Call Center Job: A Career? An "in-between" job? Or the last hope?

[caryatid_kitten]

Some of you might want to strangle me for saying this, but PERSONALLY, I think a job with a call center is simply, well, the last hope for someone who's finished a good degree in a good university. Since the available jobs are in this, industry, then, might as well join the bandwagon. Maybe I'm just saying this because I'm an observer who doesn't know a thing about the industry...

Oh well, please enlighten me: What kind of career growth do you expect to gain from a call center job? It's given, the compensation is higher that what an ordinary employee would get, but is there room for learning? for growth? I have heard once that they learned alot from the job: She learned proper english. I mean, wtf? Shouldn't you have learned that in grade school in the first place?

For engineers, architects, designers and other professionals who decided to jump into the call center bandwagon, what and how do you feel now? Do you intend to stay there for good or are you there while waiting for a big break related to what you have studied?

Thanks :)

[tidus1203]

IMO kung may matutunan ka man for sure di matechnichal in nature. I mean I'd rather work for a bank and learn the ins and outs of finance and investing than helping people with their problems over the phone. Just my 2 cents!

[BeePeeOOO]

Deep and specializedTechnical training from call centers are numerous[Here are just some-tamad ako mag post kasi] - it depends if you know where they are and how to convince the HRD to be hired for those accounts outsourced in the Philippines:

level 1 to 4 tech support for MSN, SBC, Microsoft Business Solutions, Dell. Some tech support accounts have 6 months training.

US Securities[as in stocks bonds etc...] - You are trained for 6 months on NASD Series 7 and Series 63..There are several brokerage companies outsourced to the Philippines. There is an exam abroad. 2 license exams must be passed.

MCI -This telecom company gives training on the landline business - 3 months long due to its technical nature. That department is at one call center only.

US insurance laws and regulations and customer support for US insurance - example American Prudential/Prumerica Life - the training is 3 months due to its very technical nature.

US regulations on Home Mortgage and customer support - JPMorgan Chase - another technical banking account outsourced to the Philippines

BTW: I was trained for a US bank through call centers for several technical specializations and also for a technical support account for internet - voice and email.. I also once was a licensed Philippine stock broker and worked as a research analyst for 2 big stock brokerages/investment house[I am just a punter/speculator in the stock market as of now - as a side income].


Technical support for engineering graduates?? - see jobstreet.com.ph and search for Sykes - Emerson. - There are lots of business units in call centers that require certain engineering education to get into. You need evidence for an engineering career requiring technical training? here it is:

http://search3.jobstreet.com/searchGo.asp?key=emerson&spe=-&site=ph&by=search

The college graduate of any course requirement is deceptive to a layman since it connotes that it is a non-technical job -which is a fallacy. There are call centers that are willing to invest 2-6months training for an employee to give the person the technical skill for a certain specialization.

I have given you concrete examples and even named just some of the technical accounts[banking, IT, finance, engineering] outsourced to the Philippines through what others look down upon as just call centers. It just takes investigative and sleuthing skills like what I do as a former research analyst to know where they are.

Call center - non technical skill -I beg to disagree with all due respect.

[BeePeeOOO]

Compensation higher than an ordinary employee -depende - dahil yung iba "sweatshops". Kaya ako may pinipiling certain accounts. Unreasonably high performance standards. in proportion to pay and human ability. Kailanagan utak espiya at militar ang approach mo sa pagpili.


Alam ko kasi ang "return on assets -ROA" ng mga Philppine call centers kaya alam ko kung sino ang mga sobrang switik. Libangan kong mag butinting ng FS at balance sheets ng call centers as a past time. Listed yan kasi sa mga stock exchanges.

[bastarg_gurl]

im working in a call center right now. tech support ako and nag troubleshoot ako ng networking devices....mas pinili ko to sa isang job offer sa akin na 60% ang clerical 40% programming...nd ko alam kng matuto talaga ako...kasi parang nagaaral uli ako ***** e.parang training ground din tong company na to kasi marami silang offer na training sa networking....depende lang sa call center na gusto mo pasukan...kng gusto mo ng technical skills....apply ka sa technical...pili ka din nung maganda *** company nd lang dun sa pay....

[ms_rockmonkey2]

Deep and specializedTechnical training from call centers are numerous[Here are just some-tamad ako mag post kasi] - it depends if you know where they are and how to convince the HRD to be hired for those accounts outsourced in the Philippines:

level 1 to 4 tech support for MSN, SBC, Microsoft Business Solutions, Dell. Some tech support accounts have 6 months training.

US Securities[as in stocks bonds etc...] - You are trained for 6 months on NASD Series 7 and Series 63..There are several brokerage companies outsourced to the Philippines. There is an exam abroad. 2 license exams must be passed.

MCI -This telecom company gives training on the landline business - 3 months long due to its technical nature. That department is at one call center only.

US insurance laws and regulations and customer support for US insurance - example American Prudential/Prumerica Life - the training is 3 months due to its very technical nature.

US regulations on Home Mortgage and customer support - JPMorgan Chase - another technical banking account outsourced to the Philippines

BTW: I was trained for a US bank through call centers for several technical specializations and also for a technical support account for internet - voice and email.. I also once was a licensed Philippine stock broker and worked as a research analyst for 2 big stock brokerages/investment house[I am just a punter/speculator in the stock market as of now - as a side income].


Technical support for engineering graduates?? - see jobstreet.com.ph and search for Sykes - Emerson. - There are lots of business units in call centers that require certain engineering education to get into. You need evidence for an engineering career requiring technical training? here it is:

http://search3.jobstreet.com/searchGo.asp?key=emerson&spe=-&site=ph&by=search

The college graduate of any course requirement is deceptive to a layman since it connotes that it is a non-technical job -which is a fallacy. There are call centers that are willing to invest 2-6months training for an employee to give the person the technical skill for a certain specialization.

I have given you concrete examples and even named just some of the technical accounts[banking, IT, finance, engineering] outsourced to the Philippines through what others look down upon as just call centers. It just takes investigative and sleuthing skills like what I do as a former research analyst to know where they are.

Call center - non technical skill -I beg to disagree with all due respect.

isinumpa ko na ang night shift! :) abnormal kasi ang buhay! :D :rotflmao:

[s0undwave]

i still feel that any job can be turned into a career. i started as a lowly agent and worked my way up the ranks as QA, team leader, now training supervisor.

it depends on how you perceive the job - if you think it'll be temporary, then it will be.

it's like doctors who go to Canada to become nurses. is that any better?

sad world...

[froshie1]

a job is still a job. and doon naman sa "career growth" na sinasabi mo, may kanya kanya tayong kahulugan tungkol dyan. Ang pananaw ko kasi sa mga kagaya natin nagoopisina, pag empleyado ang isang tao, empleyado pa rin iyon kahit mapa-anong company pa yan at mapa-anong position pa yan. At ang trabaho, trabaho pa rin yan kahit ano pa yan basta malinis at marangal.

siguro sa mga tao na nawawalan ng pag-asa sa career nila, isipin nyo na lang na mas maganda yan kaysa sa wala kayong work. at wag ninyong isipin na pang-habang buhay ninyong gagawin yan (unless enjoy kayo sa ginagawa ninyo).

atsaka isa pa, walang papantay sa mga bagay na kung saan kayo masaya. kung iyong mga nag-cacall center eh masaya sila dun eh ang masasagot lang nila eh masaya sila dun. iba iyong masaya ka sa ginagawa mo kaysa sa career careeer career pero pinapatay ka naman sa huli.

[missfifty]

As a fresh grad, ang hirap talaga maghanap ng job related sa course mo, or *** interest mo talaga.. for those who right away wants to be employed, plus, the big salary.. CALL CENTER na agad ang naiisip. I think it depends really on the person, if she/he can diversely shift from different industries and stilll learn something.. then working for a call center isn't that bad.

Although I didn't really applied in any of the call center companies.. hehe.. grave yard shift isn't for me..

[beefnmushroom]

it's like doctors who go to Canada to become nurses. is that any better?


it's much better, because nurses in canada earn over 20 times more than doctors in the philippines. no comparison. try to think of a different example.

[caryatid_kitten]

oonga eh, it's sad how my good friend who is in UP med told me that the joke there is "med is now pre-nursing". :D Thanks for the replies, guys ;) Super. I'm waiting for more. Share your plans and dreams for your career na rin. How many of you are thinking of leaving Glorialand? :P LOL

[Leo_Wyatt]

Based on my experience, I took call center job out of desperation coz I have been unemployed and looking for a job related to my course for more than 6 motnhs already. Then I got hired in this call center and worked for 6 months but eventually I resigned. I see no growth there. Irate customers yelling at me for the entire shift dont deserve my service. I hang up if they shout at me. and not to mention hard-to-reach metrics (eg. Sales quota, average call time, etc.) :grrr: Luckily, I am now working in an IT company as a Level 1 Systems Analyst.

Out of a hundred (or even thousand) agents, you can count by your fingers how many will be hired as Team Captains, Quality analysts, Managers, etc. Its either you're the BEST among the best or you have good contacts with HR or the Admins. :rolleyes:

[blackdragon]

it really depends on the person if he is fit to be in the industry or not.

my first job was in a recruitment firm and i hated the environment. as a psych grad i was lucky to have practiced my profession, but i can't tolerate that kind of environment (traditional filipino company where unprofessionalism is common).

so i applied at infonxx and just decided to shift careers. after a month of being a csr, now i'm with the recruitment team (i'm turning 3 years this november).