Career Resources and Advice for Experienced Workers

People who work in a call center are skilled at communication and customer service, answering a flood of incoming phone calls and solving a range of problems.

Because the job takes little training and can be performed from a worker’s home office or telecommuting site, it has jumped in popularity in recent years as a quick way to find new work during the economic downturn.

A call center job with a business or technology company can be a great way to launch a new career and get a stable job with a large corporation. Workers in other types of call centers get a more human reward from the job.

Dispatchers in a 911 emergency call center answer phone calls from citizens in trouble, and send ambulance medics, police officers, firemen or other aid workers to help

In Wenatchee, Washington, Jeremiah Johnson works the night shift at the RiverCom dispatch center. On a calm evening, the phones can be completely quiet, but all it takes is a single emergency to light up the switchboard.

Johnson was handling a few calls one night in January 2009, when just before 1 a.m. he answered a frantic call from an off-duty firefighter who had spotted a blaze in a local condominium complex, according to The Wenatchee World newspaper.

Forcing himself to stay calm, Johnson asked detailed questions and sent help even as he heard the firefighter knocking on doors, trying to wake up residents and evacuate the burning building, the newspaper reported.

The three-alarm fire burned through six apartments, but firefighters got there fast enough to save everyone from injury. Thanks to his quick response to the situation, Johnson won the call center’s annual award for telecommunicator of the year for a critical incident.

The RiverCom 911 center employs 29 dispatchers, staggering them in groups of four to eight people on each shift. The workers back each other up on busy days, and they share their experience as new workers try to learn from veterans like Johnson.

While some call center workers have an aptitude for handling emergencies, others may excel at solving technical problems, or calming agitated customers.

In Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, the Corporate Call Center Incorporated hired 700 temporary workers in recent months to answer callers’ questions about Medicare, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

One of those workers was Patricia Ward of Abington Township, an unemployed office manager who found the job through a staffing agency. When the temporary contract ends, Ward hopes to use her training to move on to another job, she told the newspaper.

When Sprint Nextel announced last month that it would hire 100 call center workers for its office in Englewood, Colorado, 800 applicants showed up at the telecommunications company’s job fair, according to CBS Channel 4 in Denver.

Workers were drawn by the promise of jobs ranging from management to technical support, and salaries starting at $32,000 per year, Dave Mellin of Sprint corporate communications told the station. Sprint will use the new workers to help launch its new 4G Smartphone in the state.

Electrical engineers design the electrical equipment used in everything from cars and planes to radar systems and electric motors. They also help to manufacture and test this equipment, keeping the electricity running to all corners of our technological society. It’s an important job, but engineers like to play, too.

Bob Simpson is an electrical engineer working for Tektronix, an Oregon electronics company, according to the Albany Democrat-Herald. By day, he makes test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers and digital multimeters. And by night, Simpson
tinkers with cars in his garage.

In his latest project, Simpson used his electronics expertise to transform his 2003 BMW 325i from a gas-guzzling commuter car into an all-electric roadster that can top 100 miles per hour. He even finished the car in time to drive it to his 35th high school reunion.

Most weekend mechanics couldn’t manage such a large overhaul. But Simpson said his career training made the job possible.  “I had the passion, the knowledge of electricity and the machining skills,” Simpson told the newspaper. “I also had the time and the backing from my wife.”

Simpson started the project when he saw the Tesla Roadster electric sports car, and decided to see if he could make his own seven-year-old BMW run on battery cells instead of gasoline.  When he succeeded, his bosses at Tektronix were so impressed with the project that they granted him permission to plug the electric car into an outlet at work, charging it with corporate electricity.

Electrical engineers are also making an impact in medicine. Students at the University of Washington have built prototypes of a device that allows deaf people to use cell phones. The tool, called MobileASL, uses the phone’s camera feature to transmit American Sign Language over U.S. cellular networks.

“This is the first study of how deaf people in the United States use mobile video phones,” professor of electrical engineering Eve Riskin said in a university press release.  Students on the engineering team had to work hard to boost image quality around the face and hands, while keeping data rates low to save cost and battery life, Riskin said.

The adoption of new technologies will foster a steady demand for electrical engineers in coming years, experts say. Another driving force is the rising demand for renewable energy sources to replace fossil fuels and reduce emissions and pollution.

At a recent job fair on the campus of the State University of New York-New Paltz, recruiters were busy interviewing engineers, according to the Mid-Hudson News.  The companies hiring included 14 members of The Solar Energy Consortium, a non-profit trade group that promotes New York companies in the solar research, development and manufacturing sectors.

“There are entry level jobs for manufacturing, assemblers and operators that anyone can get. Then there are a lot of specialized skills, mostly electronic technology jobs, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and project managers,” consortium CEO Vincent Cozzolino told the newspaper.

Despite this new job creation, the nation’s 157,800 electrical engineering jobs are forecast to grow just 2 percent between 2008 and 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Still, with a median wage of $82,160 in 2008, electrical engineers are paid well for their work.

Think about a typical dining experience. You walk into the restaurant and are seated by the host. You place your order with the server. Your drink is made by the bartender. Your food is prepared by the kitchen and delivered by a food runner. Your plates are cleared by a busser. And that’s just the front of the restaurant.

Behind the scenes, someone has stocked the restaurant with food and beverages, has helped make menu decisions and is keeping the restaurant on track with the direction that the owner or chef has established. The general manager of the restaurant oversees all of these elements, keeping the establishment running smoothly and ultimately ensuring that customers have a positive experience so that they return.

What they do:

A restaurant general manager (GM) is a jack-of-all-trades. The pace of a restaurant is hectic and a GM must be able to assist wherever needed: helping to seat guests, run food, etc. GMs are on their feet for the duration of a shift, reading the flow of the restaurant and checking in with staff members to see where help is needed.

But the duties of a general manager take place as much in the office as they do on the floor. GMs hire and fire employees, create schedules and train personnel. They are often in charge of sorting and depositing the day’s financial transactions. They conduct payroll, stock new equipment, and fill food and beverage orders–all within a budget.

The other large responsibility of general managers is to see that all guests leave with a positive impression. They will often be the point of contact for disgruntled guests and should be able to think quickly to help mollify complaints.

What they need:

While no formal training is required for many restaurant jobs, general managers must have several years of experience in the industry, often in a variety of roles. A restaurant normally has multiple managers working under the GM, such as a dining room, kitchen, bar or general assistant manager. Experience in one or several of these roles is essential. Taking extra food, wine, spirits or leadership classes can help a general manager further excel.

Working in a restaurant requires calmness under pressure, a sense of urgency and excellent interpersonal skills. Because restaurants operate on atypical hours, general managers usually work late into the evening and have the early morning off.

Finally, they need excellent leadership skills. Not only do GMs interact with guests; they also keep their employees motivated and working together.

Job growth:

According to the National Restaurant Association, the industry is projected to employ 14 million people by 2020. That’s 1.3 million more than are employed today. While general manager positions will be a fraction of that number, this projection indicates that the industry will be booming for years to come.

What they earn:

According to CBsalary.com, the average salary for a restaurant general manager is $40,218. The 25^th and 75^th percentiles fall between $29,865 and $54,403, respectively.

Whether you’re shopping a multi-level mall or a small boutique, the retail experience wouldn’t be complete without the help of a salesperson. And thanks to our collective love of shopping, retail salespeople have one of the most in-demand occupations in the marketplace. While the job isn’t exactly lucrative, employees can add to their salaries with commission (depending on their place of employment), and for many, the employee discount is an unbeatable perk.

What they do:

Retail salespeople sell a particular line or collection of merchandise in a boutique, store, mall or other retail organization. They answer questions about products, find anything you may need, offer insight and opinions and convince you of the product’s value.

Some retail employees work the register, processing financial transactions, which include sales, returns and exchanges. Others close down the register at the end of the night, counting money, organizing credit card slips and checks and making bank deposits for the company.

Behind the scenes, retail salespeople keep an orderly stockroom, fill the shelves and displays with new merchandise, take inventory, price items, process outgoing and incoming packages and help configure visual displays. Overall, a retail sales employee is responsible for keeping the store clean and organized and ensuring that all customers leave having had a positive experience.

What they need:

Formal education is not a prerequisite for retail sales, but a high school degree can help secure a job and a college degree can help you advance into management. If you want to sell specialty goods, such as stereo or car equipment, previous training or employment is a plus but not necessary. Regardless of your background, stores usually hold their own on-site training classes, where new hires learn skills such as store product information, selling protocol, register operation, store policies and more.

Since retail sales involves communicating face-to-face with customers, employers look for someone with good interpersonal skills, a friendly demeanor and a polished appearance. As a rule retail salespeople are on their feet for most of the day.

As a retail salesperson, you won’t work typical office hours. Evenings, weekends and holidays such as New Year’s Day are prime shopping times, and employers may expect you to work or limit vacation time during peak shopping periods.

What they earn:

According to CBsalary.com, the average salary for a retail salesperson is $28,786. The 25th and 75th percent of salaries fall between $21,296 and $38,102, respectively.

Job outlook:

Due to a growing population, many retailers expect to continue expanding around the world. Experts project that retail employment will grow 8 percent through 2010. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 374,700 retail sales jobs will open up during this time period, which is higher than almost any other occupation. Because this is an industry with large turnover, there are almost always employment opportunities available.

CareerBuilder

While online degrees were once largely seen as being second-rate, recent studies have reported that employers are not only more open to, but are even showing a favorable sentiment towards candidates with online degrees these days. One such study, conducted by Excelsior College/Zogby International, found that 61 percent of CEOs and small-business owners were familiar with online degree programs — and 83 percent of those considered online degrees and those earned in a traditional classroom to be equivalent.

There are certainly different levels of alma-mater enthusiasm — from those who make the annual homecoming pilgrimage, to others who make the occasional donation to the alumni fund — but most of us would agree that we have some form of pride for the university, grad school and even high school we attended.
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Unfortunately, bankruptcy has proved a necessary evil for many Americans during the recession. While no one wants to file for bankruptcy, an increasing number of individuals and families have found themselves with no other means of absolving their debts. In fact, during the period between June 2008 and June 2010, Americans filed nearly 3.7 million petitions for personal bankruptcy; and year over year, bankruptcy filings rose by nearly a third from 2008 to 2009, according to the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts.