| With the dotcom boom of the past decade, call | | | | or feasible for everyone, so do not apply for |
| centres have become buzzing hives of activity in | | | | night-shift-only jobs if this is the case for you. |
| almost every industry. From bookings to | | | | Even at home, fix your hours - do not bite off |
| customer support and sales management, | | | | more than you can chew. |
| everything that does not necessitate in-person | | | | 6. Look at organisations' pages, not just job |
| contact is being outsourced to call centres. | | | | portals. Keep track of the organisations who |
| This has led many of today's youth to apply for | | | | typically hire at-home or in-office call centre |
| call centre jobs - whether as part-time work to | | | | workers. They will probably advertise on their |
| earn pocket money in college days, or for | | | | own pages a precious few hours or days before |
| full-time sustenance. | | | | putting up the same job on a portal. |
| While applying to a call centre job, here are some | | | | 7. At the interview, stay focused. A lot of young |
| tips that one should keep in mind: | | | | people go into call centre jobs for a quick buck. |
| 1. At home or in office? There are a number of | | | | This attitude seeps into their manner at the |
| at-home call centre jobs available, and for no | | | | interview too. DO NOT let this happen to you - |
| sign-up fees whatsoever. You can work full-time | | | | stay serious, stay focused, and show that you |
| or part-time, but you may have to submit to an | | | | are dedicated to the job you are applying for. |
| in-person background check or occasional | | | | 8. Get some experience in customer service. Most |
| reporting to meetings at the company's office. | | | | of us have had at least some experience in |
| 2. Have excellent listening skills. Train yourself to | | | | customer service. This could be at the |
| listen - to people with different ways of speaking, | | | | neighbourhood fair, volunteering at school events, |
| to people who stammer, to people who don't | | | | or during a brief internship. You can put this to |
| want to see reason, and to people with | | | | good use in your call centre job. |
| less-than-fluent language. This is the first | | | | 9. What makes good customer service? Evaluate |
| prerequisite for a call centre job. | | | | what you would do to give good customer |
| 3. Look online. As a lot of call centre jobs are | | | | service to people accessing your call centre, as |
| location-independent or offshore, they are usually | | | | your interview panel is very likely to ask you this |
| advertised online rather than by word-of-mouth | | | | question. |
| or the local papers. | | | | 10. Make the best of what you have. Experience |
| 4. Apply to call centres in areas of your own | | | | and training, in curricular and co-curricular fields, will |
| expertise. Nothing can substitute learning gained | | | | all come to use when you place your job |
| by experience. If you are deeply familiar with a | | | | application. Get your resume professionally |
| subject thanks to schooling or simply exploring it | | | | written, to present the talents you have in the |
| as a hobby, choose that area to apply to. For | | | | best way to get a call centre job. |
| example, someone interested in cars could apply | | | | Even if the job is just for your pocket money, |
| to a car company's customer support call centre. | | | | apply for it with speed and sincerity - call centre |
| 5. Office hours. Night shifts are not always safe | | | | vacancies never stay long! |