After five years of uni, four years of job hunting, and countless rejection emails, I finally landed a job in my field about three weeks ago.

I handed in in my notice at the call centre where I’d been working part-time since 2011 and it was a relief to say the least. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t pick up a few life hacks along the way. Here’s what working in a call centre taught me about my career (and life).

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

When people contact customer service, it’s usually because they have a problem, the obvious solutions haven’t worked, they’re frustrated and just want a quick fix. It’s never okay to use people as verbal punching bags, but it is worth keeping in mind that these people are angry at your company, not you personally. Just remember – you’re not unhelpful, rude or incompetent. You’re doing the best you can with the resources you have.

Ask The Right Questions

People are often unreliable narrators. They forget things, give you irrelevant details and may even get upset when you ask them to clarify. My job involved lots of reading between the lines and learning how to phrase questions in a way that made people believe they were being listened to. It sounds exhausting, but no matter what industry you’re in, being able to listen, ask the right questions and explain complex ideas in a way that anyone can understand are important skills.

Find Your Happy Place  

You will inevitably encounter people who need to vent their frustration at someone – even if that someone had nothing to do with their problem. The best thing to do in these situations is to sit back, let the anger wash over you and picture things that make you happy, like kittens or Jason Momoa. Or better yet, Jason Momoa holding kittens. Once they’ve let it all out, they’re usually calmer and you can get on with trying to help them. 

Make Friends Outside Your Comfort Zone 

Customer service work attracts people from all walks of life. The mum with three kids who brings in muffins on the weekend? Maybe she used to sneak out to rock concerts and drop acid. The quiet old man who keeps to himself? He might have been the lead singer of a punk band back in the 70s. It’s natural to gravitate towards people your age that you have things in common with. But a simple “What did you get up to on the weekend?” while you’re waiting in line for the coffee machine could lead to some unexpectedly fascinating answers. 

Think Outside The Box (Or Cubicle)

It might pay the bills, but the time you spend doing stock checks and listening to complaints is also time you could be putting into your real passion. But that doesn’t mean the time you spend at your part-time job can’t be productive. Want to get into media? Start a company newsletter or blog. Graphic design your thing? Every company needs logos and branding. Of course, your ability to do this will depend on your workplace, but you’ve got nothing to lose by asking.

Stay Focused On Your Endgame

It’s easy to get sucked into customer service work – the hours are flexible and you don’t have to take work home at the end of the day. As the years go by, that team leader role you swore you’d never apply for starts looking like an attractive option. The most important thing is to be clear with yourself about what you want out of the job and how long you’re prepared to stay.

Of course, life rarely goes to plan but until you get that break, you may as well pick up some life skills, make new friends, and if nothing else, you’ll have plenty of crazy stories to tell your coworkers at your next job.

(Lead image: Friends/NBC)