Job Advice

[Baz]

I know that my problem must seem small compared to the other job related posts this forum has seen, but i feel i need some advice.

I recently graduated with a Degree in History from the University of the West of England, and have at last entered the job market. In my year off i sold phones for The carphone warehouse, and loved the problem solving, solution providing aspect of the job (less so the pushing of the Talk Talk service, but never mind).

When i graduated, I went looking for a graduate role in an IT solutions company, and was promptly employed by a company here in the south west, who provide IT support, network solutions, training, the whole 9 yards, and who were keen for me to grow into my role with the company. Money was tight, and it was the first job i was offered, so I accepted. The pay is 18k+ OTE of around 21k, which, i must admit is more than i require and an excellent rate of pay for a 1st year graduate in a non engineering/financial role.

This was 2 weeks ago, I'm in the job now, and it is hell. I am cold calling on campaigns where the hit rate is sub 3%. I am doing no solution providing, no problem solving, i'm sat at a desk, selling a product i dont believe in. My colleagues are nice, the pay is good, and yet I am having to fight every urge to quit at the end of each day.

My boss is now paying for additional training for me, at a not unconsioderable amount of money, so that I am a better sales person. Only now am i realising that it was the Helping people aspect of my previous job that i enjoyed, not the targetted high preasure sales environment.

So what should I do? Do i jack this well paid sales job in, and hope i can find a half decently paid customer service job within a week? Do i stick this job, which i am quite literally physically hating, out and hope it gets better, whilst staying financially sound?

Your Opinions are all welcome

Thanks for reading

[Chicane]

1) not happy find something better and grin and bear it while you do.
2) grin and bear for a year then **** off.

[Cypher]

Look for something actually using your degree?

Or look for another job, that you enjoy, THEN pack in the coldcalling

[gemini]

You mention additional training.

How long would this take
How valuable would it be to you in the future
Would you get any qualifications as a result of it

Plus its also difficult to say without knowing your exact situation. If you live at home with your mum, dont have any regular commitments (car, insurance, loans, rent etc etc) then just quitting tomorrow could be an option. Otherwise, if you DO have regular commitments you need to stick with then thats a very bad idea. Consider the worst case scenario of leaving the job.

From what you have said mate two things spring to mind.

1) You dont need to have quit one job in order to search for another. Search for and find a new job while doing your current job. Regardless of how much you despise and loathe it.

2) Consider how valuable the training could be to you. You mentioned the training was to make you a better salesperson but its clear thats not what you want to do.

Dont for a second consider sticking around your current job if you loathe it that much.

Regardless, start hunting for a new job now. So if one day you do end up just saying "**** it, I quit" you are at least already partway towards getting back into employment again quickly. Ideally though you should be able to quit your current job on Friday and walk into a new office on Monday.

I hope you find a solution that works for you and makes you feel good.

[Zenith]

I second what Chicane said.

Look for another job while sticking it out at the Hellhole.
Once you get other job, tender your resignation so you finish on a Friday.
Start new job on the following Monday, or give yourself a week off and then start the new job on the second Monday. :)

[lyn]

I totally agree with what Chicane and Zenith say.
Your find it far easier to get a job while you are in a job,

[sh0ckwave]

If its a job you really don't like, get out. Anything you do will make you feel better, which is most of the time better than the money aspect. Hit the temp agencies - Reed, Brook Street etc, see if you can get something not too offensive to tide you over while you look for another 'career' job.

Don't put the 2 week stint on your CV either ;-)

Out of interest, is the cold calling just something to start you off? Will they move you to a different area (like providing the IT support they have won) soon? Any way of speaking to your boss to speed that up a bit? Recruitment can be an expensive process for a company so it might be in their interest to keep you on but give you a role you enjoy rather than let you go.

[Ryvita]

My 2p would be this:

Make sure that you've exhausted all possibilities of improving the situation where you are before you turn away from it. If the company is prepared to pay for training, then they care more than most for their new employee (that's you). So are they prepared to work with you to develop a role that you are happy with?

Until your boss has heard from you that you are actively seeking other work because you don't enjoy what you are doing, there's the possibility that things could change for the better.

Ryv

p.s. Good luck with whatever course of action you take. :)

[Strych]

I worked for about 2 months cold-calling people, and even though I didn't out and out hate it as much as you seem to, I'd never do it again.

I agree with Rick - try and establish if the cold-calling is an ongoing part of the job. If it is then scarper, sharpish.

As long as it won't screw you financially, a little period temping won't hurt your CV, and it also probably gives you more time and flexibility to find a permanent post. I've actually found that the variety of different roles you may do whilst temping can give you some good varied experience in a short space of time.

Also, make sure you stress in any future interviews / temp agency enrollments that you absolutely are not prepared to do any cold calling!

Hope it works out okay for you :)

[Strych]

If the company is prepared to pay for training, then they care more than most for their new employee (that's you).

I have to disagree on this actually. As Baz said, it is sales training. I was given a full sales training course as a temp on an 8 week contract. This implies heavily to me that it is nothing to do with personal development, and everything to do with maximising profits and guilt tripping employees to stick with it.

Out of interest, you're not working at BRANN are you?

[her0n]

I would say get out ASAP. I've been in jobs i've hated and one I ended up quitting after 6 days, it was gut feeling and i'm glad I followed it. It's not doing you any good to stay, as you'll find yourself getting wound up and depressed by the situation. Ignore the fact they are training you, that's their risk to take. Besides I agree with others that it seems they are more training you to get the product sales, not to enhance the key skills behind that.

Get yourself down the temp agencies and find something to fill the gap whilst you look for a more permanent position. You never know, temping somewhere for a few weeks may lead you to a permanent job offer, it does happen!

Good luck Bazzle, you can do it!

P.s If you find yourself out of employment, stay AWAY from the World of Warcrack!

[bvark]

If you're thinking of staying but changing team: Go and find the people who do something other than sales. Ask if anyone moved from sales into there. (Don't necessarily trust your boss's answer, if you ask him).

Also check your contract/employee handbook to see if you would have to repay any of the training costs if you left before they were written off.

[Baroness]

Go with your gut. Get out. Do whatever makes you feel happy which I suspect is probably to quit. I doubt you'll ever look back.

[Rich]

Put a good CV on jobsite.co.uk - mark it as readable by agencies/recruiters/employees and I'm sure you will get calls about jobs. I swear by that site I've had to do that 3 times now and everytime i've found a new job within a couple of weeks.

Regardless of any other factors, if you don't enjoy your job you shouldn't stay there IMO. Even if it paid silly amounts of money it wouldnt be worth it if you come home feeling like **** at the end of the day.

[Baz]

Thanks all!

I knew the job would involve cold calling, but i'm just finding it a massive drag, and it has been confirmed i will be doing this sort of "lead generation" calling for the next 6 to 12 months if i was to stay, which is a thought I can't bear right now. The company is massivly sales orientated, and there are no other departments to go into, the actual solutions based stuff is 9 months off at best, and even then will still involve a great deal of cold calling.

My entire training for the job so far has consisted of 2, 30 min sessions with my boss about the product i'll be pimping. Then he sat me at a desk, gave me a database and said "off you go then". This Friday they have a cold calling sales "coach" coming in, to beef up my repetoire and skills, and there has not been a sniff of the IT training i was hoping for (basics of VPN, VMware, Netowrk infrastucture we provide).

Part of the problem is i've no idea what i really want to do. I'd love to be working in the IT industry, and it's products and services I can actually get excited about. But sadly there are few uses for essay writing and research skills in this sector, and all the problem solving/custy service positions are held by those appropriatly qualified. Any suggestions before i start applying for help desk positions at the local CC?

and no strych, it's not Brann

2nd edit - how do i attend interviews when i am working 9-5.30 mon-friday?

[Rich]

But sadly there are few uses for essay writing and research skills in this sector

Boohicky, try and get into project work - there will be a strong demand for report writing where one would have to research a particular solution and present it to IT managers/engineers to implement. A very good skill to have IMO. Only problem is you'll probably have to work your way up to get there. Try and get 2nd/3rd line support type roles and you will eventually be able to progress to more interesting roles or work your way up through departments depending on who you end up working for.

[10acious]

2nd edit - how do i attend interviews when i am working 9-5.30 mon-friday?

Don't you mean 'How do I attend dentist appointments when i am working 9-5.30 mon-friday?'

;)

[Idylla]

Don't you mean 'How do I attend dentist appointments when i am working 9-5.30 mon-friday?'

;)

QFT

[Baz]

Well, after speaking with my folks, and a review of my bank accounts, I've made a decison on this. I have been obsessing over this issue for the past week, to the detriment of both my relationship with my girlfriend, and my flatmate, who both agree that all I've been talking about is how much i hate this job and how all i wish to do is quit.

So i'll be going into work on monday, and handing in my notice. Although i appreciate the comments that it is easier to find work while in work, I can't take another day of cold calling, and i doubt a 1 month stint in a job on my CV will look any better than a 2 week stint. (I'll be omitting this incident from any CVs i send out of course)

Financially, i have enough £ in my overdraft to pay the bills for at least a month, if not longer, and so will immeadiatly begin searching for a new job.

It is a real shame i cant stand the job, as the company seems sound, and my colleagues are all great fun. However, i earn my money in this job by cold calling, not by spending time with them. As the saying goes, "You have to look after number one."

This time, i'll try temping for a little while (all the students are bogging off back to uni, so temp positions are once again opening up), and try and get a position doing customer service/tech support, a job i know from my experiances as an I-series Yellow shirt, i'll enjoy.

Thanks for your support guys, I hope my next job will go a little smoother!

[Neon]

I second what Chicane said.

Look for another job while sticking it out at the Hellhole.
Once you get other job, tender your resignation so you finish on a Friday.
Start new job on the following Monday, or give yourself a week off and then start the new job on the second Monday. :)
Do this.

[Baz]

nope, made my mind up, i depart on monday.

I feel physically ill about having to just go back for 1 day, never mind a week or two!

[Thrud]

I've been in a similar situation a few times with jobs I don't like.

By monday evening you will know if you have done the right thing, and to be honest it sounds like you have!

Look into "technical documentation" type jobs.

[X25killa]

Baz, good luck on your job hunting quest. I hope you get the job you want. :)