Tips on Passing a Call Center Initial Interview

How to Pass a Call Center Initial Interview

Outsourcing is the trend among large companies nowadays that's why more and more call centers have been emerging like mushrooms in Asia particularly in the Philippines. If you are a fresh graduate you might be thinking of applying at one of these BPO companies. As a call center employee for about 8 years now, I humbly share a few tips on passing the Call Center Application Screening process.

Here are my tips on to how to successfully pass the Initial Interview.

An initial interview can be done over the phone or in person. Usually, you will be asked by the interviewer some 3-5 questions about you.

The dreaded and most common question during the initial interview:

Funniest Call Center Bloopers

It is said that "Laughter is the best medicine." We've heard that saying or expression since first grade. I believe it is true in a sense that laughter can help relieve stress and can cheer you up from being in despair. For that reason, I'd like to share this collection of telephone conversation or commonly called call center bloopers that I got from the call center industry. I hope you'd enjoy reading the following phone conversations below.

The Pros and Cons of Being a Call Center Agent

Being in the the call center industry for more than 3 years now, I have come up with a few things that I call "The Pros and Cons of Being a Call Center Agent". If you are looking for a job and you are thinking of applying at one of the call centers here in the Philippines you might wanna read a few things that I have listed below:

Advantages of working in a call center:

1. Your professionalism will develop and you'll become very courteous even when answering calls on the phone... at home. You'd unconsciously say your opening spiel even when answering calls at the premise of your own home. And when you realize that, you'll learn to laugh at yourself.

2. You've mastered the art of 15-min power nap! Because you can't sleep at daytime at home due to the summer heat, you'd gladly take advantage of your 2 15-min breaks.

3. You've learned to collect jackets, mugs and tumblers.

4. You're skin gets whiter because you are no longer exposed in the sun.

Disadvantages:

1. Because your parents rarely see you, they'd thought you're just a boarder and they will start asking for monthly rental fee.

2. You're friends will stop calling you because when they do, they'd thought they dialed the wrong number everytime you unconsciously say your opening spiel. , "Thank you for calling Monz Avenue. My name is Mon. How may I help you today?"

3. You're old friends will start avoiding you because they're afraid to get a nosebleed. And they don't like it when you start calling them "dude, bro, coach!" cuz they think it's OA.

4. You've become addicted to coffee. You can finish 5 to 10 cups a day.

Disclaimer: Some of the items above were exaggerated. Have a nice week everyone! ^_^

Related Links: Advantages and Disadvantages of Working in a Call Center Company

A Few Tips on Passing the Call Center Screening Process

Attention fresh graduates, out-of-work youths and all other job seekers out there! ^_^


The call center industry in our country has continue to grow each year. Are you looking for  a job that pays well? Are you willing to work in shifting schedules? Do you have above average spoken English Skills? Then, maybe working in a call center is the job for you. Being one of the call center agents for about 3 years now, allow me give to you a few tips on how to successfully pass the Call Center Screening Process.

Disclaimer: You might encounter a few grammatical errors below or anywhere in my blog, please don't be hard on me. You see, I am not perfect 'cuz nobody is. I am just trying to help. ^_^ 

A call center screening process has typically 3 stages:

First Stage: Initial Interview
Second Stage: Examination or Assessment
Third Stage: Final Interview with the HR Manager or Account Manager



Initial Interview

It can be conducted either in person or over the phone. If you're applying online, most likely, you will receive a phone call for an initial interview over the phone. Usually, the interviewer asks a series of questions (like 3-5 questions) about you.

Most Common Question on a job interview:

“Tell Me about Yourself”

At this point, the interviewer is looking at your resume, thus, there’s no need to repeat everything you wrote on your resume.

Tip: Give answers that would say more about your character as a person like…

Basically, I’m the kind of person who enjoys working with different kinds of individual. I think the thought of working with different kinds of people of different characters and how one would adapt or adjust with each other is very challenging and I like/love challenges. I enjoy variations and can appreciate individuality.

Common Mistakes: Beginning the answer with “I am and I live in . In other words, please stop telling what’s obviously written in your resume.

Continue reading more tips about Passing the Initial Interview through this link.

Please click here to read about Tips on Passing the Stage 2 of the Screening Process: Examination.

Please click here to read on how I answered the Final Interview: Interview with the Account Manager

I'd be glad to help as much as I can. Feel free to contact me:
Yahoo ID: monzavenue 
Skype ID: monzavenue 

How to Stay Healthy Even When Working in Shifting Schedules

Working in a call center company means working in shifting schedules. Most of the time, the work schedule is always at night. And that means your biological clock will be altered and may result to some serious health conditions. Posted on www.monzavenue.com


Based on some studies more and more call center agents are having weight problems. In fact, the number of obese call center agents are getting higher. 

But it does not mean you can't stay fit and healthy even working in shifting schedules. It is just a matter of making adjustments.

Let me share some tips on how to stay healthy even when you're working on a graveyard shift. *Graveyard shift is any non-standard work schedule in which hours are commonly or always rendered outside the period between 7AM and 6PM.


Tip #1. Always have a good sleep. Make sleep a priority. An uninterrupted 7-8 hours sleep is advisable. To have a good sleep, it is helpful to try simulating night-time sleeping conditions. Make the room temperature colder and make the room darker. What I personally do, I ask my mom to use dark colored curtains in my room's window to make my work darker.

Tip #2. Eat right. The digestive system slows down at night that is why night workers should eat light during shift and just eat moderate breakfast. Eat slowly and relax during meals, allow time for digestion. Drink lots of water.


Continue reading here...

Related Links:
Stay Fit Even When Working in Shifting Schedules
Stay Healthy, Fight Cancer with Resveratrol!
www.MonzAvenue.com

Advantages and Disadvantages of Working in a Call Center Company

Evidently, the industry of call centers as well as the rest of the Business Process Outsourcing has become a blast for many Filipinos. Since the start of the rise of this industry, the unemployment rate has drastically lowered significantly. Being in the call center industry have its own advantages and disadvantages that you have to consider especially if you are regarding it to be a resort on having a job that can fend you your daily needs.

Continue reading...

- Guest Writer:LemonWriter
- Posted on Monz Avenue

Tips on Successfully Getting a Job at a Call Center

Business Process Outsourcing has become a trend in the business world nowadays. More and more call centers have been sprouting rapidly in Asia particularly here in the Philippines. If you are a fresh graduate, you might be thinking of trying your luck at one of these BPO companies. Being one of the call center agents for 3 years now, let me give you a few tips on how to successfully pass the Job Interview.


A call center screening process has typically 3 stages:

First Stage: Initial Interview
Second Stage: Examination or Assessment
Third Stage: Final Interview with the HR Manager or Account Manager


Initial Interview

It can be conducted either in person or over the phone. If you're applying online, most likely, you will receive a phone call for an initial interview over the phone. Usually, the interviewer asks a series of questions (like 3-5 questions) about you.



Most Common Question on a job interview:

“Tell Me about Yourself”

At this point, the interviewer is looking at your resume, thus, there’s no need to repeat everything you wrote on your resume.

Tip: Give answers that would say more about your character as a person like…

Basically, I’m the kind of person who enjoys working with different kinds of individual. I think the thought of working with different kinds of people of different characters and how one would adapt or adjust with each other is very challenging and I like/love challenges. I enjoy variations and can appreciate individuality.

Common Mistakes: Beginning the answer with “I am and I live in . In other words, please stop telling what’s obviously written in your resume.

Continue reading more tips about Passing the Initial Interview through this link.

Please click here to read on how I answered the Final Interview: Interview with the Account Manager

Callboys, Spongebob Briefs/Boxers and Blue Whales

Naisipan kong ilagay dito ang screenshots ng mga keywords na ginamit ng mga napadpad sa blog ko. Natatawa ako habang binabasa ko yung ibang keywords. Pakibasa po at sana mapangiti ko din kayo. ^_^

Sa mga naghahanap ng mga callboys sorry peru hindi po ako totoong callboy. Haha! Malamang dito kayo napadpad sa pinaka-una kong public blog post: I Am a Callboy. Sa mga first-timers sa blog ko, kung meron man, hayaan nyo po akong magpaliwanag sa presinto. Hindi ako bayaran. Hindi ako lalaking pokpok. Ako po ay isang call center boy/agent. Naging isang common jargon na po sa call center industry na gamitin ang mga terminong call boys at call girls. Kaya chill lang kayo. Wag ma-excite yung mga naghahanap at wag tumaas ang kilay yung mga konserbatibo. :)



Para naman sa nagtatanong kung mahal ba sya ng gf nya, aba'y sorry di ko alam. Di ko naman kilala gf mo at wag mo na pag-isipang ipakilala sya sa'kin dahil malamang ako na mamahalin nun. yay! biro lang. haha. may magcocomment na naman. baka sabihin pelingero ako. LOL

"You believe God, you believe brain." haha. Teka, bad na'ko pinagtawanan ko search keywords mo. Sorry. ayusin mo kasi. Dapat ganto yun, "If you don't believe that God exists just because we can't see him, then might as well don't believe that you have a brain." Opps. Sorry na naman sa mga ateyistang napadpad. Basta paki-basa na lang tong entry na to "Do You Believe That God Exist?"

"i'm sorry i'm lied" => ano daw? parang medyo green pagkaka-intindi ko dito ah. haha. ayusin mo kasi keywords mo. Sige again, take 2:

"poem am sorry i lied" => wow medyo okay na tu ah. at kelangan may nakalagay talagang poem. Specific ka na ngayon ah! O sige na nga. eto yata hinahanap mo eh: "I'm Sorry, I Lied"
"Spongebob briefs" / "Spongebob boxers" / "Spongebob.com"
==> haha.. parang pinopromote ko na ng husto si Spongebob ah. Sana man lang bigyan ako kahit konti ng Nickoledeon. Ang totoo iisa lang yung Spongebob boxers / briefs ko. At dito paki-basa ang istorya nyan. Spongebob Boxers / Briefs

By the way please click on the Blue Whale T-shirt (in the sidebar) to vote again. Vote counts were reset back to zero on Aug 10. for the final 10. If you voted previously, it is easier this time around. You just need to sign in and vote. We need your support dear reader and friends. Thank you very much.

Wishful Thinking

I wanna get to know you,
Get to see more than eyes can do.
Be drowned by your stares and smiles,
Get close to you despite the miles.
***

I know I suck at poetry. I don't have the talent. I can't even add another stanza to that "poem" above. Maybe I can but it will take another one whole week to do that. Or maybe just an hour if I get to see her smile again. Wanna know who she is? Scroll-down to the bottom.

PS:
Susunod na ang entry ko for Rhona's Pa-contest! Stay tuned! hehe

By the way, I wanna take this chance to say thank you to Jason, Ax, Eli, Dencios, Rhona at iba pang pabalik-balik sa blog ko para umabot ng 100+ yung comments ng LLM Entry ko sa pa-contest ni Otep. LOL

***

Just another Random Thought

Haha. Araw-araw may nagagawi sa blog ko nanaghahanap ng callboy! LOL

Eto oh!






Eto nga pala yung inspirasyon ko kaya nagawa ko ang napaka-ikling tula sa itaas. :)

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I Am a Call Boy!

"I am a call boy." That's what I tell everyone who asks me about what I do for a living. And then, as a response, they'd look at me from head to toe and then they're like "Really? You look too decent to be one!" And then I would say, "Yeah I know! That's why I'm getting paid more than what an average call boy gets. Haha!"


Actually, I'm working at a call center. I started wayback in November 2007 at one of the pioneer call centers in Cebu. So how is it like being a call center boy for more than 2 years already? Well, I can't find a single adjective that would perfectly describe my call center life so far. So let me say it's been stressful yet fun enough to get you going. At first, it wasn't an easy thing. I had challenges with the shifting of schedules and not to mention, speaking with Obama err Americans from different states. Imagine changing your biological clock so you could stay awake the whole night and sleep the whole day. Imagine taking a cup of coffee almost every hour to stay awake. Before I joined the BPO industry, I was never a coffee fan.

Luckily, after one whole year of taking calls, I was transferred to the e-mail team. The same support, the same products but cooler way of providing customer service. I was very glad, at least I didn't have to listen to the rants and complaints of customers.


But despite of the challenges of being a call center agent, generally, I think working at a call center is still way better than other rank and file jobs. Why? Because stress is in every job. It is part of every job. Well, at least call center managements provide fun and recreations to somehow help their agents cope up with stress such as Team Socials once a month and Team Buildings… and of course, not to mention, higher compensation and benefits and a lot more! Ask me, I’ll tell you more.