Owner
(Female, Age 45) from tacoma, WA
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 45 who works as a Owner in tacoma, WA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Owner |
|---|---|
| Salary | $25,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | tacoma, WA |
| Years Experience | 8 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I sell womens and childrens clothing, shoes and accessories on Ebay. I started doing this several years ago so I could spend time with my kids and not have to worry about finding a sitter. also during this time I became disabled and unable to hold a job outside the home.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I shop at thrift stores and yard/garage sales for name brand clothing that I can resell at a higher price, I take photos of the items and make sure they are cleaned and pressed and packaged for a safe trip to the new owners. I write detailed desciptions of the clothing and take accurate measurements of all clothing. I upload pictures to ebay and paste the descriptions from Word to Ebay.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
I have insurance through my ex husbands work
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I get to work from home bymyself which I like very much and I enjoy that I get to sell to people from all over the world. I find it quite interesting to learn what other people from other countries buy online and that they really are not that different from us.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work at home and I like the freedom to work on my own schedule.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 5
Benefits: 7
Hours: 2
Co-Workers: 4
Supervisors: 6
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 1
The Actual Work: 3
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | Make some coffee and make breakfast for me and the kids and get them ready for school, let the dogs out then get ready for work. |
| 8am to 9am | Check my work email and answer any email that need to be answered. |
| 9am to 10am | Check on my sales and prepare any items that need cleaning before they are shipped out |
| 10am to 11am | Launder the clothing for shipment and get the items ready for listing while waitig for the laundry. |
| 11am to 12pm | Let the dogs out depending on the weather usually leave them out for a couple hours then Take pictures of the items that are going to be listed for sale. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Sit down at my desk and write detailed descriptions of the items that are going to be listed, take measurements and ad them to the descriptions. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Same as above and change the laundry to the dryer. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Upload the pictures and edit any that need editing. and wait for the kids to come home. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Take the laundry out and prepare the items for shipment, which includes wrapping in tissue paper. and printing the prepaid shipping labels (I only use white so it does not bleed.) If the item is for a child I include stickers or a nice pencil. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Take the items to the Post Office and drop them off. When I get back let the dogs out again and give the kids a snack. |
| 5pm to 6pm | When I return to work I copy and paste the descriptions from Word to the listing page and download the pictures and set a starting price. |
| 6pm to 7pm | Same as above. |
| 7pm to 8pm | I recheck my emails and answer any that need answering and check my sales again. |
| 8pm to 9pm | make dinner for me and the kids and get them ready for bed. |
| 9pm to 10pm | I relax and watch a bit of TV and usually fall asleep some time after the 10:00 news. |
| 10pm to 11pm | sleep |
| 11pm to 12am | Sleep |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
I started about 8 years ago when I lost some weight and I had a bunch of clothes that I could not wear and decided to sell them online.
What was the application process?
Have a good feedback rating on Ebay
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
No interview but I am always striving to keep my customers happy.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I am answering my customers questions almost everyday so in a way I am always being interviewed.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
N/A
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
It took some computer classes where I learned MS Office (Mostly MS Word.) and learned how to navigate the internet and I taught myself how to use a digital camera and get the picture onto the computer mostly by trial and error.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
A little bit, I learned how to email which I use a lot to communicate with my customers and keep them informed on the status of their items.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/A
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Be self motivated and be very comfortable using a computer and a digital camera. Another thing is it helps to have a strong knowledge of the English language and be able to describe something in great detaail in writing.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Keep to a certain product type that they feel comfortable with and keep up with the latest trends on what they are selling. Also it helps if you know how to get your point accross through email or other means of technology. When selling clothes it helps to know how to use a tape measures accurately.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
yes
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Learn how to navigate the internet to research what you are selling and keep updated all the time. Also it helps to stick to a certain product type. My mom sells vintage kitchenware and I sell womens and childrens clothing, shoes and accessories.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
It will be for as long as Ebay is up and running. I would maybe someday like to open my own Thriftstore online.
What are your current career goals?
If I am ever able to have my own online thrift store I would like to possibly start selling mens clothing and accessories along with the womens and childrens.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
Working for yourself takes dedication, commitment and honesty. When you are dealing with people that you don’t know and they dont know you, you have to gain their trust and they will shop with you again and again. It’s fun to learn about people from other parts of the world and you learn that people are pretty much the same as you and I no matter where they live.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | dishwasher | 2 years | 8.50 hr | loaded commercial dishwasher, cleaned prep areas and swept and mopped and sometimes helped with food prep before restaurant opened. |
| Prior Job 2 |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
2.7 | TCC & Clover Park | Paralegal and Computer Classes |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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