“It definitely wasn’t what I wanted to do forever,” he says. “I saw it as a stepping stone.”
Although Salex really enjoyed his work at the call center, he’d done a graphic art degree at Liverpool John Moores University and had always wanted to work as a designer. And it wasn’t like he hadn’t built up his experience while he was at uni, he’d done two work placements at well-known graphics firms but it just didn’t turn into anything more – there were, quite simply, no jobs.
“I was still applying for jobs three or four times a week, to do graphic design or photography jobs – anything or everything,” he admits. “It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy my job – I really loved working for O2 – but working in a call centre wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It was just a job to pay the bills. It was great fun, great people but it just wasn’t graphic design.”
Although he’d been offered a couple of jobs in Dubai, Alex made the decision not to take them. “I just couldn’t bring myself to say yes and take that role because of what I was doing at O2 and what I was being involved in.”
And then along came the job that Alex hadn’t realised he’d been waiting for: O2 were looking for an Engagement Specialist. It might not sound like a design job but it’s a job that involves doing a lot of designing for all of the communications and branding that O2 put out both internally and externally in e-newsletters, presentations, posters and loads of other things. And Alex knew immediately that he had to apply because he really liked working at O2. “It’s like a family-feel here, everyone cares about you.”
When Jo Challoner, Operations Support Leader at Telefónica, saw Alex’s application she knew that he was just the person they were looking for. But she was pretty surprised to discover that he was already working for one of the call centres that she was responsible for.
Alex says that getting this job helped him to realise that it was his dream job. “The best part is coming in and not knowing what’s in store for me,” he says. “No day’s the same and I don’t know many jobs where you can say that and it’s actually the case. Every day is literally different, I never know what to expect.”
And, because we know that a lot graduates are in similar situations to the one Alex was, we asked for his advice for people working a job that isn’t their dream. “There are days when you think I really can’t be bothered,” he admits. “There would be days where a customer would be shouting and ranting and raving at you, it’s not what you want. But it’s your job and you’ve got to be able to put that behind you.”
“Never stop going with your applications,” he adds. “Never feel disheartened or put down if you don’t get jobs. You never know what’s round the corner. I’m a prime example, I applied and applied and then four years into working at O2, this job came alone. This probably wouldn’t have been my dream job four years ago, but now it is. I’m doing everything that I want to. And you never know what you dream job is going to be.”
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