Summer Job
I worked for a telemarketing company called M&J Dynastia for one summer. I applied for the job just to make some money over the summer, however the job ended up being more. During the interview I was asked if I was interested in being a team leader and I said it’d indeed be something I’d consider. I started out as being a telemarketer, selling different type of products from magazines to vitamins and beauty products. We were paid 100% in provision but were guaranteed a sum of money based on the hours your contract demanded you to work, however it was common that due to quite decent sized provision pay one would get more money than the minimum stated in the contract.
The first few weeks I worked as a regular old sales negotiator. It started out a bit rocky, however I learned the ropes rather quickly and I often exceeded the goal that was set for me by the company. I learned all the speaks that were used for each product by memory and once I did that it was easier to make it “my own”, more captivating to the listener. I learned how to use the software that was used to make calls, register sales and leave messages for other workers. A high level of punctuality was required since all the days started out with a meeting, going through the days agenda 15 minutes before we’d start calling clients. My tasks also included helping the summer workers and being there when needed, as I was someone with experience.
It was really my soft skills that were enhanced here, as negotiating with customers really required a lot of communicational skills like defusing difficult situations, basic negotiations skills and overall problems solving skills. The hard skills learned were basically using the calling software and mathematics, which was used to calculate the overall points, which were translated into pay at the end of the day, as well as the discounts and their worth you offer to the customer.
Overall I really enjoyed this job, people in charge were pleasant and very flexible when it came down to making a schedule. The job gave me some valuable experiences and I believe in the end it made me a more flexible human being as well as more openminded as a person.
Author: Joni Järvinen