I started working for the Cambridge Who's Who about two months ago because I was set to graduate from college in December and I needed a job (I have since graduated). The job relationship seemed like a good fit for myself and the company because I was interested in publishing and they were interested in hiring an experienced sales representative.
I found nothing wrong with the training program. It was run very well and each candidate was treated respectfully and equally. The trainer told us that we were responding to people's applications to be included in the who's who directory, and that it was our job to interview them and collect their information. We were told that the membership was valuable, but were not told how or where they got the information to include members (the company sends out the applications first). At the end of training week, each person was prepared to get on the phones and sell the membership.
Here's where the problems began. First, the applications the new people received were terribly outdated. Some were from as far back as January. Also, most of the applicants could not be contacted. This was strange to me because the other employees were making the contacts and putting up big numbers. I made some friends and discovered that they had different applications which were more fresh. One woman was nice and would occasionally give me one of hers - most of these turned to sales.
The new employees are misled into believing that they will make as much as the top or middle producers just by following the script. This is untrue because the new employees were not given the same resources. All employees, regardless of status, are yelled at and made to feel like garbage if they take a sick day or have to attend to a sick child (most employees are women who are also mothers).
What disburbed me the most about this company is that it allows anyone to become a member. The company primarily targets female teachers and nurses under the premise that the membership will improve their careers and help them obtain better positions with better companies (this is not to put down women or say that they're reckless with the credit card - I am simply pointing out what the company does).
Also, the "no good" applications, meaning the ones that were rejected, are NOT thrown out. They are either redistributed to other employees or, as I strongly suspect, are placed in a pile where their personal information is sold to other telemarketing companies or sharks. This is called phishing, and it can do a lot of damage to an unsuspecting victim. I would know because I did some investigative work on the USAVoice scam.
If you receive an application from this company please do not fill it out. If you are a prospective employee, I would advise you to be cautious. It may not be a bad job if you're great on the phones, but it's probably not something that can turn into a career.
0 comments