Everybody is not a telemarketer.

It seems I never really clarified what I do for a paycheck here. When I used to tell people I worked in marketing for Answers.com, they’d always reply, ‘oh, like telemarketing?’ and that would seriously irk me. That might seriously irk a telemarketer, too, because I’d be an insult to the telemarketing industry, but it would irk me because it’s simply not what I do. Nor should people be assuming that is what the general category of ‘marketing’ is.

I do, however, understand how the mistake is made. Telemarketing – I should really clarify because it’s not all telemarketing – call centers – are actually a decent-sized job pool amongst Anglo Israelis, especially in Jerusalem. It’s pretty easy to get a job here in it, as it is outsourced from the States so if you have any people skills at all and an American accent especially, you’re set. If you’re good at it, you can actually make decent money. If you’re not good at it, you can still make decent money.

It’s almost a rite-of-passage that many Anglos start out working at CSM or some other outsourced call center. It’s easy to get into since (CSM at least) is practically promoting aliyah and you can quit when you’re ready to move on. That’s the trend amongst most of my friends here, though I personally never did it.

Anyways, back to the job I actually do. I’m in creative marketing for Answers.com, which means I sit in my office and think up ideas for how to spread the word and then carry them out. It’s fun, self-defining most of the time, and always changing. Which is probably why I’m still at it after 10 months… The longest I’ve stuck at anything not mandatory except college.

Here are a few examples of stuff I’ve done: presearch, a movie, librarians, poster center, and stay tuned for something fun.


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