My mother Janet B. is now in a business known as HEMISO. I decided to interview her and find out what it’s like to be in this new world of business for her. She has worked as vice-president for On Target Staff Incorporated finding jobs in the medical field for all sorts of people for many years and has a background in recruitment for the last twenty-five years.
How did you get this job and why did you decide to do it?
How did I get this job, well I met a designer who had an interest in jewelry. We talked for several days and I agreed to be his business partner along with another lady who was already in on the idea. I decided to do this job because its very different from anything I have done before. It will be my own business and we will be our own bosses and it is exciting to grow something on your own.
What were some steps taken to get this job?
Well you see, I didn’t “get” the job. It was a business opportunity. The timing was right, all of the partners had the right experience combined, and even though we all have other jobs we still felt that this job was worth the effort.
Could you explain to us exactly what you and your business do?
HEMISO jewelry designs and sells unique beautiful jewelry made from high quality pearls, crystals and precious stones from all around the world. Our collections are for young women (age 18 to 25), women (age 21+) and bridal collection. We sell these jewels to specialty stores, trade shows and to anyone who wants “tasteful” jewelry at the right price. I work with one of the partners to do the sales and marketing, networking, setting up business practices, projecting sales goals, writing a budget, focusing on follow-up and just looking beautiful in all the jewelry.
What is the average income for somebody working in your position?
Income in sales is calculated in many ways. It can be a salary plus commission or commission only. Usually when you work commission only, you get paid more than salary plus commission. The reason you get paid more is because of the risk you’re taking by not taking a salary. Only experienced sales people should take commission only jobs. I personally do commission only for HEMISO and salary plus commission for my other job because as a single parent I need to ensure I can pay my mortgage every month. The average earnings are around $100,000 dollars a year for a sales person. This number varies depending on what you are selling and how good you are.
What is the hardest part of your job and why?
What’s the hardest part of my job? Well the hardest parts of my job would be self motivation, being task and goal oriented, self disciplined, and methodical. It’s hard to be self motivated because, there is nobody telling you what to do. You have to generate your own work. It’s hard being task and goal oriented because it takes a great deal of focus to stay on track in my field of business. Being self disciplined is a struggle because I lack will power in some areas. To do the things I planned on doing when I planned on doing them basically, is hard. Lastly a big challenge in my job is being methodical. This is because I get distracted easily, I absolutely abhor paperwork vehemently and I’m not the tidiest person in the world. I’m organized but not tidy.
What do you think is the easiest part of your job and why?
Talking to people is extremely easy because not only do I love to talk, I’m a very social person and I will talk to anyone. Another easy part about working for HEMISO is that I have the opportunity to plan my own day/week/month. I arrange my own schedule to suit my lifestyle and I don’t have to get to the office for any particular time because I don’t have an office and I’m really under no pressure. HEMISO takes me into lots of different social circles where the networking is fun and the people I meet are always interesting. One great thing about my job is that the jewelry I work with is beautiful and I have the privilege to wear any of it whenever I want which makes it that much easier to sell because now, people ask me about instead of me asking them.
What experience did you gain from previous jobs that will help you to make a success of HEMISO?
I have worked as a hamburger chef, a newspaper deliverer, a secretary, a French fry packer, a waitress, a chef, a salesperson, and a recruiter. Let me tell you, every single job gave me a skill to take to the next one and be successful in it. Whether it was how to follow rules, how to be responsible, reliable, flexible, cooperative, getting rewards for working especially hard, being able to easily talk to anybody in all walks of life, building up self confidence, self esteem and having respect for every single person regardless of their seniority in the company.
What advice or words of wisdom and encouragement would you give to anybody that wanted to do the kind of things that you do?
Every single job I have mentioned requires the same, basic characteristics. They are honesty, reliability, someone who will give 110% and do their very best at whatever their job may be every single day. These strengths will be the foundation of every single job whether you are a bus driver, the president of the United States, a fashion model, a doctor, a store attendant or a budding millionaires selling jewelry like me. If you really want to work doing something that you really like to do and you have no experience doing it, a prospective employer will call each of your former employers to ask them if in their opinion you are honest, reliable, hard working, cooperative, flexible, etc. Even though you have not got the specific experience for the job you want, your chances of getting it will be greatly improved if all of the answers to the prospective employers questions are yes. Remember, attitude is everything. I have employed people with no experience just because they interviewed well, they prepared their resume, they were on time for the interview, they were respectful and they smiled (it’s a big deal I wouldn’t employ anybody who is grumpy. Not in a million years). Any job you want is within your grasp. I encourage you to keep trying, don’t give up and work towards giving that prospective “dream” employer exactly the skills, the attitude, and that big smile that they are looking for. “Good Hunting”