcome these kinds of challenges.
What I learned:
Right from the beginning I’ve learned that there is a way to integrate just about any different interests together – like in this case, graphic design, chemistry, and figuring out how to teach more effectively. In addition I’ve learned the benefit of just diving in when you don’t know how to do something. By just diving in and working hard I’ve become much more proficient than I was at video editing, web design and even using photoshop. This has been a fantastic experience, and one that has given me a whole new outlook on education and how to get ideas across to other people.
Web Designer
Description:
Heading up a web design team at a major company. Working with others to design a user friendly, creative, and interesting website.
How I got the idea / found the employment:
A kid that I met last semester was sick of normal low-paying college jobs, so he decided to start his own company selling imported silver. This business never really took off, but the skills he learned in designing their website to sell the silver allowed him to get a job as a web designer. A company that had seen his website approached him about working for them. He now heads a team of designers for the company.
Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:
Challenges he faced were not giving up when his original business did not succeed. He also said that it was difficult since he was still a fairly young kid and still in school to have people much older than him reporting to him.
What I learned:
I learned that it is important to not give up even if at first it seems like things might not be going well. I also learned that you should learn as many different skills as you can because you never know when they might come in handy. Also, do not be afraid to take a chance.