On October 25th I took my resume to a staffing agency called Monarch Staffing. I got a call later that day asking me to come in for an interview the next morning. I was sure the only job I would be able to land was going to be a clerical at best, that no one in my field would want to hire me knowing I would only be in the country for a year, considering one of the key components to success in media sales, or any kind of sales for that matter, is developing a relationship with the client, which takes time to develop, where longevity is key and turnover within a company is frowned upon. With that being said, I had come to terms with settling for a mindless job where I would most likely be filing papers and answering the phone, I wasn’t happy about it but it was better than doing nothing. I had tried that and was about to lose my mind.
The next day, I put on a pair of slacks and heals for the first time since I left Lamar Advertising, and went to the interview at the staffing agency. I sat across the table from Dan, a nice looking, well dressed man my dad’s age with kind eyes and grey hair. I have never been so cool and collected in an interview before this, mostly because I didn’t care about trying hard to impress this man who would likely match me with a job I would be over qualified for. When he asked me about data entry skills I wanted to sink out of my chair into the floor and crawl out the door, I could imagine myself raising my fingers to my temple in the shape of a gun, but I didn’t. I kept it together, answered all of his questions and by the end of the interview he was smiling and doing lots of nodding. He leaned back in his chair and asked me why I hadn’t applied for any positions within my field, that he couldn’t bring himself to put me into anything less, and that he may know of a position that might be available off the record, with a local newspaper, called the Shepparton Adviser. He said he didn’t think my strict Visa restraints and the fact that I would only be in the country one year would detract them from hiring me. I shook Dan’s hand and left the staffing agency standing a little taller, maybe I could actually land a job in media sales in a foreign country. Dan seemed to think so.
Taking Dan’s advice, I drove across town to the other newspaper agency; The Shepparton News, asked for the Sales Manager, shook a few hands, left my resume and headed over to Southern Cross Media which encompassed two radio stations and two TV channels, Ten and Eleven. They were definitely the big dogs in town. I stood up straight, pulled the glass door open and approached the receptionist, a young girl with a friendly smile. The speakers overhead played ‘Teenage Dream’, the moment’s hottest song by Katy Perry, and I knew this is where I wanted a job. When I got home I received a call from Dan, he had spoken to The Adviser about the position that “may have been available off the record”, they wanted to meet with me first thing in the morning.
The next morning I pulled on a pair of slacks and rather than pulling a freshly dry-cleaned blouse from my walk-in closet and rows of perfectly allied garments, I rummaged through a much more sparse collection in the tiny, dimly lit closet, pulled one out and ironed it myself. I thought about my mom while I ironed, I missed her. She had chosen this shirt for me on our last shopping trip together, and she was right, the lime green was a good color for me.
I parallel parked Ruby on the left side of the road against the sidewalk, paid the meter with two large 50 cent coins and locked the door with the key before I headed to my interview at The Adviser, carrying copies of my resume, a legal pad and a pen I had accidentally stolen from the staffing agency. I was ten minutes early and when I walked into the quiet lobby, the sound of my heals on the polished hardwood floor echoed loudly from the airy room and high ceilings. It seemed that the employees were also just arriving and I caught a glimpse of a guy carrying a coffee mug to his desk with his head down.
Will and Jeff Adams, brothers and owners of The Advisor, “The Goulburn Valley’s largest circulating newspaper”, the banner in the boardroom proclaimed, sat across from me at a large conference table. Jeff and Will were wearing suits and got right down to business. Toward the end of my interview, they were talking about money, and I knew from experience, when the conversation shifts to financials, it’s pretty much a done deal. They needed to check my references and would get back to me.
As I shook their hands and made my way for the door, the phone in my pocket began to buzz, it was Southern Cross Media, they wanted to schedule an interview. By the time I sat down for in interview with Leanne at Southern Cross Media, I had already received a generous written offer via email from the brothers at The Advisor. The next email I received was one from my former boss, and friend, Johnny, my General Manager from Lamar Advertising saying that he had been contacted via email by Will Adams. He had forwarded me his response.
Dear Will,
I would be happy to recommend Ashley Donnell to you for a sales position with your Company.
When I arrived at this office in June of 2008, Ashley was the leading AE. When she left for Australia nearly 2 years later, she had been my top salesperson every single month since my arrival. She was the person that pulled our wagon, and I would hire her back in a second!
Ashley was always concerned about our office budget, rather than just her quota, and I could always count on her to bring in the sales we needed. She has great customer service skills, and is a tireless worker when a sale is on the horizon. As far as her presence in the office, she was a delight to work with. Her personality is sunny and positive, and it is fun to work with her.
I am sure you would be happy with Ashley, and I’m sure your Company would be better for doing so.
I hope that helps. Please feel free to ask me any other questions if you need to.
Thanks,
Johnny
Johnny Burns
Vice President / General Manager
I sat on the black leather couch in the lobby of Southern Cross Media and made small talk with Reggie, the young receptionist with the friendly smile when Leanne, the General Manager called me back for our meeting, I shook her hand and followed her back to yet another boardroom. She was tall and thin with pale skin, dark blue eyes and dark red hair. She wore her red hair in a high bun and I could tell that if she wore it down, it would reach past her belt. She immediately reminded me of someone I knew but I couldn’t remember who. She sat next to me at the edge of a boardroom table, she was smart and friendly, but not in an annoying, over the top way, I could tell she meant business and she seemed like a strong leader. We talked about financials, which were less than my previous offer, but I suddenly remembered who she reminded me of, my coach from when I was on the equestrian team and I instantly liked her. By the end of our meeting; she said she thought she might have a place for me and that she would give me a call. When I got home I sent here an email to thank her for the interview and let her know I wanted the job. That afternoon my phone rang, it was Leanne and she offered me the job.
I wrote a gracious, “Thanks, but no thanks” letter to the brothers at The Adviser that night, thanking them for the offer and letting them know I was accepting another job. The next morning I was in the barn at Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital, helping Josh with his foal treatments and I got a phone call from The Adviser, it was one of the brothers who wanted to know exactly why I had not accepted their generous offer and proceeded to offer me more money. I let him know that I was interested in broadening my horizons and that I felt like TV and radio would most effectively pad my resume and advance my career options. He was satisfied with that response and I thanked him again for his efforts. I stood in the barn, pressed end and stared at my phone in disbelief. Not only had I never been offered more money, I had never turned down more money, it felt good, I couldn't wait to tell my dad. Life in Oz was looking up.
No comments:
Post a Comment