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History Atlanta-based BellSouth can trace its roots back to 1878, when Theodore Vail, general manager of National Bell, hired James Merrill Ormes to market Alexander Graham Bell's invention throughout the South. In those early days, competition was surprisingly fierce, especially from rival Western Union. Ormes, however, managed to bring Western Union to the table, and Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph was born. Through a steady program of buy-outs and mergers, Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph managed to extend its market dominance throughout the South. In 1968, the company divided into two separate units: Southern Bell and South Central Bell. Fourteen years later, when antitrust regulators split AT&T into seven regional holding companies or "Baby Bells," the two companies would reunite. The new entity, known as BellSouth, was the largest Baby Bell. Throughout the '80s and '90s, BellSouth expanded its repertoire of services, notably by acquiring cellular and paging companies, such as the 1991 acquisition of 18 cellular systems from McCaw Cellular. In 1995, the company invested heavily in PCS when it bid $47.5 billion in an FCC auction of the broadband radio spectrum. Two years later, with Duane Ackerman as CEO, the company began to expand abroad, especially in Latin America. Really big, but still half the size of Bell Atlantic In 2000, BellSouth counts no less than $39 billion in assets, 34 million customers worldwide, operations in 19 countries around the world, over 89,000 employees, 23.5 million access lines, and 11 million high-capacity digital and data lines growing at a rate of 42 percent annually. The company had more than $25 billion in 1999 revenues from local service in nine U.S. states, Internet access, wireless, and other lines of business. Despite its heft, BellSouth has fallen from being the largest Baby Bell to being the second-smallest. Indeed many industry watchers point out that BellSouth is half the size of carriers like Bell Atlantic and SBC Communications. Living in the past? In fact, BellSouth's size was the topic of considerable discussion in 1999, especially as the industry witnesses enormous deals such as the merger between AirTouch and Vodafone. Such deals suggest that the future of telecom will be dominated by companies with the reach to offer nationwide and worldwide service. While BellSouth continues to keep a firm grasp on the southeastern U.S. market, many have clamored for the company to boost its size by merging with an eligible partner such as Sprint Communications. However, Duane Ackerman, BellSouth's chairman, hasn't given much explicit indication of merger plans. In March 1999, Ackerman told The Financial Times that he preferred striking alliances and "teaming arrangements" to merging. "What you concede in scale and scope," he noted, "you have to make up in focus and execution." Ackerman's insistence on independence hasn't impressed everyone. "He's counted himself out of the game," one executive told The Financial Times. A Salomon Smith Barney analyst commented: "BellSouth is to some extent living in the past." If at first you don't succeed... When BellSouth's plans for a takeover of Sprint were foiled by MCI WorldCom in October 1999, it found itself at a crossroads. How would it remain a major telecommunications player without the benefit of providing long-distance services for Sprint's former customers? BellSouth found its answer by following the lead of one of its "Baby Bell" brethren, Bell Atlantic, which, with its forays into New York, became the first "Baby Bell" to provide long-distance service. BellSouth has filed paperwork seeking entrance into the long-distance market through one of its existing service areas - North Carolina. Predictably, AT&T and MCIWorldCom are looking to block the regional service provider from cutting into their bottom lines, but BellSouth remains unfazed. "Our goal is to provide customers with what they have been asking for - a full-service provider" says Whitney Jones, director of corporate and external affairs for BellSouth. High hopes for Latin AmericaBellSouth describes its business strategy as "three-legged," with the three legs being investment in wireless, focus on local service, and expansion into Latin America. Given the economic turmoil down south, the latter "leg" has no doubt caused BellSouth officials some sleepless nights, particularly in light of the company's relationship with Brazil. In happier times, BellSouth spent $2.5 billion for the license for Sao Paolo and surrounding area, a region with 18 million people. Business in Brazil quickly took off - the company added a million customers in less than nine months. For his part, Duane Ackerman insisted in a statement that "Latin America is the growth region in the world for the next decade." To that end, BellSouth has entered into an agreement with IMPSAT Fiber Networks for capacity swapping in Latin America. It is also looking to get involved in the lucrative C Band cellular concession. Having invested billions in 11 Latin American countries, BellSouth became a majority owner of wireless service provider Celumovil in July 2000. The regional telecom company's closest rival in Latin America was Spain's Telefonica, which owned mostly land-line phone systems. Celumovil also bought Cocelco, which had more than 200,000 wireless subscribers in Colombia; together, the companies formed Colombia?s first nationwide wireless carrier. Embracing the digital age Often criticized for its inward approach to doing business, BellSouth has recently aligned with two major companies which place it at the forefront of the digital revolution. First, in April 2000 BellSouth announced plans to combine its wireless phone business with SBC Communications, creating the second-largest company in the U.S. wireless market. In addition, BellSouth has agreed to provide network services for media giant AOL and its AOL Mobile Messenger service, e-mail and AOL Instant Messenger.
BellSouth posts employment information for four different divisions - BellSouth Telecommunications, BellSouth.net, BellSouth Mobility, and BellSouth International - on its employment Web page, located at www.bellsouth.com/employment. Each of these divisions lists job openings in several openings and provides information on how to submit a resume. Potential applicants should be careful to go through the listings of each division; similar positions (in technology, finance, and sales, for example) are posted in each. The web page lists both e-mail and regular mail addresses, which vary from position to position. When applying, be sure to include the job posting number included on the web. Most jobs are listed on the Web site are at the corporate headquarters in Atlanta; however, there are some opportunities available at other locations.
Happy BellSouthers Our BellSouth contacts are fond of their company. Says one insider: "I would have to say it has been a great company million to work for." The same contact continues: "Since we divested in 1984, BellSouth has struggled as a company deciding whether we wanted to be a 'family' or a pit bull, and I believe the masses within the company determined BellSouth is a family of people dedicated to succeeding in a competitive world. They are very community oriented, also." Another contact declares that "BellSouth is an excellent place to work," and notes that "there is a tremendous variety of job opportunities." Mostly conservative, pockets of progressive While telecom technology continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, the culture at BellSouth sure hasn't. One contact tells us that "the corporate culture is fairly conservative." "The corporate culture," one longtime insider notes, "has not changed a great deal over the 30 years that I have been here - still too much of a silo and rank-oriented, but, again, there are progressive organizations within BellSouth that have flattened their organizations and become much more team-oriented." The same contact advises that " [BellSouth] does not take a huge amount of risk, so if risk-taking is important to you, then you might want to look at places like AT&T, USWEST, Ameritech, etc." Beware the unwritten dress code One of our insiders tell us that "the dress code depends on your job, but has relaxed a lot over the past few years." Another isn't so sure. "Certainly not like IBM, but BellSouth has "unwritten rules" - I say that because those who dress more businesslike / professional (suits, heels, hose, etc.) tend to be looked upon more favorably for promotion or for management jobs." Tough hours lurk The consensus among our contacts is that BellSouth employees work hard. "The hours can be long," explains one, adding: "but most jobs can have flexible hours, making long hours more bearable. We also encourage telecommuting so that helps a lot too. It's easier to work a 10-12 hour day if there is not two additional hours of commuting involved." Another insider agrees: "The work hours vary, but are relatively traditional. Long hours if a project has a short time frame, but generally 10-12 hours 5 days a week." Very strong benefits BellSouth offers a long list of benefits, including: medical coverage, dental care, leaves of absence, personal days, auto and home insurance, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, adoption assistance and continuing education support. Our insiders confirm that the benefits package are "very strong." One explains, however, that "folks on the financial side don't have the same perks as those on the sales side," and further specifies that "the perks are better in large business sales than in residence or small business." Diversity: opportunities await those who break their butts Insiders generally give BellSouth high marks for diversity. One reports that "as far as treatment of minorities, BellSouth is at the top of the list." Another agrees, but qualifies: "We have women in high-level positions and minorities in high level positions. Those folks probably had to work a lot harder and sacrifice a lot more than others." The same contact counsels prospective BellSouthers "It is my belief that any woman any minority can succeed at BellSouth if they have the skill set needed in today's market, have a clear vision about where they want to go in the organization, locate a mentor who will guide them and 'open doors,' and are willing to bust their rear to add such value that no one can ignore their contributions." As an additional point of interest, BellSouth requires quarterly reports of its contractors on the hiring of women and minority subcontractors.
Human Resources
Local telephone service;Interstate access;Wireless communication;Internet services;Directory advertising and publishing
AT&T; GTE; Worldcom; Sprint; MCI More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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