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Mar. 10th, 2006
My 7 day career in a call center
Mar. 10th, 2006 08:42 amI admit, I was getting desparate. The trust income had not been distributed and bills were coming due. I had discovered I could no longer support my Longaberger habit with my quilting habit compounded by the increase in payments required by some credit cards. So I applied and since I was breathing and walking, I was hired. They described the job as taking inbound calls regarding adding or deleting services or questions about their bill. I figured I could handle that. No one warned me....
This is a call center and they were more than anal about a dress code. No jeans, no t-shirts, men had to wear shirts with collars, no white sneakers and no dress down day while in training (4 weeks of training). Nothing to eat in the training room, could only have coffee in a sealable mug and water had to have a snap top on (available in the over prized vending machines).
I admit, I am older. I've been to college and I was brought up that if someone is talking, you shut the hell up. The generation of this class missed that lesson. So the trainer is trying to train and the rest of the class are having private conversations, loudly. I got my bitch on and asked if it would be possible to have only one person talking at the same time. That worked for about 30 seconds.
Let me tell you about the rest of the people training. Chuck, who is my age and retired from working as a prison guard. Robert who is one part of Frick and Frack, he is Eddie Haskell only cuter. William, who wants to be known as Charles is full of himself and is the Frack to Frick and Frack. He used to work in mental health and was bragging about how much money he made one holiday season when they got snowed in - it worked out to $25.00 an hour. I didn't want to tell him that is what I used to make when at CH2MHill just working 8 hours a day. Jennifer, 21, is 6 months pregnant and is married to Ben (the white boy (Ben, 24) with THUG LIFE tatted on his knuckles). Corinda has what appears to be jail house tats (or at least home made tats) on both hands. Glen, who also wants to be a Charles, has only worked in call centers but wants to get a job as a nuclear operator, never mind he has no skills or education. Chad is the rabid republican only in maintaining a climate of only my religion goes but is much more democratic when it comes to social issues. He is very self depecating. Brandie worked there before and is back for another try, she is 24 with 3 kids. Alissa is 20 and pregnant also. Britney 1 is not pregnant, but waited while her boyfriend did 3 years in Walla Walla, home not to just onions but a prison. Britney also is unaware that she has gained weight and all her tops are too short when she sits down so that we were given the opportunity to view her pasty white muffin top that went around her whole body. Brittney 2 currently works at the call center and is a team lead but needed to learn this part.
The first day there was the discussion of who was the youngest to pop out a child. 15 was the winning number with 16 and 17 running close behind. That would be Brandie, Jennifer, Corinda. Robert is 24 and has an 8 year old son, the mom was about 15 or 16, Willaim also has a daughter that he seems to have custody of but the stories never stayed the same.
Ben had to leave early to meet with his parole officer, his wife was complaining that her record was preventing them from getting an apartment. Ben, the thug lawyer, was trying to argue that once you turn 21, your juvie record is expunged. No, little boy, that is not how it works. I am pretty sure he got his law training in the jail.
Control of the class was lost on the first day and she never got it back completely. Robert talks to anyone and everyone and if he is not talking, he is singing. The rest of the class just followed suit.
I so had nothing in common with these people. More later and why I quit this wonderful opportunity. Oh, btw, training was at minimum wage.
This is a call center and they were more than anal about a dress code. No jeans, no t-shirts, men had to wear shirts with collars, no white sneakers and no dress down day while in training (4 weeks of training). Nothing to eat in the training room, could only have coffee in a sealable mug and water had to have a snap top on (available in the over prized vending machines).
I admit, I am older. I've been to college and I was brought up that if someone is talking, you shut the hell up. The generation of this class missed that lesson. So the trainer is trying to train and the rest of the class are having private conversations, loudly. I got my bitch on and asked if it would be possible to have only one person talking at the same time. That worked for about 30 seconds.
Let me tell you about the rest of the people training. Chuck, who is my age and retired from working as a prison guard. Robert who is one part of Frick and Frack, he is Eddie Haskell only cuter. William, who wants to be known as Charles is full of himself and is the Frack to Frick and Frack. He used to work in mental health and was bragging about how much money he made one holiday season when they got snowed in - it worked out to $25.00 an hour. I didn't want to tell him that is what I used to make when at CH2MHill just working 8 hours a day. Jennifer, 21, is 6 months pregnant and is married to Ben (the white boy (Ben, 24) with THUG LIFE tatted on his knuckles). Corinda has what appears to be jail house tats (or at least home made tats) on both hands. Glen, who also wants to be a Charles, has only worked in call centers but wants to get a job as a nuclear operator, never mind he has no skills or education. Chad is the rabid republican only in maintaining a climate of only my religion goes but is much more democratic when it comes to social issues. He is very self depecating. Brandie worked there before and is back for another try, she is 24 with 3 kids. Alissa is 20 and pregnant also. Britney 1 is not pregnant, but waited while her boyfriend did 3 years in Walla Walla, home not to just onions but a prison. Britney also is unaware that she has gained weight and all her tops are too short when she sits down so that we were given the opportunity to view her pasty white muffin top that went around her whole body. Brittney 2 currently works at the call center and is a team lead but needed to learn this part.
The first day there was the discussion of who was the youngest to pop out a child. 15 was the winning number with 16 and 17 running close behind. That would be Brandie, Jennifer, Corinda. Robert is 24 and has an 8 year old son, the mom was about 15 or 16, Willaim also has a daughter that he seems to have custody of but the stories never stayed the same.
Ben had to leave early to meet with his parole officer, his wife was complaining that her record was preventing them from getting an apartment. Ben, the thug lawyer, was trying to argue that once you turn 21, your juvie record is expunged. No, little boy, that is not how it works. I am pretty sure he got his law training in the jail.
Control of the class was lost on the first day and she never got it back completely. Robert talks to anyone and everyone and if he is not talking, he is singing. The rest of the class just followed suit.
I so had nothing in common with these people. More later and why I quit this wonderful opportunity. Oh, btw, training was at minimum wage.