Tim Rausch
Representatives from T-Mobile’s Augusta facility dialed up images of careers filled with advancement opportunities during the first Business Showcase Series event of the semester on Wed., Sept. 29.
Candice Mitchell, Center Senior Manager, Customer Experience, said she started her career with the company while in her 20s. T-Mobile opened its customer experience center in Augusta in 2007. Mitchell arrived as its manager three years ago.
“Most of the people at T-Mobile have very long tenure,” she said. “We start early, and we are normally there for a very long time. I tell you why… it is the career goals aspirations that we have there.”
Mitchell explained her journey into management, beginning 13 years ago as a young mother also attending college in South Carolina. From a front-line representative on the phone, she advanced to a senior representative to sales coach and then sales manager.
Mitchell said she led the first inbound proactive retention department for the company, knowing from behavior that a customer was in danger of leaving T-Mobile, which would route a call to her team that could talk about the value of T-Mobile to retain that customer.
That success prompted her to seek the promotion that landed her the Augusta center position.
“It was risky to leave Charleston, S.C. T-Mobile instilled in me the importance of education. They improved my business acumen,” she said.
For more than a year, the showcases had been virtual events. They returned to 90-minute, on-campus presentations this semester.
Dean Richard Franza, Ph.D., said one of the purposes of the showcases is to complement concepts learned in the classroom. They feature companies that are actively recruiting who are interested in speaking about their job openings, culture, and history.
“It’s nice to do these face-to-face again,” Franza told the students. “It lets us bring back our networking, which I think is a pro for both the students and the company representatives.”
T-Mobile representatives explained benefits and salary information to the students in attendance and later met them during networking time. Customer service positions aren’t the only openings at the company, they explained, citing management, engineering, legal, and human resources roles.
“I never felt pressured that I had to sacrifice my career (to have a family life). T-Mobile is one of those places that truly allows you to grow at your own place and choose your story,” said Melodie Hall, recruiter for the Augusta center.
Hall said core philosophies at the company include being a mentor and seeking out a mentor; being a leader, not a boss; and using emotional intelligence.
