I work as a Mobility Consultant in the relocation industry and have 11 years of experience in this position. My primary responsibility is to manage the relocation of corporate employees. This entails overseeing the entire move process from the household goods shipment to home purchase at destination. A common misunderstanding about my role is that I simply pass customers off to contracted vendors. In reality, the consultant is accountable for ensuring each phase of the relocation is executed smoothly.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rank my current job satisfaction as an eight. The ranking would be a 10 if I had the opportunity to participate in project teams where I could impact changes for process improvement.
The position of relocation consulting is the perfect fit for me, as it calls on my communications skills and longing to help people during a stressful time. It has been said that relocation is one of the top three sources of stress in life, along with death and divorce.
I bring a unique background to my position. I began my career in Human Resources where I was the client contact for a third-party relocation provider. This led to my interest in real estate and a career change to real estate sales. I later relocated to another state. As a result, I have a keen vantage point from almost every angle of relocation. Since I counsel people moving internationally, the only additional exposure I wish I had is living in another country.
I learned the hard way not to take anything personally. Since transferees are under a great deal of stress, it is inevitable that they sometimes vent their frustration on the consultant who is leading the relocation events. Once a customer was so upset, she actually brought me to tears. Since then, I have learned how to be empathetic without internalizing the anxiety and tension of the transferee.
The single most important lesson I learned about being in the workforce is that, although it may take several job changes before a position or company feels right, every work experience is an opportunity to grow. Each job, even the ones where I was not successful, provided me with a new skill set, professional contacts and/or a clearer awareness of my strengths and weaknesses.
The strangest thing that ever happened to me as a Mobility Consultant was during a client office visit. What I thought would be a friendly meet-and-greet turned out to be more like a firing squad across a boardroom table, with the company representatives shooting questions at me and voicing harsh opinions about services rendered by my company. It was very uncomfortable.
What motivates me to get up and go to work each day can best be illustrated by one situation that made me very proud. I had been assigned a very demanding high-level customer for a new client. It took an enormous amount of time and energy to meet his demands. I was pleasantly surprised when I received his customer service evaluation after the move was completed. Not only were the ratings high, but he commented that knowing I had things under control made a big difference in the quality of his life.
Challenges in this position include rush moves, rude customers and a heavy workload, especially during the busy summer months. What really makes me want to pull my hair out is when the service providers I rely on are low-performing and I am blamed for failures over which I have no control.
My job comes with extreme stress. For a healthy work-life balance, I maintain an exercise ritual, adhere to a nutritious diet, and commit to time with friends and family.
The annual salary range for a Mobility Consultant is roughly $50,000 to $60,000. This salary enables me to achieve a comfortable, albeit not lavish, lifestyle.
Each year I take two weeks of vacation. For me, this is enough to help me unwind and rejuvenate.
A qualified candidate for this position has a college degree. Required skills include proficiency in interpersonal communication, multitasking, and technical aptitude in office software applications. Success in the position is achieved by taking ownership for each customer's move from beginning to end.
If a friend of mine was considering this line of work, I would tell them to earn a real estate license first and start out as a Realtor to build skills in customer service, problem resolution and real estate documents.
If I could write my own ticket, I would be an Account Manager in five years. Managing an account would enable me to bridge the communication gaps I see between the clients and consultants in terms of policy counseling and customer service delivery. My experience as a consultant would give me an advantage in accomplishing this task.
This is a true story as told to LatPro.com, the worldwide leader in providing online employment resources for Hispanic and bilingual professionals. LatPro is the largest diversity employment site in the U.S. and the most complete personal career advancement service for Latino and bilingual professionals.