Benjamin Carr
740 Sidney Marcus Blvd NE Apt 7002
Atlanta, GA 30324
rileymccarthy@yahoo.com     Home: 404-226-1370
Experience
 
McGraw-Hill Inc., Atlanta, GA April 2000 - Present
Reporter
· Contacted subscribers and potential customers for construction industry-based news subscriber service daily, gathering information on all major construction projects throughout the Southeast.
· Responded directly to customer inquiries, helping to build relationships and boost revenue for the company.
· Worked with Excel, Internet Explorer, Word, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Outlook Express.
 
Barnes & Noble, Atlanta, GA April 2000 - Present
Salesman - Music and DVDs
· Worked in different Atlanta area locations part-time, winning several store-based and regional sales awards.
· Frequently attained top sales for my stores in the Barnes & Noble Membership discount program.
 
CNN Interactive, Atlanta, GA September 1999 - March 2000
Writer
· Edited news from several international wire services into headlines and blurbs under strict deadlines, distributing news to people through cellular phones, pagers and the Internet.
 
Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, GA April 1998 - September 1999
Reporter and copy editor
· Wrote features and news stories for 100,000-subscription Morris Communications daily newspaper and a weekly sister paper.
 
Athens Daily News, Athens, GA June 1997 - August 1997
Features intern
· Wrote entertainment and features articles for Morris Communications newspaper, including most articles for its weekly entertainment supplement.
· Served as primary reporter during the first Athens Music Festival.
 
The Red and Black, Athens, GA October 1994 - December 1997
Entertainment editor and reporter
· Worked as news and entertainment writer for 30,000-circulation student newspaper.
· Worked as page designer and copy editor.
Education
 
University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Bachelor of Arts - Journalism, March 1998
· Major in newspapers, minor in theater arts and drama.
Objective
 
· As a salesman, my passion and enthusiasm for my products leads me to drive sales and create new customers everyday. Because I’m knowledgeable about the merchandise and can upsell through recommendations, I get my customers to try new things, paying attention to what they like and what they probably will like. I have ten years experience in journalism and eight years experience in customer service. I’m adept at marketing yet avoid an obvious sales pitch, and my work yields immediate results and long-term profit.
Achievements
 
· Presented a personal essay, "Prayer for the Waffle House Faithful," to a panel at the 2006 American Cultural Association-Popular Culture Association joint national conference in Atlanta.
· Wrote weekly "Things to Do" column on Atlanta events and arts happenings for personal blog, garnering 2,400 site visits per month.
· Published opinion column, "Stop Flag-Waving and Start Being a Good American," for The Guardian in London in September 2001.
· Winner of the Student Employee of the Year prize in 1995 from the Athens Commission on People With Disabilities.
· Student of the Margaret Mitchell House Adult Creative Writing program.
· Member of the Phi Kappa Literary Society at the University of Georgia.
References and writing samples
 
· Available upon request.