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This news, also presented the end of our main summary of a new Dan Gilbert interview, is reposted for higher visibility to potential applicants.
Rock Connections, a call center services firm on the edge of downtown, isn't as well-known as Dan Gilbert's most prominent holdings -- Quicken Loans, Bedrock and Rocket Fiber.
But he singles it out in a wide-ranging conversation with Crain's Detroit Business as an example of rapid growth ("absolutely booming") and professional-track career opportunities for Metro Detroiters not trained for mortgage banking, real estate leasing or software engineering.
"This is the greatest job ever for Detroiters who don't have college degrees or maybe don't have high school degrees," Gilbert tells Kirk Pinho:
"I've been saying this about call centers for years now. Hire somebody if they can talk, show up on time, wear a tie, come in to work, get $12 an hour plus full, great benefits. The good ones move up and can do Quicken Loans-type banking jobs.
"And even if they don't, it's not a bad start . . . [for] the Detroiters where it's not happening -- they are not going to college, or they dropped out of high school and they do want to work. A call center is a great place. They got like 700 people."
Rock Connections, which serves marketing clients, is at 1900 St. Antoine St., opposite the unfinished Wayne County Jail site.
Applications are invited for Account Specialists, the entry-level position Gilbert mentions. Paid training is provided.
Here's the job description:
Account Specialists contact and transfer clients to other parties and persuade them on products, goods and services. This position requires someone who is production-driven.
The Account Specialist’s duties include transfers, lead generation through cold calling and appointment setting.
Those with at least a year of telemarketing or other sales experience will have an edge, though that background is optional. Basic requirements include familiarity with using computers and common office programs, plus "ability to learn new systems quickly and adapt to new technology."
Recruiters also are looking for people with "excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills" and a "strong sense of urgency." Over-sensitivity to criticism is a disqualifier, as applicants are expected to be "comfortable with receiving feedback and coaching."
The full-time position includes free parking, tuition assistance, a 401(k) retirement plan, health insurance, disability insurance, seven paid holidays annually, up to four weeks vacation, "strong growth and leadership opportunities," the company says.
Interested? Set up a profile and apply here. Email inquiries go to careers@rockconnections.com. For phone inquiries, call (800) 411-JOBS.
"We’ll call you within a week or two no matter what," Rock Connections says at its site.
