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24 June, 2006

Ch-Ch-Changes

So... my last day at the call center is July 8. Imaging my surprise when I got a call from Administrative Recruiting today, a full week before I thought I'd hear anything, offering me the position. What about the "4 or 5 others" they had to interview in the next week??

So here's some of what I know (and can share) about my new job: I'll be confirming and booking reservations for one restaurant, I'll be located at the restaurant, reporting to both the front of house managers and the chef (dietary restrictions, special requests, etc.). I'll also be doing some billing and some other odds and ends.

Why the change? Well, this is about as different from my current job as I could find without going out and shoveling popcorn for $7/hour. The pay is about the same, but the atmosphere is completely different. Instead of babysitting other people, I'll be by myself probably half of my shift or more. Instead of fixing problems for angry guests, I'll be (hopefully) keeping them happy. Instead of knowing a little bit about 10 dozen different topics, I'll be an expert on one area. And instead of being one small cog in a large machine, I'll be a bigger cog in a smaller machine. Besides, as long as I'm in the hospitality industry, working in a 5-star restaurant looks pretty good on a resume.

Work was fun today. I accepted the position around 3:30, and by 4 it felt like the entire world knew. It was fun getting people's reactions...

* "Lost another one to Ditech!" (Marilyn)
* "You can't go - you're the blonde. Why are all the blondes leaving?" from Lydia, to which I replied, "we feel oppressed here."
* "Will you be able to hook me up with some steak?" (Jim)
* "Is it a small call center?" (Kay) Answer: "Well, yes, if by 'small' you mean just me."
* "They're going to yell at you over there." (Beth) "They yell at me here. I'll probably get yelled at much less."

It's a little scary completely switching gears like this, but I'm really looking forward to stretching another part of my brain. And I'm happy to be leaving the Call Center while I still like the job and most of the people who work there. It's always best to leave on good terms.

2 comments:

Janette said...

Congratulations!!!!

Don't be scared, consider it positive motion. Besides you'll get to learn something new. If you're like me the "learning" portion of the job is the best part.

Anonymous said...

I must be informed whenever truffles are on the menu!