Another day, another dollar, another Mailgirl Six Blog!

SliceReaity had some questions about my internship and I figured others might be interested, so if you are not into that sort of question you might want to skip this one. I’m thinking of doing a “Dirty Questions Omnibus” because a lot of those only need a short answer so if something has been itching your brain let me know soon.

SliceReality says: “Six – thank you for answering, and for sharing such personal insight into your experiences. Your self-reflection is fascinating and it’s very interesting to read how being a Mailgirl has impacted you in all aspects of your life. I have some further questions for you, if I may. I hope these first do not offend you but I am very interested to learn what convinced you to stay on as a Mailgirl after your first ‘internship’? Did your college honour your diploma? I am curious what academic merit the college saw in such a program? What convinced you to sign another contract when the internship was over if you had been promised a full time role at the end of it? Considering the number of contracts you have re-signed – do you feel trapped or betrayed? There are a lot of stories in the press about Mailgirl abuses – 24/7 contracts, indentured servitude – have you seen anything like that where you have worked?”

Hmm… okay. A lot to unpack there.

As I finished my summer internship I was a college graduate and sent out a lot of resumes trying to find a job in my field but did not get many bites. Part of this was the cycle for hiring new graduates starts in the summer and I had spend mine interning as a naked Mailgirl, not something I wanted to put on the resume.

My college did honor my degree, I have a Bachelors in the Science of Business Management with a focus in Human Resources.
Now as to what academic merit interning as a Mailgirl brought? LOL. That is a trick question if there ever was one. NO INTERNSHIP HAS ANY MERIT. Internships are widely known as a scam in America. They say they pay you in “experience”, “professional contacts” and college credits. No company uses an internship program to actively recruit. They pass off the lowest level menial tasks on the interns so they don’t have to pay a salary and health insurance. These are the jobs people quit or quickly move on from. Internships are a bigger scam than Mailgirl contracts. At least I get paid well for what I’m doing.

The TV sales company I was with did offer me a position but I did not intend to take it. It was in the Sales Department, receiving phone in orders and basic customer service. The starting pay was $12 an hour, not much with a mountain of college debt. They offered me this as I knelt naked in the HR Lady’s office. I guess she saw the disappointment on my face as I was clearly expecting something better.

“Well,” she said, “the Board of Directors does like your work as a Mailgirl and you are rather popular with the staff. Would you like to stay on as Mailgirl for a standard contract? Two years at a good salary and we can pay your college debt with the signing and completion bonus?”

Now I’m not dumb. I know the whole thing was a set up, but the entire company had already seen me naked. I had already dealt with the basic humiliation of the job. These are the two biggest hurdles any Mailgirl faces and I already conquered them. The question was not if I could do it but if I could keep going.

I decided I could.

Besides, I figured this was just my first job out of school. No one stays at their first job forever.

There was more good than harm by continuing as a Mailgirl at my current company. I don’t regret it in the slightest.

I’ve also completed two contracts now, having just signed my third six months ago. Each I did for different reasons. The first got rid of my student debt. The second got me out of the area I grew up in and was for substantially more pay, but I did not like the environment there and moved on to my third. Here I’m much happier than my last job and I like the corporate culture. It helps that I’m a Corporate Trainer now as it is tangential to the Human Resources focus of my degree. So I don’t really feel trapped anymore. I’m building towards my future and helping companies become more efficient and employ more young women. It’s really a win-win.

As for abuses I’ll save that for another blog. Writing this post was gotten me amped to go to work. I want to make sure my recruits are ready to take on the day.

So keep those questions and comments coming everyone. I need the introspection and love sharing my experiences. Remember, health and efficiency matters!