Full name: Ebony Cousin
Current job title: Novitas – WFH CSR II
Tell us what brought you to Pearl and what skills you acquired in each of your previous roles that helped get you to your current role?
All of my previous positions have been in healthcare, totaling 15 years. Each position allowed opportunities to evolve my skills, with customer service being at the top the list. I have always had the desire to help individuals in need. Whether it’s emotional support, physical support or informational. What intrigued me about Pearl was that it is a woman owned business, along with being a company that takes pride in hiring people living in economically challenged areas, military, spouses, veterans, and people with disabilities. Being a woman, as well as a veteran, I was enticed to apply. The position being remote was an added bonus!
What are your career goals?
My future job aspirations include continuing to gain knowledge within Medicare and move up to a leadership or management position.
What has been the biggest lesson you have learned in your job? One impactful lesson I’ve learned within my current role is that patience is a virtue! My personal interpretation of that phrase is “waiting attentively without complaint”. Whether it’s waiting 1 minute for a caller to authenticate each piece of information, or having to repeat information for the eighth time… To be able to wait for something without becoming frustrated is a valuable character trait.
What is your advice for someone who may be interested in pursuing a role in your current field?
I would advise someone to not let the fear, or the intimidation of the unknown overcome them. Yes, there is a lot of information to obtain in this role, but I’m sure many can agree that every day something new is learned. So be patient with yourself, learn from your mistakes, but learn to laugh at them too. I would also advise, to not focus right away on the metrics after training. Focus more on navigating and researching information using our resources, perfecting verbiage, and providing correct information. This overtime builds confidence.
What is a Fun Fact that many of your coworkers may not know?
I am a vegetarian.
Do you have a special talent or any hobbies?
Two of my favorite hobbies is hiking and camping.