JNL & Associates

JNL & Associates.

I responded to an ad online regarding an entry level position titled Sales Consulting. It sounded respectable, and since I had already interviewed with a company that specialized in consulting (and actually found it interesting), I decided to go ahead and apply. What I did notice is that their email was JNL&Associates@gmail.com. G-mail is what I use. It's what people or companies without real websites or jobs use. I was kind of skeptical- they had a website of their own, but apparently no email of their own. That was my first clue that something may be fishy. At this time I was mainly using Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com, because those were the main job-seeking websites that I had experience with and was comfortable using. I still had not discovered the real secret to job hunting: Indeed.com. More on that later.

Part of the problem of applying for so many jobs is that most jobs are located on different job boards- and the only was to apply to the job is to register with the site, whether it be atlantajobnetwork.com, hotjobzone.com, or some other combination of job, the city, and the word career. This leads to a long and continuous process of adding your name, email address, and any other inane information they want from you so you get to apply for the job. What they don't tell you, or notify clearly enough, are the continuous emails and updates they send you...daily. Regardless, I apply for the job in the morning, and by around 3:00 PM the same day I get a call from a woman named Jessica. She asks if I would like to interview. Of course I'd like to interview, and I say yes. We decide to meet the next day around 11:00 AM.

The office is in Atlanta, so I leave ample time to reach the building. I live about 35 to 40 miles outside of the city center, and with traffic being the 3rd worst in the country, you never can tell what the backup is due to (traffic, accident, someone pressing the brake lights). So i arrive at the North Druid hills office building and walk to the room down the hall. I notice before I open the door that the office "suite" is shared by two companies, JNL and F.C. Wetz Interactive. Interesting. I open the door and enter the suite.

On my left is a single desk with two receptionists behind it. One woman works for JNL and the other for F.C. Wetz. On the top of the desk is an Ipod cranking out a classic Garth Brooks hit at an unnecessary high volume. I go up to the desk and ask for Jessica. We both exchange greetings and she hands me a clipboard with an information sheet. She says something but I can't really make it out because of the music. Either way, I know what she wants, so I go sit down and fill out the sheet. I fill it out and give it back to her along with my resume a few minutes later. I sit for a few minutes and look over at some of the other people. One guy from Georgia Tech, another with a mismatching shirt and tie, and a girl wearing a red and black suit. Since the office was shared, I wasn't sure who is interviewing for what.

My name is called and I walk into the room and meet a guy named John. He looks young and is dressed very professionally, and I give him a firm handshake and a good look into the eyes. He closes the door and we chat about me recently graduating, going to Clemson, and other rapport building activities. The atmosphere is business professional, but it's relaxed at the same time. He begins asking me general questions about school and some of the activities that I was involved in. I am doing well here.

I have found two things about most people interviewing:

1. The interviewer, if he or she is experienced at interviewing, will try to find something within the answer I give, say OK, and move on to the next question to at least keep things moving.

2. They ask questions hinting at what they want the answer to be.

I realize why they are asking, and I know what answers to give. So I'm doing well and explain what I want in a company (strong training system, ability to work independently while still having the support and resources of the company is a good one) and he says, "wow thats exactly what we do and what we're looking for." No kidding. The next 15 minutes or so go well, and John says hes going to interview a few more people, go over his choices and call people back for another interview later on in the day. I say thanks and leave the office, saying goodbye to Jessica and her Ipod as well.

I'm feeling good about the interview- the drive home felt good and went by quickly. I wait around during the rest of the day, half heartedly applying for jobs online and playing guitar all in my little work space in the basement of our home. I get a call around 3pm from Jessie- they want me back! Jessica tells me that I would be going out with one of their representatives to one of their locations. She says that the dress will be business casual because I will be out in the field. That works for me, and I schedule to meet with them the next day around 11 am or so. I'm excited, this could be it for me.

To elaborate further about the job before continuing- there was a big merger going on between several cell phone companies, and this company was outsourced by AT&T to help them retain customers and to encourage new ones to switch to their service. In theory, it sounded good, and each representative had a "territory" that they would be responsible for. So I get dressed in khaki pants and a button down polo shirt. I wake up, do my daily routine, and get to the building. I enter the suite, and initially I am aware of several things.

First, a loud chanting is emanating from one room- apparently all the representatives gather in the morning to pump themselves up about selling cell phone services. Their ritual was in full progress this morning. Second, I am the most under dressed person there. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is wearing a suit, whether it be black, blue, pinstriped, pimped out, or not. One guy was wear a double breasted suit, except he must not have realized how one of those suits fit because he had only buttoned the outside button. Even though he was wearing it incorrectly, he was wearing a suit nonetheless.

One by one peoples names are called as I continue to sit waiting to be called on. Finally I am called into the office. I am greeted by John, a woman, and another guy we'll call Seth. Seth is apparently their best salesperson- he has only been with the company for a short while but he's done such a great job he will be promoted to management within a few months. Apparently I had struck quite an impression with John the day before, because they paired me up with Seth because I was their top prospect. They wanted to show off their best salesperson to their best candidate. I'm standing there in flat front khakis, a polo button down oxford, and penny loafers. John and Seth are wearing black pinstriped suits with power ties. I feel awkward. I'm told that Seth is really nice guy and not to be nervous. I fake my confidence, and we head out.

Seth and I leave the suite and exit the building. He's a tall, thin guy with a scrappy 5 o clock shadow and short dark hair. We walk down the sidewalk and up to the beginning of the parking lot. He stops and looks around, and we make small talk for a few seconds. I had been told that we would be going out to one of their satellite stores so he could show me what he does. I assumed, and maybe I was completely wrong on this, that if we were to have to travel somewhere that we would travel together- as in both of us in the same car- save the environment right? I had interviewed with Target before and they were at least willing to provide travel for us.

We're standing on the sidewalk and Seth looks at me and asks, "hey do you have 50 cents?" I say, "Umm i think i just have a quarter on me." I don't know where he's going with this. He says "oh, ok well we have to go out to one of the stores in Roswell, and you're going to need some money for the toll road." Ummm..what? I say "Ok," and it suddenly dawns on me what he's actually saying. Instead of him driving us both out there, he wants me to get in my own car and follow him about 15 miles away to one of their stores. I'm a little surprised by this, because to get to the store you have to get on one of Atlanta's major highways for about 13 miles or so. So I follow him to his car, borrow a quarter, and we get into our respective cars.

Seth was not exactly the best person to follow, because he kept weaving in and out of traffic. It was hard keeping up with him, and I felt like I was going to lose him a few times, but he thankfully decided to keep me within reach. Finally, he exits off one of the roads, and we go at least another mile and finally get to the store. It's a typical Cingular store- the kind of place someone goes when they want to get a new cell phone. We ge tout of our cars and walk into the store. People seem to recognize Seth, and we walk towards the back of the store. Seth lays down all his materials on a small ledge near one of the display cases, and he looks at me.

"Ok, this is what we're gonna do today," He says. "People come in looking to either change their service provider or to get a new cell phone. It's our job to talk to these people and get to know enough information about them so we can make them change their service provider." I say alright and we sort of linger around one of the podiums for a bit. I'm still trying to completely understand what he means by that. We talk a bit for a while about where we went to college and shared stories about what we used to do for fun. A customer walks in, and Seth stops mid sentence and make a bee-line for the woman. He walks up to her, introduces himself, and immediately starts his sales pitch. The woman doesn't seem interested, but she's too courteous to tell him she doesn't care about what he's saying. I stand towards the back of the store while Seth is talking to the woman, and I can see him trying to charm her into talking to him more. It doesn't work. She leaves him, talks to an associate, and leaves the store a short while later. Seth walks over to me and just mutters "Bitch" under his breath. He then goes back right to what we were talking about a few minutes earlier. I don't know if I like this or not.

Another man walks into the store, and Seth makes another run for it. I'm beginning to understand what the real gist of the job is. The man is a tall, heavyset man of Latino descent, and Seth begins with his spiel about who he is and how he can help him. The guy is hesitant at first, but soon launches into a conversation about how he doesn't like one provider for internet that he's with and his wife makes all the rules, etc. Seth apparently senses an opportunity, gathers some additional information, and heads back to me. All this time I am standing a few feet away from their conversation- far enough away that I am not directly in it, but close enough to hear everything going on. It's an awkward distance to say the least. I was told that I was being brought out here to see how I interact with customers.

Seth walks back and gets on his cell phone. He says that he is calling the AT&T service to find out his customer information to see if he can get the guy a better deal. He tells me to go keep the guy company while he's waiting. Shit. This man is at least 6'2, 300 pounds. I am 5'5, 150 pounds. I'm not so sure we have much to talk about. So i wander, slowly, over to him and hover around him for a second until he notices that I'm there. He asks what Seth is doing and I reply that he's calling to get some more information. He smirks and says "I just wanted to get a new cell phone, I didn't need all this." I don't know what to say. I force out a small laugh and say "Well, ya know." What a stupid response.

Thankfully Seth comes back with information in hand and begins talking to the guy again. This is how AT&T works- if one of JNL's associates can convince a customer to switch one of three services- phone, internet, cable to AT&T, they get a commission. Depending on the service, it ranges from $20 to about $40 a person. The JNL group can also entice customers by offering an immediate cash payout in the form on a visa card for switching. This covers any costs associated with breaking a contract. Seth and the big man negotiate for a few minutes, ad the deal is finally settled. Seth will give the big guy $350 to switch his internet service to AT&T. Simple enough. Once everything is cleared up, the big dude gathers his stuff, says by to me and Seth, and leaves.

Seth comes back to me and says "Well, that's 1." He then informed me that they expect people to get around 10 or 11 a day. Meaning that I would have to essentially come in when the store opens, hawk customers just looking to buy a new RAZR all day, and then leave once the store closes. I saw how pushy Seth had to be just to get people to talk to him, and I wasn't sure whether I wanted to do that. It didn't seem like a good use of my degree. I could have skipped college to "sell" in that way. We spend about 20 more minutes on the floor, and then Seth takes me into one of the back rooms.

He has me sit down next to him, and he beings explaining the opportunities within JNL & Associates regarding moving from a salesperson role to manager in less than 9 months. Their goal is to have someone learn the ropes on this account, move them up quickly, and have them leading others in as short a time as possible. He says they need motivated people that can go up and strike conversations with anyone. By nature, I am not necessarily one of those persons. I can do it, but I prefer the more relaxed, casual method. He asks if I think I can do it, and of course I say yes. He goes over the pay structure- pretty much all commission. Actually, all commission. You can make a lot of money if you get a lot of people to switch of course- $20 a person can add up over time. I just don't know whether I want to be on that type of commission basis- really high volume, with low margins.

We force some conversation for a little longer. I kinda want to get out of here. I don't know if I like this, but I know that I just need to leave and think about this whole experience. Finally, Seth says that the interview is pretty much over. He says that I have to drive back to the office- meaning I get back on the highway and find my way back- so I can fill out some paperwork for them. He says there might be an offer when I get to the office. I'm surprised they can make a decision this fast- I didn't think I necessarily did all that well. So I say bye to him, ge tin my car, get gas and more change, and head back to the office.

I walk into the Ipod suite, and Jessica has me fill out some information. When I'm done, she invites me into an office where she asks how the day was and what my feelings were. I lie, telling her that I really enjoyed the day and getting to know exactly what the company does. She asks if I would be interested in the job if I were offered it- I tell her yes- I wouldn't shoot my chances down because I felt awkward for a bit, and she tells me that they'll be in touch within a few days. I shake her hand and leave the office, trying to make sense of the day in general. I drive home, relay my story to my parents, and basically try to forget what happened.

It was when I got home and told my parents about the interview that I really began to understand what the job was about. I was actually interviewing to be one of those pushy salespeople- the ones that come up to you in a store and won't leave you alone before you either give in or tell them in an angry voice you're not interested. My goal was simple- accost each and every person that walked into the Cingular store to see what I could make them switch to. Their techniques were not sophisticated, they were not different, they were just..pathetic. I didn't see this job as a good use of my degree- It used nothing of what I learned in class, and the people who he was going after didn't necessarily seem that pleased with him "helping" them.

I had friends who went through similar situations. One applied for a sales job with one of the newspaper companies up in Virginia. Get gets to the interview one day along with another kid for an interview, and the salesperson takes them out. He drives them out to Maryland, at least 30 miles away, and stops the car near a neighborhood. He tells them to get out, hands them some newspapers, and tells them to go door to door and see what they can sell. This is their first interview. They were told the interview would take at least 5 or 6 hours. They go to a few doors, and one kid decides to screw it. He calls a taxi on his phone, and when the taxi comes, he tells the guy to "screw off" and gets in and leaves. This leaves my friend Brian alone for the next 4 hours selling newspapers door to door. He didn't have the heart to tell the guy to fuck off. Needless to say, he didn't take the job.

I get a call about 3 days later form John. I was eating lunch at the time and he left a message, so I called him back. No answer. This is on a Saturday, around 11 AM. I should have known- the Cingular stores are open on the weekend, so apparently so is JNL. We play phone tag for a bit and then I finally get a hold of him. "Steve," he says "I've got great news. We've decided that you're what we're looking for, and we'd like to go ahead and officially offer you the position." "Oh, well thank you" I say. "I appreciate that." He goes on "So we're gonna need you to start this Monday if thats alright." Whooooaaaahhhh. No. I made it a point to make sure that I didn't fall into something I necessarily didn't want. I tell him that I'll need a few days to think it over and he pauses, as if he expected me to take the job on the spot. I try to make it less awkward, and we end the conversation with me telling him I'll get back to him soon. I was excited- this was the first job offer that I had gotten, and it was exciting knowing that a company wanted me..finally. But I still knew the company was a bit sketchy- the email address, the 8 months to top management track, the pity selling in Cingular stores every day. It seems like AT&T hired JNL to do their bitch work so they didn't have to spend a lot of money advertising. It's cheap on AT&T's part if their outsourced companies run on commission anyways.

I got back to him. I told him that while I appreciated the offer and the time spent showing me what the company did, I didn't think it was going to be a good fit for me. John seemed a bit down when I told him, and he asked why I ended up making the decision. I told him it was a combination of the travel every day (actually a legitimate concern of mine), and that I didn't think it was for me at this point in my life. He said alright, and we ended up parting ways on relatively good terms. He told me he's available if I ever need anything in the future, which was nice of him. The people were nice, it was the company that did it in for me.

So I got the job offer, but it wasn't an offer that interested me, and it wasn't a job offer that I needed a college education with. I should have tried to find out more about the company before I went in for the interviews. There are about a dozen other companies just like them in Atlanta, advertising "Work with PRO SPORTS" and "Be your own boss!" It isn't true. If you put in the 70 hours a week, maybe it will happen some day. But as a recent Marketing major from Clemson, it wasn't for me.

Total time spent: 10 minutes applying, 10 minutes pre-interview, 2.5 hours first interview, 4 hours total second interview. Total jobs taken: 1, Total lessons learned: tons.