To begin the process, I received an email from a gentleman named Michael at J and M consulting, stating that the company he was part of consulted for several small businesses in the Chicagoland area, particularly for up and coming companies. I was told he had seen my resume online and there was a position that I would be a good fit for and asked if I was interested in learning more. I replied that day asking for more information; he replied within a couple hours stating the company currently under consideration was Olson and Associates. I was told they were hiring for Benefits Representatives and the average starting wage was around 60,000. I was asked if he could schedule an interview with me with their coordinator, Donna.
The interview style was completely unexpected. I was impressed by the company's foyer and professional external appearance, but it immediately became evident that I was merely a number and that I would be given no personalized attention. My "interviewer", Donna, was apparently just my "contact person", the same person as for at least 10 other people that had the same "interview" time. Due to the large number of people being "interviewed" that day, people were brought back to manager offices and then sent upstairs for a presentation; although my appointment was at 11:00AM, I did not see a manager to begin the process until around 11:20.
After a very quick interview with Sheila, I was brought up to a large presentation room where one of the company managers, Ransey, gave an elaborate breakdown about the company; he explained that since they had our resume it was only fair that they give us theirs. The presentation seemed to last for 30 to 45 minutes, but that may have been due to sitting there listening to a presentation for so long after waiting for a prompt interview meeting at 11:00; it felt like a long day already. The idea of the company was selling to people that had already expressed an interest in the product, then obtaining referrals and expanding your own book of business. You would start with a packet of 120 (or maybe 150, somewhere in that range) leads and work your way through them, calling clients, setting appointments, selling. You could "ideally" make all the money you wanted. Good concept, though I enjoy variety in a job, rather than letting a computer presentation do all the work and following a script, but that's my own personal job taste.
I received a call around 3:00 or so that Thursday asking to come in for a final interview, this time directly with Sheila. I had some questions. Base salary or strictly commission; paid training; do the leads they give you every two weeks cease to come and so you have to create your own eventually?
When I arrived for my final interview, it was like Deja vu. Same cattle call, mass prospective employee set-up. A gentleman in front of me asked one of the receptionists quite bluntly if this was an insurance company; the lady smile, answered the script "When you meet with the manager they will answer all your questions." I sat down and once again watched people being brought back and then sent up to the conference room. The gentleman from before was brought back, then within about 5 five minutes walked out the door without a manager (guess he got his answer).
Sheila took another person before she got to me; this felt like another little slap to the face, since this was supposed to be my final interview with her, yet I was once again waiting. I'm not saying that I am the most important person on the planet, but as candidates for job interviews we are told to be on time, to respect the employer's time and company, to show professionalism; I do not understand why it is acceptable for a company to treat a prospective employee with disregard for their time and punctuality, and again, treat them like a sales machine rather than valued asset to the company.
The final interview was pretty straightforward. I asked about commission versus base salary; everything was commission. I would spend a week in the classroom 9-4, then the following week out in the field learning the technique, then start having checks come in, hopefully. I'm also attuned to people's grammar, and caught a few mistakes while she was speaking; that makes me sound arrogant, I realize, but this was another factor that turned me off from the company.
Although I decided to not accept this employment opportunity, it could be a good fit for some. If you want to create your own schedule rather than a 9-5 (that's my personal preference, but not everyone enjoys forced structure like that), and have large amounts of income and just remember the script and sales techniques, it may be a good fit.
Not a good fit for me, but it is for others.
