Posts

Showing posts from 2011

14 Call Center Interview Questions & Answers

Image
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...
149 comments
READ MORE

31 Memorable Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Quotes

I have always wanted to write an article about the then sitting president: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. But procrastination always got in the way until today. At the height of her career, she seemed infallible and indestructible. Yes, there was a time in history when this iron lady's demise seemed unthinkable. I remember looking forward to her SONA (State of the Nation Address) speeches every year and what better way to reminisce this president's golden age in politics than by remembering some cunning and memorable lines from those speeches. This is a tribute to the Fallen President. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Quote 1-  "I did not become President to be popular. To work, to lead, to protect and preserve our country, our people, that is why I became President." Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Quote 2- " To those who want to be President, this advice: If you want something done, do it hard, do it well. Don’t pussyfoot. Just do it. Don’t say bad words in public." ...
2 comments
READ MORE

Legends of India Restaurant Buffet Review

Image
It all started when my friend and I ate at the New Bombay restaurant which was an Indian restaurant just in front of RCBC. It was my first time to eat Indian, and I totally loved it. Yes, it was expensive, and the serving was small but it felt like the price was just right because the quality of the food was superb. Anyway, one day I stumbled upon the Cash Cash Pinoy website and saw the Legends of India buffet voucher. It was discounted some 60%! So I immediately set out to purchase one. Imagine paying 300 php for an Indian Food buffet. I thought, what a great deal it was, NOT!!! My friend and I met at the Buendia MRT station. I know from experience that Jupiter Street is not that far away from the train station. Well, I was right, it wasn't that far away but what I didn't know was that Jupiter Street span probably a hundred meters. But I thought, oh hell, I need all the hunger I can muster for the buffet. So my friend and I walked some seventy-five meters from the trai...
1 comment
READ MORE

14 Call Center Interview Questions & Answers

Image
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...
149 comments
READ MORE

Balaw Balaw Restaurant Review

Image
It was going to be another adventure. My friend and I were going to soak ourselves in art in, where else but the Art Capital of the Philippines, Rizal. It turned out to be such a short commute. We boarded a taxi van at SM Mega Mall and about an hour later, we were already standing in front of the famous Balaw Balaw Restaurant. I first learned about this restaurant from the GMA morning TV show: Unang Hirit. What makes this restaurant stand out are the exotic dishes that they have on their menu such as beetles, crickets, eels, and frogs. It was quite a disappointment when I told the waiter that I wanted the balot with veggies, and he said that it's not available. Then when I asked him what he can recommend from their menu of exotic dishes, he said that he doesn't know and that he'd have to ask someone else. I really wasn't expecting this. I know that asking the waiter for recommendations is not a common practice outside Metro Manila, but this place is frequent...
2 comments
READ MORE

How to Make a Call Center Resume

Image
In this blog post, I will discuss how to make a call center resume. At the end of this post, you will also find a call center resume sample. Making your call center resume should be fast and very easy. It should be very simple, concise, and to the point. There are only five things that call center resumes should contain: your data, work experience, educational background, skills, and references. This is most probably the same as in other industries. Now I’m going to discuss the five things that resumes for call centers should contain. 1. Your Data The first thing that a call center resume should have is, of course, your data. This is the section where you put your birth date, birth place, age, gender, and civil status. 2. Work Experience The second thing that a call center resume should contain is your work experience. The reason you would want to put your work experience right after your data is to keep the person reviewing your resume interested. Make sure to list your wo...
70 comments
READ MORE

What is a Call Center?

Image
What is a call center? How do call centers work? What are call center agents? What is a call center agent’s job description? These are questions that we will answer in this blog post. If you don’t have any clue as to what a call center is or a call center agent does, then we will introduce you to these two terms and hopefully clarify any doubts that you may have about the call center industry. First of all, what is a call center? Basically, a call center is a business that handles another business’ customer phone calls. So how does a call center business work? Let’s take malls for example. All of us know that security guards in malls don’t work directly for the mall. These security guards work for an employment agency which provides security guards to businesses. This means that instead of hiring and training security guards, mall owners would rather subcontract the security of their mall to an employment agency.  Now why would mall owners want to leave this vita...
17 comments
READ MORE

6 Advantages and Disadvantages of Working in a Call Center

Image
From only a few hundred call center agents when it began, the Philippines now is home to thousands of call center agents. This exponential growth in the call center industry happened in a span of only a decade. Nowadays, it is not unusual for you to see a hoard of applicants every day from early in the morning to late in the night in the top call center companies in the Philippines. But what attracts all these people to the call center industry? What advantages do these people see in working for call centers?  What are the advantages of being a call center agent? In this blog post, I will be discussing the advantages of working for call centers. If you are one of the many people aspiring to get in the call center industry, then I fervently hope that this article will enlighten you and will deepen your understanding of the call center industry which you desire to be a part of. First Advantage of Working in a Call Center: Higher Pay &  No Discrimination ...
39 comments
READ MORE

Historic and Adventure Filled Bataan Travel Itinerary Guide

Image
Traveling to Bataan should not be a problem as not only is it only a few hours from Manila, there are many buses available traveling this route. I went to Bataan last Christmas. As expected. There was a line as long as the Great wall of China. I finally boarded the Bataan Transit bus (in Cubao) at around 10 AM, after about two hours queueing. I was passing by the tree filled empty lots along the NLEX when the conductor asked me for 270 php. Not bad for an airconditioned four hour trip. My destination that day was Mariveles, Bataan. Balanga city though is just three hours away from Manila. When I researched for things to do in Bataan, what caught my attention immediately are the many old churches in Bataan. On Christmas day, my friend and I visited three different churches. The first one that we visited was the church at Orion. Orion is around thirty minutes away by tricycle from the Daang Pare tricycle terminal. When I first set my eyes on this church, the first thing that came to my...
1 comment
READ MORE