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How to get a job in Call Center? [questions, opinions & experiences are wel
hi symbianizers.. i want to help those who want to work in a BPO company.. i saw one thread about this issue last monday so i decided to make a thread as a starting point for you guys.. i dont know if there is an existing thread same as this, however i still hope that this could help you a lot..
for those who are questioning the hiring process of BPO companies.. guys, don't be mad at them because they are just doing their job as an HR employees.. it's also difficult on their part encountering applicants who almost cried in front of them asking to be hired.. you know what i mean right? I was also declined by a company before and I was told that I have to improve my GRAMMAR, PRONUNCIATION, ENUNCIATION, LANGUAGE, etc.. and then when I tried again I got the JOB OFFER.. see.. I know it hurts to accept their feedback however don't take it personally instead take it as a challenge and opportunities.. be optimist because you know your abilities and worth.. so don't lose hope.. the JOB OFFER is waiting for your SIGNATURE..
so here are my tips to all of you..
let's go through the step by step process of application.. (pls take note that this is not the actual process of all BPO companies, i just based it on my experience..)
**first is during INTERVIEW.. most of the BPO company has two sets of interview.. first is the initial and the last will be the final interview.. so as you hand your resume to the HR personnel they will ask you some basic questions like: are you a college grad? are you willing to work in graveyard shifts? do you have any call center experience? and so on.. most of these questions are answerable by yes or no, so once you are qualified they will endorse you to the initial interviewer.. during the initial interview, they will ask you some basic questions which are indicated on your resume.. i'll give you the most common topics that will be ask on this stage..
-- personal info
-- educational background
-- work experience
-- your abilities, skills, strength, weaknesses..
-- you're idea about their company and about the work..
be careful in answering their questions because honestly they are not just checking you're background but most importantly is you're English communication skills.. actually they are not looking for an agent who is fluent in English but someone who can communicate in English well.. they will check on you're GRAMMAR, LANGUAGE and PRONUNCIATION.. and this is the worst part of it.. why? because aside from the nervousness that you feel, you are getting confuse because they are writing something on your resume.. admit it guys that this can add up to the nervousness, right? because it seems like everything that you said are wrong and that they are taking note of it.. which is actually correct.. and at the end of the interview, they will tell you the bad news that you can come back after 3 months and you have to improve this and that.. haaaaayyy.. it was so tiring.. imagine after you wait for your turn and wait again for the result they will just reject you! Well, you can't blame them anyways nor curse their company.. (that's bad, huh!)
so for this.. you can try to research about American Accent Training by Ann Cook.. i cant share the website because there's a lot of site for this topic.. it is actually a book to learn the American accent as the title implies.. but I'm not telling you to have an American accent.. it's just to serve as a reference so that you will know how to pronounce the English words correctly.. download the PDF file of the whole book, you can find a site in which you can download it for free.. it has CDs also, so you can download the 5 CD included on it and its actually Ann Cook who is narrating the details of her book.. it's a fun learning guys.. believe me.. you will learn a lot of things about ENGLISH.. believe me! i actually have it on my phone.. hehe!
**so now let's proceed on the examination.. the exams are more likely about English grammar like the tenses, sentence construction, synonyms.. those simple things that i know you can pass.. they will also include some computer related questions especially for those who are applying for TSR.. after you pass it they will allow you to take their typing exam and sometimes listening exams too.. for typing, you just have to hit their minimum requirement which is 25wpm or sometimes it's 30wpm.. for listening you have to use your ears and listen carefully to the audio that they will play.. for this you have to take note of the important details and information like the name of the customer, e-mail add, phone number, account number and then of course the concern of the caller..
**next step is the final interview.. eeeehhhh.. hehe! don't be afraid because the interviewer basically will ask you same thing again.. basic questions.. but they will also ask you some behavioral questions in which they will ask you to state a scenario based on your experience.. and the worst thing is if they will ask you some unrelated questions like how can you describe a color VIOLET to a blind person.. (duh?! what's the connection?! good luck!)
-- for basic questions.. just be spontaneous, confident and honest to your answers.. you can create a script for those questions if you want to but make sure that it will not sound scripted ok! coz the interviewer can detect if it is a can-made answers.. I'll just inform you that the people who are conducting final interview are the managers and sometimes the clients.. hoooohh.. so exert a lot of effort guys coz this might be the last step of your application..
-- for behavioral questions follow the STAR.. S for the situation, so start answering the question by stating the situation.. same with S is the letter T for task, which is another description of the scenario.. then followed by A for action.. this is where you have to explain the things that you did to solve the problem.. and lastly is the R for result which is the result of your actions.. remember guys to create a positive outcome to those scenarios.. you can be creative on this part and gave a scenario that never really happened to you.. hehe! it will work for as long as you'll make it believable and convincing to the part of the interviewer..
-- unrelated questions.. these are just tricky questions that they might ask you.. it's more on getting your idea about it.. probably they are testing your mind on how fast you can answer these and how creative and smart you are in answering these questions.. honestly, there are correct answers to some of these questions.. to find it out.. well just research for it or ask your friends if they know the answers.. I'll give you one example:
Q : How will you convince Ronnie Rickets to buy your pirated CD?
A : Tell him that you will inform him about the hide-outs of the producers of the pirated CDs if he will buy to you.. (hehe!)
**it's a good thing if the last stage is the final interview but for some BPO they still have phone simulation or mocked calls as the last step.. here, they will test your skills in handling calls.. they will give you a scenario and you will act as an agent.. isn't it exciting?!? of course it's not.. because this is the nerve-wracking part of the application.. it's fine if its just an HR employee but to some company it could be the account supervisor, manager or the clients.. geessshhhh.. my advise on this stage.. just relax yourself first if you can.. study the scenario and the tools that you will use.. probe questions to the acting customer.. smile.. speak clearly.. and try to solve the concern of the customer (as much as possible)..
...then last step will be the JOB OFFER..
at last, after the long wait.. so before getting into the company, prepare yourself first.. make sure you ate breakfast.. try to dress up but not too formal you can actually wear jeans.. anyways it's not a requirement after all but its an additional factor.. just be neat and that's it! speak clearly during the interview.. enunciate and pronounce English words properly.. and be confident! another advise is try to modulate your voice.. try to call a friend and then ask them about the quality of your voice over the phone or you can record your voice and then play it.. play around your voice until you get the right tone of it.. bring some money because the application will take within a day and the worst is it might end until 2am.. so please be prepare.. 
so for now.. check the website below and then practice... practice and practice speaking in English for you to get use to it.. i pray that I was able to help you.. and if you have some questions just feel free to ask.. and my apology for my wrong grammar in some part of this thread.. hehe! I'm not perfect guys.. i just want to use this language since this is the foundation of this job.. so try to response in English at the same time.. thanks for visiting my thread.. and good luck to your job application..
American Accent Training by Anne Cook
CD #1
CD #2
CD #3
CD #4
CD #5
The Call Center Show -- https://www.facebook.com/TheCallCenterShow
-- http://nmfnetwork.tv/category/podcasts/the-call-center-show/
http://www.best-job-interview.com/behavioral-interview.html
dictionary -- http://www.merriam-webster.com/
English grammar -- http://www.englishpage.com/
speed typing test -- http://www.typeonline.co.uk/
video tutorials -- https://www.youtube.com/user/EnglishMeeting/videos?view=0
hi symbianizers.. i want to help those who want to work in a BPO company.. i saw one thread about this issue last monday so i decided to make a thread as a starting point for you guys.. i dont know if there is an existing thread same as this, however i still hope that this could help you a lot..
for those who are questioning the hiring process of BPO companies.. guys, don't be mad at them because they are just doing their job as an HR employees.. it's also difficult on their part encountering applicants who almost cried in front of them asking to be hired.. you know what i mean right? I was also declined by a company before and I was told that I have to improve my GRAMMAR, PRONUNCIATION, ENUNCIATION, LANGUAGE, etc.. and then when I tried again I got the JOB OFFER.. see.. I know it hurts to accept their feedback however don't take it personally instead take it as a challenge and opportunities.. be optimist because you know your abilities and worth.. so don't lose hope.. the JOB OFFER is waiting for your SIGNATURE..
so here are my tips to all of you..
let's go through the step by step process of application.. (pls take note that this is not the actual process of all BPO companies, i just based it on my experience..)
**first is during INTERVIEW.. most of the BPO company has two sets of interview.. first is the initial and the last will be the final interview.. so as you hand your resume to the HR personnel they will ask you some basic questions like: are you a college grad? are you willing to work in graveyard shifts? do you have any call center experience? and so on.. most of these questions are answerable by yes or no, so once you are qualified they will endorse you to the initial interviewer.. during the initial interview, they will ask you some basic questions which are indicated on your resume.. i'll give you the most common topics that will be ask on this stage..
-- personal info
-- educational background
-- work experience
-- your abilities, skills, strength, weaknesses..
-- you're idea about their company and about the work..
be careful in answering their questions because honestly they are not just checking you're background but most importantly is you're English communication skills.. actually they are not looking for an agent who is fluent in English but someone who can communicate in English well.. they will check on you're GRAMMAR, LANGUAGE and PRONUNCIATION.. and this is the worst part of it.. why? because aside from the nervousness that you feel, you are getting confuse because they are writing something on your resume.. admit it guys that this can add up to the nervousness, right? because it seems like everything that you said are wrong and that they are taking note of it.. which is actually correct.. and at the end of the interview, they will tell you the bad news that you can come back after 3 months and you have to improve this and that.. haaaaayyy.. it was so tiring.. imagine after you wait for your turn and wait again for the result they will just reject you! Well, you can't blame them anyways nor curse their company.. (that's bad, huh!)
so for this.. you can try to research about American Accent Training by Ann Cook.. i cant share the website because there's a lot of site for this topic.. it is actually a book to learn the American accent as the title implies.. but I'm not telling you to have an American accent.. it's just to serve as a reference so that you will know how to pronounce the English words correctly.. download the PDF file of the whole book, you can find a site in which you can download it for free.. it has CDs also, so you can download the 5 CD included on it and its actually Ann Cook who is narrating the details of her book.. it's a fun learning guys.. believe me.. you will learn a lot of things about ENGLISH.. believe me! i actually have it on my phone.. hehe!
**so now let's proceed on the examination.. the exams are more likely about English grammar like the tenses, sentence construction, synonyms.. those simple things that i know you can pass.. they will also include some computer related questions especially for those who are applying for TSR.. after you pass it they will allow you to take their typing exam and sometimes listening exams too.. for typing, you just have to hit their minimum requirement which is 25wpm or sometimes it's 30wpm.. for listening you have to use your ears and listen carefully to the audio that they will play.. for this you have to take note of the important details and information like the name of the customer, e-mail add, phone number, account number and then of course the concern of the caller..
**next step is the final interview.. eeeehhhh.. hehe! don't be afraid because the interviewer basically will ask you same thing again.. basic questions.. but they will also ask you some behavioral questions in which they will ask you to state a scenario based on your experience.. and the worst thing is if they will ask you some unrelated questions like how can you describe a color VIOLET to a blind person.. (duh?! what's the connection?! good luck!)
-- for basic questions.. just be spontaneous, confident and honest to your answers.. you can create a script for those questions if you want to but make sure that it will not sound scripted ok! coz the interviewer can detect if it is a can-made answers.. I'll just inform you that the people who are conducting final interview are the managers and sometimes the clients.. hoooohh.. so exert a lot of effort guys coz this might be the last step of your application..
-- for behavioral questions follow the STAR.. S for the situation, so start answering the question by stating the situation.. same with S is the letter T for task, which is another description of the scenario.. then followed by A for action.. this is where you have to explain the things that you did to solve the problem.. and lastly is the R for result which is the result of your actions.. remember guys to create a positive outcome to those scenarios.. you can be creative on this part and gave a scenario that never really happened to you.. hehe! it will work for as long as you'll make it believable and convincing to the part of the interviewer..
-- unrelated questions.. these are just tricky questions that they might ask you.. it's more on getting your idea about it.. probably they are testing your mind on how fast you can answer these and how creative and smart you are in answering these questions.. honestly, there are correct answers to some of these questions.. to find it out.. well just research for it or ask your friends if they know the answers.. I'll give you one example:
Q : How will you convince Ronnie Rickets to buy your pirated CD?
A : Tell him that you will inform him about the hide-outs of the producers of the pirated CDs if he will buy to you.. (hehe!)
**it's a good thing if the last stage is the final interview but for some BPO they still have phone simulation or mocked calls as the last step.. here, they will test your skills in handling calls.. they will give you a scenario and you will act as an agent.. isn't it exciting?!? of course it's not.. because this is the nerve-wracking part of the application.. it's fine if its just an HR employee but to some company it could be the account supervisor, manager or the clients.. geessshhhh.. my advise on this stage.. just relax yourself first if you can.. study the scenario and the tools that you will use.. probe questions to the acting customer.. smile.. speak clearly.. and try to solve the concern of the customer (as much as possible)..
...then last step will be the JOB OFFER..
at last, after the long wait.. so before getting into the company, prepare yourself first.. make sure you ate breakfast.. try to dress up but not too formal you can actually wear jeans.. anyways it's not a requirement after all but its an additional factor.. just be neat and that's it! speak clearly during the interview.. enunciate and pronounce English words properly.. and be confident! another advise is try to modulate your voice.. try to call a friend and then ask them about the quality of your voice over the phone or you can record your voice and then play it.. play around your voice until you get the right tone of it.. bring some money because the application will take within a day and the worst is it might end until 2am.. so please be prepare.. so for now.. check the website below and then practice... practice and practice speaking in English for you to get use to it.. i pray that I was able to help you.. and if you have some questions just feel free to ask.. and my apology for my wrong grammar in some part of this thread.. hehe! I'm not perfect guys.. i just want to use this language since this is the foundation of this job.. so try to response in English at the same time.. thanks for visiting my thread.. and good luck to your job application..
American Accent Training by Anne Cook
CD #1
CD #2
CD #3
CD #4
CD #5
The Call Center Show -- https://www.facebook.com/TheCallCenterShow
-- http://nmfnetwork.tv/category/podcasts/the-call-center-show/
http://www.best-job-interview.com/behavioral-interview.html
dictionary -- http://www.merriam-webster.com/
English grammar -- http://www.englishpage.com/
speed typing test -- http://www.typeonline.co.uk/
video tutorials -- https://www.youtube.com/user/EnglishMeeting/videos?view=0
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