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Showing posts from May, 2009

14 Call Center Interview Questions & Answers

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The call center industry is one of the fastest growing in the country these days. As recently as ten years ago, there were only a few call center agents and the word call center was hardly ever used in the country. Today, almost every family has at least one member working in the call center industry. The reason for this boom is partly economics. In the Philippines, low paying jobs are very notorious and while call centers set up shop here because of the low labor costs, Filipinos decide to work for the call center industry because it pays higher than average wages. Consider this: if you are an average worker with an entry level position, you probably are getting paid seven to ten thousand a month; meanwhile, an average employee in the call center industry with an entry level position will get around fifteen thousand pesos a month, plus free dental and health benefits (HMO). Call centers also will pay your SSS (Social Security), PAGIBIG (home building fund), and PhilHealth (health ins...

Winning the DFA Passport Application Challenge

First Tip: Do your research! Don't go to the battlefield unarmed. There are numerous blog posts/articles on the Internet that talks about the requirements, tips, and real peoples' experiences. It is important to learn from these people's experiences so that you know what to expect. Doing your research can also minimize the need to ask questions from people (who might just turn out to be fixers). Remember that asking questions from strangers (except guards or the MMDA people) can make you easy prey. Second Tip: Beware of Fixers! As I have mentioned in a previous post ,I was conned by these people. One thing that might put off these people is an mp3 player. Using earphones, fixers would hopefully be discouraged in trying to con you. Also, if you are a person who find it hard to say no or find it hard to ignore other people, then using an mp3 player would definitely help you. This is exactly what I did earlier when I went to the DFA office to claim my passport. Even wit...

The Philippine Gold Rush

At the turn of the century, this country experienced a great deal of US companies outsourcing their business processes. This cost cutting measure drove a gold rush into this country ushering in changes and numerous developments. The call center industry managed to make people acclimatized to graveyard lifestyles, keep the peso afloat, but most significantly it increased the purchasing power of Filipinos involved in the call center industry. The idea of credit cards, postpaid phone plans, laptops, endless parties, and out-of-town vacations is usually connected to big income families, rich kids, and high wealth professionals. The call center industry changed all of this. It made its employees feel financially bloated, endlessly splurging, and not sparing anything for a rainy day. Because of the high salary being given to call center employees, the gold rush days saw an influx of credit card, post paid phone line, and internet subscription applications, and an increase in laptop, cellp...