Pros
Better than collecting change on a desolate street corner, rummaging through smelly garbage dumpsters, picking cotton on a hot 50 degrees day.
Cons
Terrible scheduling: The management only tells you 3 hours before your shift whether or not you are working. It shows that you are utterly disposable. Laughable salaries: Minimum wage with no room for growth. Unhealthy working conditions: As another reviewer noted, there are no headsets, which means you get a aching arm and shoulders from holding a phone for sometimes up to 8 hours. Getting out of your cubicle and going for a stretch or a glass of water is technically allowed but frowned upon. Unsafe work environment for women: The office is located in the middle of nowhere. Late night shifts mean you are standing at a bus stop by yourself in pitch darkness with no traffic nearby. As a woman I always felt unsafe waiting for the bus at 10:30-11 with virtually no one around. Poor training: Supervisors seem badly prepared to guide you or improve your skills. In fairness they always look overworked and stressed out. Sometimes there will be 20 phoners and only one supervisor. Cold & unfriendly work environment: No telephone interviewer wants to be there. Many people are moon-lighting a 5-11 shift after working a nine-to-five. A lot of poorly trained college students who are half asleep and mumbling questions. People are taking naps on their pathetic 15 minute breaks. On a quick break one of the male phoners who was there (he's actually now a supervisor) said he saw someone doing lines of coke in the washroom his first month there. Bad hiring process: I have no idea how a lot of the phoners got hired. Many are loud, speed through the questions and are overworked and going on three hours of sleep. If I was a business who used Telepoll I would be questioning the quality of the research they are getting back given some of the people they hire on.
