Thursday, January 31, 2008
So, today I had my interview for another position at the University of Phoenix. The interview went well enough and given the position, it doesn't really take much to be qualified for it.
As I left that interview, I got a phone call from one of the other places that I had submitted a resume to. I decided to wait to call them back until I got home and could read up on them again so that I would be able to sound informed if they wanted to interview me on the spot.
So, after I get home and read up on them, I try to call them back but get no answer. Then, 2.5 hours after my interview with UoP, I get a call saying I passed the interview and can I come in tomorrow to fill out new hire paperwork.
I then call back the other place again since it is a job that I would rather do. It would involve deeply researching a specific political issue and then basically coordinating lobbying efforts and media relations. The earliest they could get in an initial interview is Friday. If I pass that, I'd be expected to then do an in person interview.
So, because I can't really afford to pass on the crappy job on the hopes that this other one would work out better and because the other one pays less, I'm going to have to just accept the UoP one. I'm still going to do the interview Friday with the other people though and then if they tell me I pass then I'll tell them that I've taken a position for someone else, but could they keep me on file in case this one doesn't work out.
So what, you may ask, will I be doing. Well, I'll be trying to meet my quota of 650 outbound calls a day. No, that's not a typo.... six fucking hundred fucking fifty calls per day. Now given, not all of them will answer, some may be wrong numbers, etc., but I am expected to make that many calls each day. With each of them that actually answers and is the right person I will be expected to read them questions from a script and try to overcome any basic objections (e.g. I don't have time to talk right now or I'm not interested anymore). If they give the right answers to all of the questions, I transfer them to what is called a conference. My quota is to get 28 of those each day. Depending on who you talk to, I have to put in 6-9 months of doing that before I can consider transferring to another post in the company.
So is this good news? I don't really know. It's a job so it's money so it will provide some stability and so in that sense, it is good. On the other hand, it pays just over half of what the top paying job I've applied for would pay and is miserable work. It'll let me develop phone and customer service experience though. In theory, I could also pursue a masters degree for nearly free with this job, but I'm not sure if I will since none of the programs they offer excite me in the least bit. Also, by taking this job, I am automatically cutting off the possibility that I might come across something better.
Ah well, I'll just take it day by day and let it come dollar by dollar. It'll stabilize me and very slowly move me toward less debt. It'll be a ways yet before I have cut the debt back enough to feel free or move out or invest in any new projects, but at least I'll have halted the slide toward oblivion.