How good are my chances for landing a federal job?

Any tips on how to improve my chances on landing a job in the call center industry?

• Answer:

  The keys to being good at a call center position are the ability to think on your feet and retain your cool on a call. Every call is different and there is no way to train you for every possible situation, so these things are very important. Make sure that you highlight your skills in these areas while you are interviewing, and even before you interview during contact, on your resume, etc. You will definitely end up on calls where the person is very rude, or maybe you are just having a bad day. The ability to maintain a friendly attitude throughout those calls is something that many people do not have. In terms of being able to think on your feet: a college degree does not necessarily help people to do that. When I used to hire for a call center, I would intentionally ask candidates hard questions just to see if they would be able to come up with an acceptable answer on the spot. The most important thing in your situation would be to show the recruiters that you have skills that cannot be taught in college. Illustrate to them that even though you did not take a college level math class and something like Intro Psych, you still have the intelligence and common sense to handle the position. Other than that, just make sure you follow all the normal interviewing rules. Dress nice, don't fidget, have a strong handshake and good eye contact, etc. Do some research on the company before you apply so you can sound knowledgeable and ask striking questions. Remember, when you only have a few minutes to get to know someone, first impressions are extremely important! Good luck!