Job seekers who enjoy working with people especially in a helping capacity can find satisfying work in many different arenas. Here is a glimpse into the working world of employees in three different occupations, each with a customer service element. All three employers plan to send recruiters to The Times-Dispatch annual 2008 Spring Job Fair on Tuesday.

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Casey L. Bryant signed on with Ameriprise Financial a little more than two years ago when she was just out of college. The communications major was looking for a career in which she could "have an impact on people's lives."

Now a financial adviser, Bryant said her career choice has allowed her to have the positive effect she sought.

"I'm seeing results," she said. Her clients are making headway in planning and saving for their children's education and their own retirement.

Ameriprise Financial is one of the largest financial planning and services companies in the nation, teaching clients how to financially plan for the future. Based in Minneapolis, the company has more than 12,000 financial advisors nationwide and openings for new candidates in the Richmond office.

"We provide the training," said Kami E. Hodges, field recruiting specialist with the company. "We're looking for people who have an aptitude for learning, who are self-motivated and self-disciplined, with an entrepreneurial spirit," she said.

Applicants with a college degree are preferred, but it's not mandatory. The base salary is $24,000 annually, plus commissions.

"The best thing I like about it," Bryant said, "is that there's never a dull moment."

She lauded the training program and said she looks forward to the "freedom and flexibility in my calendar" that she said will come as she continues to build her client base.

Overall, Bryant said, it's not such a stretch from the lessons she learned in college.

"The biggest skill needed is communication and the ability to communicate well and effectively with people," she said.

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Patty Ryan has been working in the food and beverage industry since she was 16.

Now 28, the morning cashier at Applebee's To Go at Richmond International Airport says she's happy as a clam.

"This is the best job I've had," said Ryan, who has been working for Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services for four years. "And the benefits are good, too."

Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services is looking for high-energy, highly motivated workers to fill eight to 10 openings for morning cashiers at the quick-service restaurants it operates at Richmond International Airport.

The company, based in Buffalo, N.Y., operates more than 300 food service and retail shops in more than 30 airports across the country. It is a division of a private, global hospitality and food service network that operates in the lodging, sporting, gaming, airport and entertainment industries.

At the Richmond airport, the company runs Caribou Coffee, Cheeburger Cheeburger, Vito's Market Kitchen, Applebee's and Applebee's To Go.

The hours for morning cashiers are from 4 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., said Cain Bassett, DNC's operations manager at the airport. "All of the jobs are full time, with a 40-hour week and overtime paid at time and a half after working a straight eight hours," he said.

The job pays $7 per hour, with increases to $8 per hour within nine months, Bassett said. Bassett said the job comes with benefits: health insurance, vacation pay, uniforms, free meals and paid parking.

The company provides training, and a high school diploma or GED is required.

"I like it because I get so much support from my co-workers and supervisors," Ryan said.

She said the company trains new hires on how to greet guests and to deal with the public. And there are opportunities for advancement.

"Everybody's great," Ryan said. "The supervisors are right there working with you."

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Penny Littell has a special understanding of the emergencies and concerns that arise for travelers. Her mom was a travel agent, and she grew up with lots of on-the-go adventures through the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Now a travel customer service associate for World Access Service Corp., Littell helps travelers across the globe with a host of special needs.

"One person had a household pet that was ill and so they couldn't travel on their long-awaited trip," Littell said. "Another person was traveling in Singapore and their mother needed an ambulance."

Littell works with a team of others, including translators and specialty assistance coordinators, to resolve whatever problems arise.

"I love it here," said Littell, 23, who has been working for World Access for eight months. "It makes me feel like I'm really helping people and I learn something new every day."

Headquartered in Richmond, World Access offers 24-hour assistance services and insurance products to clients in the travel, health-care and financial sectors.

Because much of the assistance is handled over the telephone through call centers the company dubs "care centers," the company is looking for people with good communications skills to work as service associates.

"We are looking for people with heart," said Jeanne Nuara, recruiting administrator with World Access. "We have a saying 'You can train for a skill, but you can't train for heart.'"

Applicants should have a high school diploma or GED. Other call center experience is a plus, Nuara said.

The company's call centers operate around the clock, so full-time and some part-time positions are available for varying times of the day and night.

Entry-level travel customer service associates make between $12 and $14 an hour, Nuara said. Employees receive a full range of benefits, including medical, vision, dental and life insurance and a 401(k).

Training is provided.

"We get a lot of e-mails from people thanking us for our help or thanking the company," Littell said. "It makes me feel good to know I've helped someone."

Littell also spoke highly of her supervisors who use innovative rewards to motivate employees.

On a recent weekend when she and others volunteered to work overtime, "the supervisor washed our cars as a way to thank us," Littell said. "How many people can say their boss washed their car?"