The job

I just finished my second week at the new job. So far, I like it very much. My first day, my boss and her boss took me and the other new gal out for lunch at Not Your Average Joe's, which is right next door to the office. I had shrimp tacos, because why not. I'd never eaten there before; it was quite good.

The other new gal is very young (my niece's age!), and she's a retail refugee. She's also Pagan and a writer, so we have a lot in common. We were in training all last week, with a guy who I like very much. He's funny, informal, and very good at his job. We got through the training a day early. We started on the phones Friday afternoon after spending a few hours getting to know the scripts. They let us tweak them however we thought would work best for us. Such a difference from the old job!

My job is basically calling potential customers and trying to get appointments with them for the sales reps. Most of the appointments are phone consultations. We provide trainers for all sorts of things, from software applications to business skills, as well as project management and other services. I've been calling banking & finance businesses, and academic institutions. I will also be calling training centers and staffing agencies.

On Monday, my first full day on the phones, I got two appointments. Yippee! On Tuesday, I also got two appointments. Yeehaw! On Wednesday, I got, yes, two appointments. This is not how it usually goes, I am told. I got a "great job" email from my boss, cc'd to her boss and her boss's boss. I'm getting a reputation as a Rock Star, which is gratifying and scary (will I be able to keep this up? Oh, the pressure!) (Mostly from myself, they've not indicated that they expect me to do this every day). The VP of sales told me today that I'm doing a great job, and he loves how I am on the phone. I told him that this is not my first rodeo. *g*

The owner of the company took our whole team out for lunch at a Japanese restaurant yesterday. I had sushi. A gal could get used to this sort of thing.

I really like everyone there. My desk is in a row with five guys who are sports fanatics, but they're good guys. The dude next to me is the brother of the one who trained us, and he's been very helpful. They're not into micro-managing; they treat us like professionals and adults. So refreshing!

Today I only got one appointment, but we did have a couple of meetings so I was off the phones a bit. And they let us go home at 4:00. It was a very satisfying week. And now I have a three-day weekend to enjoy (and do laundry, and pack for festival). My job's not rocket science, but it's not easy, either. But I can do it, and do it well, and it's both noticed and appreciated. It's just what I'd hoped it would be.