What employers really wanted to know from aspiring call center applicants
You may have checked a lot of reference materials in acing a call center job interview. At some point you may have memorized some of the answers just to make it up to the contract signing portion (of the application process). But do you really understand what they wanted to know from you as a prospective call center agent? Take time to check these common call center job interview questions and verify if you are really prepared to provide appropriate answers.
1. Tell me something about yourself
Common mistake: Saying your name, age and physical address to serve as an introduction
Call center applicant: Well, as I said a while ago, my name is [your name], [your age] and I live at [physical address].
If your name is printed on the resume that they are holding, it will be better not to say your name. Call center recruitment officers will be wise enough to glance on your resume once in a while to write their comments. Besides, they will remember your name as soon as they are convinced that you are ready to proceed to the next step (of your application process).
Same thing for the age and physical address, unless there will be issues that need to be checked immediately, better keep those details on paper.
Call center gal tip: Call center recruitment officers need to know more of your interests and how you can relate those in your future job in the call center. So concentrate your answers on those details instead.
2. What do your classmates/colleagues say about you
Common mistake: Giving details that might ruin you and your character in the process.
Call center applicant: “Well, my classmates say that I am pretty, easy to get along with, understanding etc…”
Call center applicant: “My colleagues say that I am talkative, friendly, a team player…”
Notice how we sometimes unconsciously tell our call center recruitment officers that they should consider other candidates instead. Even though they wanted you to feel comfortable and sound natural in your answers, they need more details that build your character up. They need more of your positive characteristics as a person well suited for a call center job.
Call center gal tip: Be honest and yet be careful of the details you will tell them. I want to stress on the importance of giving them more of your positive traits. If they asked you to expound on your answers, then be ready to give related answers.
3. Why do you want to work in this organization
Call center applicant: “I heard your organization pays call center agents well.”
Call center applicant: “Because my friend told me that it is easy to get a promotion here.”
Call center applicant: “This is one of the call centers that I know of which has sleeping quarters and it’s important because I live far from here.”
Common mistake: Not doing a company research prior to the interview
There are a lot of call center companies in the Philippines and I understand how tempting it is to send resumes to every call center companies that they see. Observe how applicants go crazy over submitting their resumés in job fairs, only to be clueless about those companies when called for an interview.
Call center gal tip: Do your homework. Make a list of the companies you want to apply for a call center post. Use the internet to gather information. Most reputable call center companies have a website to provide you information that you can mention in the job interview. It’s better to tell that you got those information using credible sources instead. I am not saying that you can’t rely on what your friends tell you. Call center employers will appreciate it better if you checked on the resources that they made available like company websites and marketing collaterals.
4. What is your philosophy towards work?
Call center applicant: “Time is gold.”
Call center applicant: “My work philosophy is that you need to work hard for you to get a reward.”
Common mistake: Using a cliché as an answer
Clichés are overly familiar phrases. It may be tempting to use clichés in answering questions like this because it can easily fill in someone’s thoughts. But if this is your only answer and you cannot expound on this cliché then you might not land that call center job.
Call center gal tip: Frame your answers based on how you really work on something. If you really value time as part of your work philosophy, better be prepared with instances wherein you used time to your advantage. You can form better answers than by just using clichés as canned response.
This is just the first of the three-part series about top ten call center job interview questions. Feel free to send me your comments and suggestions by leaving a message here. Thank you for reading.
Please click on Call Center Job Interview Questions Part II and Call Center Job Interview Questions Part III to check the next set of top call center interview questions.
Till next post,
Tags: call center, call center interview tips, call center tips, job interview, job interview tips
April 15th, 2008 at 4:35 am
it is good it can help those who wants to apply in the call center. GOD bless.
thanks
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:56 am
it is very helpful…
May 31st, 2008 at 10:02 pm
thanks for some tips you’ve given to us…..
June 12th, 2008 at 7:10 am
great tips, thanks a lot
June 27th, 2008 at 2:34 am
great it helps me a lot
September 12th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Gr8 Tips, it wud be helpful…
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:06 pm
hahaha great idea.. thank you very much. wish me luck
November 19th, 2008 at 6:16 am
thank you very much for your benevolence. it really helped me. god bless you, wish me luck..
November 21st, 2008 at 9:23 am
Lizsiel, Julie, Roland, Carmelo, Jessie, Aamir, Billy Castillo, Michelle,
Thanks for the comment guys! You just made my day!
Feel free to come back and share your call center interview experience so that a lot more people who are just like you (call center applicants) will learn more from your experience.
Good luck on your call center application!
November 23rd, 2008 at 9:54 am
December 1st, 2008 at 5:19 am
So, I work at an answering service called A Better Answer. We’re pretty good, win a lot a awards, make decent money. I got lucky, because I read over your tips, and I did some of those things! Lol. I guess my boss needed a new employee rather bad at the moment. I’ve learned at lot working there. Patience, real etiquette, and the strength not to hang up when someone is rude! Lol.
Nice read. Kudos.
-Stephanie
January 5th, 2009 at 8:51 am
cool! tnx for this very informative work..it really help a lot..keep it up!
January 16th, 2009 at 1:41 am
thank you very much for your benevolence. it really helped me. god bless you, wish me luck..
Hi Freddie,
You’re welcome.
Please do come back for more tips on call center stuff. 
January 20th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
I really enjoyed your post. I will have to come back again to read some more of them.
January 21st, 2009 at 12:16 am
This is what i am searching for. It really helps a lot most especially to me, great!
March 4th, 2009 at 2:15 am
Great tips
Thank you very very much.
March 20th, 2009 at 10:33 am
As I’m browsing here, I’m very lucky to find this site. It’s really helpful for me especially the tips in answering interview questions for call center jobs. I really jot down some notes here for me to prepare in applying job in a call center.
Thanks a lot and more power!
Hope to post more tips…
March 24th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
yes wish ko mkpasa na….
March 29th, 2009 at 11:27 am
hi!!!!
good tips,please wish me luck by tommorrow
March 30th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
thanks callcenter gal for your helpful tips… great job!
——-
Hi Mian,
Glad to be of help.
April 12th, 2009 at 7:02 am
thanx for the tips…it will help a lot for those who are interested to apply in call centers………..
April 13th, 2009 at 5:02 am
hope i can make it.Tommorow will be the assessment…..
wish me luck..
May 13th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
all of the tips that i wanted to have about call center job interview is just on this blog…..whhhewww!!
thanks callcentergal.com
May 13th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
thank you for this post…this is great and i know, this will really help me for my future interview…hehehe wish me luck
May 27th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
based on my experience’s’, the top 5 interview questions in call centers are:
tell me something bout yourself
why do you want to work here (company)
what is your greatest achievement
tell me something in the past where you had to make a major decision in your life and how did you handle it
so far, yan talaga yung FAQs when you are applying in call center.
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Thank you.
June 5th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
hi.
tnx
dami ko din nlaman tungkol dito
pero
nahihirapan tlaga ako kunn saan ba talaga ako dapat magsimula para mas matutunan ko ito ng mas madali……plz reply
tnx
June 5th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
wow im very impressive..tnx good luck to me
June 10th, 2009 at 7:16 am
This tips would be a great reference. Tnx!