Here’s a little background: I have quite a bit in common with Pam Beesley, the receptionist from NBC's hit "The Office."
For one, we’ve both called the city of Scranton home. That alone is similarity enough. But beyond that, we’ve both had our fair share of interesting experiences working that magical place called ... the front desk.
Quick disclaimer -- Vault doesn’t have much in common with Dunder Mifflin. Except, of course, for the occasional staff field trip to establishments like Chickie’s and Pete’s, the movies for an afternoon showing of New Moon and the newly instated Vaultee awards, our version of the Dundees.
Back to my point.
It's a time-honored tradition here at Vault that if you can "man up" (or should I say “woman up") to the challenge of working the front desk, then you’ve proven you got what it takes.
What's so hard about working the desk? Why is it the "baptism by fire" of Vault Communications? Let's just put it this way. Just like Pam Beesley must greet/handle/process/reject the random people who find themselves in the lobby of Dunder Mifflin, many interesting characters wander into the Vault as well. And while most who enter this place are wonderful clients, some are, well, not wonderful clients. My favorites include The T-Shirt Promising Salesman, The Womb Chair Man and The Suggestive Dancer.
Aside from that, it's pretty much known that when you work the front desk, you do anything you're asked. (Again, if you survive front desk, you're eventually "vaulting" off the front desk and into the good stuff.) One day during my first few months at Vault, I was informed that the agency had won a Pepperpot Award for public relations excellence for the public service announcement we wrote and produced for our client, The National Pest Management Association. The winners were asked to make an acceptance video, so we decided that our video would feature the pests that starred in the PSA. I was designated the role of a mouse. And as the saying goes, if you give a mouse a telephone, she’s probably going to want her picture taken!
And if that doesn't get me promoted off front desk and out of my role as Vault's Pam Beesley ... nothing will.
This deserves a promotion, no?