The Art of the Hustle (Complete)

Chapter Thirty-One

I decided to take a different approach to finding a job this time. Instead of handing out résumés to all the shops in the mall, I applied online for some office jobs. I picked a bunch of companies I wanted to work for and submitted my résumé to them.  

A few weeks went by and I did not have one single call back, so I changed my approach again. This time, I changed my résumé to make it look more professional. I then put on my suit and applied to a lot of the businesses in person. On my way home, I stopped by the bank to make a withdrawal. I entered the bank and looked around. It seemed like a really professional environment, people in suits talking about their business and their finances. It never occurred to me to work at a bank, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I looked in my folder and had one résumé left.  

I walked up to the customer service desk and asked to speak to the manager. 

"Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked. 

"No, I don't. I just wanted to speak with the manager about any employment opportunities that are available." 

"If you give me your résumé, I'll make sure he gets it." 

I gave the receptionist my résumé and went home. 

I waited a week before I started calling places back. I felt like I had nothing to lose, so I called the manager at the National Group Bank every day and left him a message on his answering machine. 

'Hi this is Trevor Morrison calling. I dropped off my résumé last week and was just wondering if you've had a chance to review it. I'm really interested in pursuing a career with your branch. Please give me a call so I can further introduce myself.'  

A week's worth of those messages filled the bank manager's voicemail, but there was still no word from him. I decided to put my suit on and go pay the manager a visit. 

"May I help you?" the receptionist asked. 

"Yes, my name is Trevor Morrison; I have a two o'clock appointment with Derek Jones. Can you please let him know I'm here?" 

"Yes, certainly Mr. Morrison, please take a seat." 

"Thank you."  

I took a deep breath and sat down outside the branch manager's office - so far, so good. I had made it passed the first line of defense. Now all I needed to do was to turn on some charm and convince the branch manager his business would fail without me. 

I glanced down at my phone every few minutes. The anticipation was killing me. I had been waiting for over fifteen minutes. Occasionally, the receptionist would look over at me. I just looked back at her and smiled. It was obvious the manager was in no hurry to see me, but I continued to wait.  

After a few more minutes, his door opened and he walked out. He noticed me sitting in one of the leather chairs outside of his office, but he continued to walk pass me. He said something to one of the financial advisors, then headed back to his office.  

This was it; it was my time to shine. "Good afternoon Mr. Jones, may I have a moment of your time?" 

"Certainly," he said reluctantly with a fake smile. "Please come in and have a seat." 

"Thank you." 

"So what brings you into my office today?" 

"Well, sir, I'm interested in working for you and I wanted to meet with you in person to discuss a possible employment opportunity." 

"Okay, do you have your résumé with you?"  

"Yes, I do. Here you go," I handed him another copy of my résumé.  

He took a moment to review it. "So what did you have in mind?" he asked.  

"I want to start off as a teller, but I would eventually like to work my way up to become a financial advisor one day."  

"So you're interested in pursuing a career in finance?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"That's excellent. I think we might have something for you. Let me hang on to your résumé and I will have Lizzie give you a call later this week to discuss what we have available." 

"Thank you so much for your time today, it really means a lot to me." 

"It was my pleasure."  

It took a little bit longer than I had expected, but my persistence paid off. I had my foot in the door. Where others saw a dead end, I saw an obstacle and figured out a way around it. 

Lizzie called a week later to discuss the position. After a few minutes of talking, I had talked my way into a job with the largest bank in Canada. 

"So what will the schedule be like?" I asked. 

"We work on a forty hour work week, with a half an hour paid lunch break. The shifts are Monday to Friday 8:30 to 4:30, and we're closed on the weekends." 

"Oh, okay, that sounds good. Do you offer any part-time employment at all?" 

"No, unfortunately not, we only have full-time shifts available."  

"That's too bad. I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I will be attending classes in the fall. I won't be able to work during the day." 

"We do have a credit card division. It's still customer service, but it's in an office environment, so you wouldn't be dealing with customers directly." 

"An office environment," I repeated with a smile. "That sounds perfect." 

"I know they offer part-time schedules and cater to a lot of students." 

"That would be great." 

"I'll forward your résumé onto that department and will have someone give you a call." 

"Thank you so much, Lizzie. I really appreciate it." 

I figured out life was all about creating opportunities for myself. Rarely are things handed to people. I figured if you're not where you want to be in life, it's because you don't want it bad enough, plain and simple. A little persistence, a clean shave, and a smile can do wonders for a person. I now had my office job, which paid me much more than being a server.  

I was all set to go back to school in the Fall. I was excited, but a little nervous. My plan was about to be realized. I was about to take the first step in my journey to become one of the most successful lawyers in the country.