Posted: September 7, 2009 at 10:41 am
One of the more shady subjects that I am sure will have more posts of this topic. But let me lay it down in the simplest form possible… just be true to your self.
Yes, it’s all about the first impression, but we interviewers can easily smell uprepared meat within a room of applicants and we would love to prey on you fresh people.
Here are the things that we would want to see in new applicants to get our attention:
1. Think before answering – Most applicants think that we are looking for witty people and the sooner you answer the question, the better it is for you. The truth is, the sooner you answer a question shows how unprepared you are even more. More often than not, I experience applicants who take back what they just said because they simply didn’t think it through.
2. If you don’t understand, ask – Don’t pretend to know everything, we don’t expect that you do.
3. Look your interviewer in the eye – Confidence is key in landing the position that you are rooting for. We look for people who will represent our company well and we need people with lots and lots of confidence.
4. Never be afraid to show your true self. I once went on an interview where I cracked a few jokes just to release my own tension and it worked to my advantage. The interviewer didn’t know what to ask me and that looseness opened doors to different topics.
and last but not the least… go back to number 1. I will not emphasize it enough.
So here’s my two cents on the issue. I’m sure a part 2, 3, and even a 4 will come out soon and I am also sure that are other suggestions on the topic all over the web. At least I have the balls to say it now.
Posted: February 10, 2008 at 7:53 am
As I’ve said on my first post, I’ve been in the BPO Industry for 9 years now. I’ve interviewed countless applicants with their fancy schmancy resumes and what I’ve noticed is that none of them are as impressive than what they pose to be. You read their resumes and they do not even know half of the words written in ‘em.
My goal here is not to give you the industry standard in resumes, but would give you tips on what should be and should not be included in a resume:
1.Personal Information – the simplest form of personal information are the obvious ones. Place there things that we can use to get in touch with you. A home address, a home phone, a mobile phone number, and an email address is fine. Most of them who send me their resumes include their passport number and even their weight. Choose the items carefully. Make a seperate resume for each industry you would want to take a whack at. Don’t assume that a resume is a resume is a resume. The interviewers actually read what’s in ‘em. I remember this one time I interviewed this guy who claims (in his resume) that one of his special skills is CISCO. (Google it.) So blankly, I asked him what CISCO means- not knowing what it was, I just tried to see if this guy would lie his way out of it. The bloke said, “I don’t know” Whatta buffoon.
In as much as you love your folks. We don’t need that kind of information so you can leave their names out.
2. Order – Start off with your obrjectives then your educational attainment (in chronological order, the latest on top) that way, the interviewer can immediately see how far you’ve gone without having to read the entire sheet. NOTE: OJT does not count as an official work experience. What does 500 hours prove?? Absolutely nothing.
3. References – make sure that the people you put in your reference section is someone who can say something about your personality or even work ethics. It’s kinda stupid calling a reference up and all they say is, “he’s nice… caring”. We need to know what type of a person you are and what we’re going to expect when we decide to get you.
4. Important Information – NEVER EVER miss anything out. If you’ve worked in a McDonald’s chain, put it there. The purpose of the interview is to ensure that the information on the resume is in sync with you.
We want to be impressed, yes. But we can also smell a try hard a mile away.
Also, K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Schmuck…
Wanna try working in a Call Center?? Hook me up. email@ebzster.com
Posted: March 10, 2010 at 8:50 am
February 8, 2008
I’ve been in the BPO business for 6 years now. I’ve interviewed countless applicants. I’ve seen hundreds of resumes. Some of which I’ve used in mine. But what concerns me and actually drove me to putting up this blog is the many mistakes first timers make. This has got to stop.
So I’m starting this blog which will eventually become a full fledged site to help all of you first timers on the do’s and don’t’s of life. This will start with how to build your first resume to how you should look and act on your first interview. Once that is done, we can pick up from there.
I’m confident that this small blog can help countless people land their dream jobs. So read away…
