[It's_GO_Time]

Originally Posted by Perfection

Well I'm sure they could afford it. As it turns out, I don't have enough experience for the position, although it begs why would they bring me in (after talking with someone on the phone as well). I think they're going to try and hire me for a position in which I'm maybe overqualified (administrative duties) but it might be worth it.

I'm sorry to hear that. It is a tough market right now. I wouldn't be too down about why they interviewed you. It's always good practice to get an interview in if your looking for a career type job.

So because I'm wrapped up in this thread and feel like I've been through what you're going through, here are my thoughts (hope this doesn't sound condensending, because I am anything but a model for "the fast track to CEO or whatever is the top of your field):

You are young (career wise), have a flexible life, and probably used to living on a small budget (I was king of happy hours, free food and dollar movies). If so, go into sales! It doesn't matter what you sell, go sell widgets for a year. If you like it and are good at it, you can probably make a lot of money. But more importantly, to learn the skill of selling, you can use that in almost any career path you choose. And do it while you're young, because who needs that **** (lifestyle), when you get older.

I know, I know, you didn't go to college to becomes a salesman. But man, don't uderestimate the power of a good salesman or think that it is easy or low level job. It takes skill, intelligence and, I think, lots of practice. But master that skill and you'll use for the rest of your life.

Someone passed that off to me years ago. I got it then, but I really get it now.

[Disclaimer: it wasn't Warren Buffet who passed it on and I'm not Warren Buffet, so if a "Warren Buffet" gives you contrary advise, I would go with that. : ) ]

[mook]

Originally Posted by It's_GO_Time

If so, go into sales! It doesn't matter what you sell, go sell widgets for a year. If you like it and are good at it, you can probably make a lot of money. But more importantly, to learn the skill of selling, you can use that in almost any career path you choose. And do it while you're young, because who needs that **** (lifestyle), when you get older.

I know, I know, you didn't go to college to becomes a salesman. But man, don't uderestimate the power of a good salesman or think that it is easy or low level job. It takes skill, intelligence and, I think, lots of practice. But master that skill and you'll use for the rest of your life.

Someone passed that off to me years ago. I got it then, but I really get it now.

As a marketing guy, I have far more respect for salespeople than a lot of people. I wish I could sell.

Sales teaches you the value of not quitting and imposing your will on somebody else. Two incredibly valuable skills. (Hey, that's how most pro basketball players make it.) Add on to that the skill of empathizing with what will motivate somebody else.

Ross Perot and Bill Gates were essentially salespeople. For all the investment bankers and attorneys who sneer at salespeople, how many of them ever made that much money?

Incidentally, my two favorite movies about salesmanship:

Glengarry Glen Ross is the ultimate hardcore boilerroom salesmanship grindhouse. Always Be Closing. Nothing captures the despair of a bad sales day like that film.

Ed Wood. People laugh at him now, and nobody thinks about how truly gifted Ed Wood was. But the guy was a truly awesome salesman to get so much money wasted on so little talent. When I get the occasional customer crapping on my company's product, I can't help but think of Ed Wood smiling and saying, "Well, my next one will be better!" Classic.

[Perfection]

Yeah, I'm not necessarily looking to get into "sales". I have friends who have worked for outfits run out of Utah where they sell satellite TV or home security systems door to door. They come back from the summer with like $20,000 in their pockets and I always wonder where the money is coming from. Right now I'm kind of wishing I would have joined in at some point.

As it is, I wouldn't say the market made me not get this job. I know for a fact that it's been unfilled for at least two months. However, even if I have to take a more entry level (administrative, ugh) role, this company is somewhere that I could really move up in fast.

I actually would prefer the fast track to the CEO position. My ~5 year plan has me heading to Harvard or Carnegie Mellon for my MBA.

[Hector]

Let me introduce you to your first sales technique. It's called the bait and switch. For example, someone leads you on to believe you're in the running for a high-paid job. Then at the last second, they pull the rug out from under you and in surprise, you accept a lesser product, a lower job. In sales, you will learn to catch this ruse faster than you have so far, since you didn't notice you were a victim of it until I just told you.

I remember when my father brought me to pick up his brand new 1959 Ford station wagon. We went to the bank and got a cashier's check for the exact amount. I couldn't see over the counter. At the car lot, I remember the salesman saying that there were a few charges they had overlooked. I remember a disagreement and my father hurrying me out of there and going home. A few days later he bought the same car, different color, from a competing car dealer.

[Perfection]

Originally Posted by Hector

Let me introduce you to your first sales technique. It's called the bait and switch. For example, someone leads you on to believe you're in the running for a high-paid job. Then at the last second, they pull the rug out from under you and in surprise, you accept a lesser product, a lower job. In sales, you will learn to catch this ruse faster than you have so far, since you didn't notice you were a victim of it until I just told you.

I remember when my father brought me to pick up his brand new 1959 Ford station wagon. We went to the bank and got a cashier's check for the exact amount. I couldn't see over the counter. At the car lot, I remember the salesman saying that there were a few charges they had overlooked. I remember a disagreement and my father hurrying me out of there and going home. A few days later he bought the same car, different color, from a competing car dealer.

Fair enough, and it doesn't surprise me. When I inquired about the more junior position, he said that it wasn't posted and they don't really have a description. I'm pretty sure it's administrative. Don't get me wrong...I don't want to take a job that is beneath me, but this company is pretty good and I would be interested to see what they would pay someone even in that role.

There aren't really any direct competitors to this company, and certainly not in the Portland area, so the idea of "going to a different dealer" won't quite work.

Anyways, I'll just have to see how it all plays out.