Great place to work

Thank you Just....obviously I feel better now. :) The mocha to my right seems to have kicked in!

Mike said: Thank you Just....obviously I feel better now. :) The mocha to my right seems to have kicked in!

I worked for a company just like people are saying AT&T operates. I did my duties and never got into drama with management neither my co-workers. The rules were crazy and I didn't agree with all but I still did what was ask of me. We have to be mindful when we apply for a job we are given descriptions of the job. However if you are not given descriptions ask before you take it just because it pays good. Again move on and not make people think the entire agency is bad because of an isolated experience. Corporate America ain't playing...I know improper english but we gotta work and stop nagging about things we really can't change. I was done wrong last year on my job and faced hardship but I don't make others feel the agency as a whole was corrupted. Anyway, no agency gonna do everything to make us happy. I just thought in my earlier comments that person being called a WHINER was harsh, but after I realize it means to complain...I understand better why it was said. I'm not sayng settle and take abuse but it's hard finding work and if you're working make the best of it. You All Enjoy Your Week!

what questions should i look for on the entry test?

JAC in San Antonio, Texas said: Most of us that started out with AT&T/SBC back in the 1970's have seen how the company has gotten worse since Ed merged with AT&T and now he is no longer there. I was amazed at all the people on antidepressants by the time I retired. All the newbies who get on and think its a wonderful company, I give them 6 mos to a yr and they will be gone. They'll find out soon enough. I was glad to get out a couple of years ago retiring. I had just enough time to get out. Otherwise, I would have had a heart attack by now had I stayed.

absolutely!!

This is so true. When I was originally hired by Bellsouth (now at&t), I felt that Hr reps weren't exactly forth coming about what to expect. They basically sold the ...bellsouth is a great company to work for...benefits are great...atmosphere is great... you can move up pretty quickly... fairy tale. I knew from get up that she couldn't be telling the truth because that call center had such a high turn over rate. If all of that were true then they would have higher retention. I had a fundamental understanding that it wasn't going to be easy. But the pay and benefits at the time was more than I had ever made coming right out of college and from a small town. I was also single and had absolutely nothing to loose. I still was naive as what to really expect once I started. Thankfully I had a trainer and who kept it real and a coach who was fairly decent. They both had years of experience. They had been management, non-management, union stewards and such. Because of their honesty about the job, everyone in our training class kind of knew what to expect. However this job still became to much for me after having been there almost 4 yrs. I actually enjoy helping people and selling products that they really need and can benefit from. I don't enjoy shoving products and services to people who don't want and obviously don't need them ie the elderly cust who would call on a fixed income and only have a $13 phone line and complain if their bill is 1 penny more than it was last month. NO LIE. Needless to say I am no longer employed with at&t. I went out on leave b/c of a tragic family situation and chose not to return once my leave ended.I can say I am thankful for the benefits and pay. It helped me thru a difficult time but knew when it was time to move on. My family thought I was crazy for leaving bc by the time I left I was making almost $50k. 65% of the Pple at my call center were taking antidepressants they called "happy pills" lke candy to make it. My sanity is worth more.

Am looking for a HR contact for the new Reno, NV call center. I have successfully passed the assessment tests and qualified to be in the source pool, but have no contacts to follow-up with. It has been 4 weeks since my last contact and want to continue to indicate my interest in the position. I would greatly appreciate any feedback for current at&t employees who could provide some contact information.
Sincere thanks!

KC Fan in California said: Justmaintaining: this interviewer was dead on about the culture and expectations of AT&T. I have been a manager at AT&T for almost 20 years and she is absolutely correct. If you have young kids and a spouse that stays home or has a part-time job, then it could work. If you are honest, hardworking and don't expect anything from a company other than a paycheck, then it could work. If you don't mind being micro-managed and given construction criticism on a daily basis, then it could work. Bottom line, the pay is decent, the hours can be long (overtime is mandatory sometimes), the benefits are good for non-management employees, there is tuition reimbursement if you want to go back to school and have the time to do so. If you decide to accept the job, just go in with a plan. Plan to stay there 3-5 years, move around to different departments, and then move on. AT&T trains it's employees well and other companies know that, so you would be very valuable once you leave the company. Keep in mind, there are no benefits (in most states) for 1st 6 months, you cannot call in sick or take vacation for 1st months, and with gas prices being so high - a split shift may be a problem if you live far away. Good luck and go for it if you can deal with the criteria the interviewer gave you because she is totally correct!!!

To KC Fan in California......Do you have any insight into the call center in Reno, NV. I applied back in February and have gone through assessment testing being told I qualified for their source pool. It's been a month since I've heard anything. The only contact I have is in Sacramento and they know nothing about what's happening in Reno. Do you have any contacts in Reno so I might follow up? Thanks

I currently work at an AT&T competitor -cough-cable-cough- and when a co-worker told me that she'd been offered $14 an hr at AT&T over the $11 I make now, I was interested. I applied and have received my "invitation". I plan to go to the interview and testing etc., but if they can't meet the $14 per hr, I see no reason I should leave where I've been for just 7 months to unlearn all that/endure more training and a benefits waiting period and have all new stress!

So far as "quotas" - we're expected to have our "handle time" to 7 minutes average, our hold times and "wrap" times to a certain number as well. We're expected to sell on EVERY CALL for our QA scores. Our calls are monitored or "pulled" by random supervisors for scoring, and we have coaching weekly.

I think the "big brother" mentality is in ANY sales-driven business now. It has to be that way. No, employees shouldn't suffer for that and there are days when I feel even where I am, that too much emphasis is put on "getting that sale", but hey, as we say there "It is what it is"... take it or leave it right?

I'm going to weigh my decision once the interview/testing process is done. If I had better transportation to where I work now, I would probably not even consider leaving. My car is on its last leg and the AT&T job would allow me to take a (long) bus ride at least. Oh, and split-shifts on a routine basis? Uh,no. I live 20 miles away.

Donald Caldwell in Conway, Arkansas said: I've read your comments and I am very amused at what you had to say. You sound like you are new to todays work environments. This is a very competitive world that we live in. Most company cultures are very much as you described. It's all about the bottom dollar everywhere. Performance is the key to success. Reward and praise for the deserving are par for the course. It's tough but only perserverance can lead to success.

AT&T is offering zero per hour for experienced sales people to go door to door in Wisconsin, on the premise that if you sell a bundle pack you make $93. After you burn your car out and pay for all your own gas. If this is the company of the future, I'm glad I'm getting my pension soon. Your bottom dollar mentality is strictly for butt kissers, not my style. Furthermore, the guy managing the outside contractor for AT&T (EMS)is a criminal. Perserverance can lead to success, but morals and ethics are still important to some people.

mel luna in nowhere, California said: AT&T is the best job I've ever had. I'm educated and have been in sales for 5 years and I've never had the benefits and the guaranteed pay that I have at ATT. For the people who are reading this post, don't listen to these dorks, they sound like a bunch of whiners and little kids who've never really been out in the working world. Yes, ATT monitors every call you make ... its a little weird. I'm very anti-big brother myself, but it's totally understandable, since ATT *is* an equal opportunity employer, they want to make sure you aren't lazy or inappropriate. Its not a bad company to work for at all. I'm very happy at my job and I only have to work 40 hour weeks, the overtime is entirely voluntary and IT PAYS GREAT!!!!!

SALES IS A TOUGH BUSINESS, GET OVER IT!!!!

Optional overtime, that is a joke and an outright lie. We have been working 48-50 hrs a week for 2 years now. We are wrote up for adherence if we do not show up for all scheduled mandatory overtime. Happy does not describe me or any of fellow sa's.