Additional Information
Some secondary school education is usually required to work as a telemarketer.
Some employers may ask for high school graduates. Many workers in this field
are young people, including high school, college and university students.
Once hired, most telemarketers have short-term, on-the-job training before
they begin work. The training ranges from a couple hours to eight weeks. Some
jobs require workers to pass licensing or product exams before they begin.
New employees are given an overview of how to use the phones, computers and
data entry programs.
Meghan Zugibe works as a telemarketer in Rockland County, New York. She
makes free appointments for chiropractors. She went through a one-day training
session for four or five hours. She was taught the basics of chiropractic
care. She was taught different techniques to handle people who turned down
her offers. She was also given some tips about how to handle rejection.
"We had to practice a call with one of the managers and finally got to
talk to a few people. Then we were on our own," says Zugibe.
Sarah Lideen's training was longer. She is a fundraiser for a communications
company in St. Cloud, Minnesota. All callers at her center go through a four-day
training period. It adds up to about 20 hours. Time is spent learning about
the company, effective calling techniques and laws. There is also continuing
training.
"Before every campaign, all callers are required to take in-depth training
before getting on the phones," Lideen says.
They have discussions, receive written information about the campaign and
sometimes watch videos about the organizations. She says these supplemental
training sessions are usually about an hour. Employees have time to ask their
supervisors questions.
"The only experience required would be excellent people skills and the
drive to make a difference in the world," says Lideen.