Category Archives: Getting a Job

Working for someone else is a nightmare. Try freelancing!

September 30, 2016 by 123outsource
Categories: Getting a Job | Leave a comment

Do you feel like you aren’t ever in control? Working for someone else is a nightmare where that is the reality. You can be fired on a whim, or if business slows down. Additionally, the boss might never let you have a chance to do anything fun or work your way up the ladder. Running your own business puts you in the drivers seat, but what are the risks?

I run my own business, and unfortunately, there is so much you have to know and do, that it is about four times as difficult as having a job. On a brighter note, you will learn much more quickly if you have your own business. Those who have a job just have to do one or more task every day and do it well. This is easier to master, but can be boring, and might not pay well. As a business owner you have to know how to do your main task, market yourself, manage your business, handle accounting, deal with programmers, artists, designers, writers, and more. You will have twenty things you have to know how to handle to a certain extent. What a burden. Next, you’ll have to learn how to hire people to handle some of the tasks you need to do. The problem is, that if you can’t do a particular task, how will you know how to hire someone for that particular task?

So are you more in control with your own business or a job? The answer is that if you can handle owning your own business, stay afloat, and make a living, you are more in control. But, most people can’t handle it. But, what can most people handle?

How about being a freelancer? There are so many really good freelancer sites out there these days that rate freelancers and let you read the ratings. Tons of people are doing programming and social media freelancing, writing articles, answering phones, and more. Being a freelancer you need to know how to get paid on time and how to do one thing. If you want more control in your life — be a freelancer. If business gets rough, you can always lower your rates. And you might lose a client here and there, but you can get another one to take their place. If you lose a job, you are just out on the street.

So, now after reading this article, you now know how to be in control. The most important thing is to do good work so your customers feel in control. Good luck!

How to write a resume for an outsourcing job (2016)

January 1, 2016 by 123outsource
Categories: Getting a Job, Semi-Popular | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Many people write to me and tell me they are applying for “the job.” They are so clueless that they don’t realize that there is no job. As a job applicant you need to know who you are writing to, and about which job. Next, you need to be aware of the specific skills and requirements of the particular job. If you are not well suited for the job, nobody will hire you. So apply for work that you are suited for and go to trade schools or anyone who can help you sharpen your communication and technical skills.

How to be in tune with the mindset of the employer
Employers want to know several things about you. Are you loyal or do you jump from job to job. It is costly to interview, train and fire workers, so they will prefer that you stick around. Next, the boss will want to know if you have relevant experience. If you are applying for medical billing, but your experience is in data analysis, you might not be a good fit. On the other hand, if your data job involved a lot of data transcription, you might be a viable candidate for medical transcription as it is related. The boss will also want to know if you are a good fit with the other employees. Do you communicate well and get along with others? The important thing to apply to resume writing is that you have to impress the boss that you will be a reliable and good fit for the job at hand — make sure your resume communicates that clearly.

What type of paper should you use?
Recently in America I’ve been hearing that using fancy off-tone paper is considered to be old-fashioned. So, I’m not sure how to guide you in terms of the paper you’re using. Try to figure out what successful applicants in your industry are doing and do the same thing. If they use plain white paper, then do the same. If they use heavier paper stock, then be aware of that. In my opinion, a higher quality of paper indicates a higher quality of applicant — but, that’s just how I think!

Go backwards through time
A good resume will show what you have done most recently at the top since that is more relevant to the current situation. Inverse chronological order is the right order in a resume.

What to omit?
If you are a jack of all trades and you are applying for a computer job, you might omit non-computer oriented jobs from the resume, or just not elaborate much on the non-computer related jobs. This way you save space that you can devote to clarifying what your job tasks were in the computer jobs. If you spent the entire resume trying to impress the boss with how many fashion jobs you have had, he will steer you in the direction of a fashion job and tell you that the interview is over.

What should you stress?
Keep in mind that the way a prospective boss reads your resume is different from how you read it. First of all they want to see if you stick to a job, or quit after six months. Nobody wants to hire a quitter because they are going to invest time in training you. So, try to only take jobs that you will be willing to stick with in the long run otherwise you ruin your reputation. If you are applying for a job where Java code editing will be crucial, your resume should be tailor-made to emphasize all of the Java related work you did at your other jobs. If you did .Net editing too, that is related as well. I would not omit critical aspects of your other jobs, but make sure to stress what you did that will be needed in the future job you are applying to. Rather than mailing out hundreds of resumes to people who will ignore you, it might make more sense to create customized resumes for particular companies who you’ve talked to who have an actual interest in you. This is called targeting and customizing to your audience and is a popular and effective marketing technique. Just keep in mind that the boss wants to know that you are an exact skill match, that you can communicate, and that you won’t quit, otherwise you’ll be immediately disqualified.

As an employer myself, I was trying to find .Net programmers. The resumes I received discussed about twenty four technical skills that the applicant had. I wanted someone with seven years of .Net experience, and that was the only requirement. The resume was a waste of time as it didn’t tell me what I wanted to know. It told me how much programming experience they had, but not how much .Net experience they had.

What else do you put on the resume?
You need to state your job objective and mention your specialties. You should summarize the types of jobs you have held as well, your education, and any other salient features that might help you be a good employee. Resumes are often one page. Sometimes you need to have two or three pages. Many readers will not have the patience to read on and on unless the information is absolutely necessary. So, when filling your resume up with facts, ask yourself how important each fact is, and how much is enough. It never hurts to have an industry professional review your resume either.

Past jobs
You need to describe your past jobs, what you did, what particular skills and tasks were necessary. You might even briefly describe what you learned, what you liked, and what you didn’t like. Employers will want to know why you left your previous job too. Terms like personality conflict and boredom are easily understood. However, it might be better to just say that you weren’t happy there. A scheduling conflict is another way to end a job that didn’t include a hostile argument. You might be more popular if you say, “I felt like I wasn’t growing” — as nobody wants to hire someone who gets bored easily or gets into arguments. How you describe why you left or were fired from a past job matters. Your boss will get a very bad impression of you if you quit jobs on a whim or get into arguments with people. They do not want to repeat nightmares that they have had in the past with difficult employees.

How do I document my education?
State what schools you went to and when. What degree did you get? If you are doing outsourcing, it would be very helpful if you attended schools to help with English writing, call center or programming skills. Were there any special areas of focus? What did you major in? Stick to Universities and High School, or whatever the highest two degrees you have earned are. If you went to special trade or music schools, you can list that too to make an impression.

Professional memberships
You might appear more dedicated to your field if you have some professional memberships. These are less critical and should be at the bottom of your resume. It is more impressive to a boss if you actually had some level of participation in these groups. Anyone can be a non-participatory member, but how many help out or actually lead meetings?

Be aware of how others perceive you
Younger people think a lot about what they want. But, rarely think about what the boss wants. Try to realize that the boss just wants someone who gets the job done and doesn’t care how you feel about it. On the other hand, they don’t want someone who won’t like the work either. If you give the impression that you like certain tasks, but don’t like others, you will appear too picky. No employer wants an employee who picks and chooses which tasks he/she does and quits if assigned a task he doesn’t like. It is better to say what you like most, but that you are willing to do all other tasks. I would not talk about what you don’t like to do unless you absolutely can’t stand it. People who run a business have to do all types of tasks they can’t stand — why should you get to pick and choose? Additionally, nobody likes an employee who jumps from job to job. You’ll never rise up the corporate ladder jumping around. Find a profession and company you stick to. If you do a good job, you might get promoted to management which means you get to do a different type of task in the long run even though you were willing to stick to the initial task.

Training for Outsourcing Jobs part 2

October 5, 2011 by 123outsource
Categories: Getting a Job | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

I’m sitting here reading an article on HRO today.  It is about training process outsourcing.  The article claims that many American corporations have no idea what their expenses are for training employees.  A VP named Ed Trolley of a large American company was interviewed and gave some interesting answers.  Ed claimed that training was one of the most under-managed, under-leveraged, and under-valued, not to mention misunderstood functions in a corporation.    Training is often viewed as something you have to do.  But, how much emphasis is put on results.  Outsourcing training can help a company focus on what their core competencies are instead of stumbling, trying to train their own employees.
 
When I work with outsourced companies, I am always very aware of how their employees handle situations.  There is always a loose screw.  Some are good workers, but can’t communicate.  Others refuse to answer emails even if their life hinges on it.  Many do their work in a mechanical way without insight.  There are so many things to pay attention to in any type of job, it must be baffling to train people. 
 
Thoughtlessly picking a program
Getting “a” training program doesn’t seem to be a great idea.  Looking at the costs of training programs and saving money by outsourcing them seems to be missing the boat as well.  I believe that the key is to understand the various levels of training that need to happen.  In any type of task, there is a mechanical aspect.  If you do call center work, you need to punch in some numbers, or press a button so a computer can do that for you. You have to read a boring script, and try to be polite when answering questions.   So, there are different levels in the training here.
 
Levels of training
The first level is purely mechanical. How to make the call, what to say, how to answer commonly asked questions, what to do when the customer gets upset, or acts inappropriately.  But, what about the next level of training?  Ideally, in any call center, your manager should be looking over your shoulder from time to time and should be looking to see if you are gracefully handling all of the tasks involved in interaction. The manager should give you pointers from time to time and even write up a review about your work from time to time. So, we can say that reviewing and nitpicking could be level two in the training scheme.  But, there is yet another level! What could it be?
 
Sophistication and nuances? 
The individual who trains your employees how to make calls may likely be very unsuitable to teach nuances.  It is really on an individual basis who is good at teaching the different facets of any job.  Someone who is what I like to call, “Tuned in” can easily find all types of ways to refine an employee’s skills.  There are very subtle differences in the way you can answer a question that make the person on the other end of the phone much happier.  There are differences in your tone and amplitude of your voice that can make people think you are a nice person instead of a jerk — even if you say exactly the same thing.  The bottom line here is to pick the right trainor for each level in training.
 
Data entry training?
Data entry requires different types of training too.  Making sure information is complete and well formatted is key.  So, if someone can assess how well an employee deals with the trickier situations where answers are not so clear cut — is very important.  If you can spell well, you can catch other people’s spelling mistakes.  If you know what type of format is desired, you can correct formatting errors in the data input.   But, some employees do not catch the subtleties of the job, and some managers do not catch which employees can learn, and which should be let go.

Ways that people ask for jobs

July 31, 2011 by 123outsource
Categories: Getting a Job | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Every day, people are asking me for jobs that I don’t have.  People respond to my blogs asking for jobs.  My blog is not a job market, it is rather a source of information and opinions about outsourcing.  The type of requests I get are also written in broken English.  Nobody will hire someone who writes text message English or broken English.  Below are some examples of job seekers and how they sometimes communicate.  You will quickly understand why these applicants don’t have jobs.
 
Example #1:
“Dear Sir, i want part time job pls give me full detail”
 
Commentary
1.  There is no text anywhere that suggested that we were offering a job
2.  “i” should be capitalized since it is a proper noun.
3.  i want part time job — there should be an “a” since you want “a part time job”. 
4.  “pls” is not English.   When you are texting someone, you might use abbreviations.  However, someone seriously looking for a job would write correct English and say, “Please”
5. This person is begging.  Someone serious about getting a job would introduce themselves, tell me the specifics of what type of job they wanted, and send a resume.  Someone saying, “Give me job” is a mere begger, and nobody wants to hire a begger.
6.  give me full detail — detail needs an “s” at the end since details are generally plural.  This person should start out by asking if we even have jobs, rather than asking what the details are.
7.  This job applicant is in Africa.  How can a company in America possibly hire an African resident to do anything.  The applicant is far away, there is no way to verify if they are actually doing the work, they have no reputation with us, and don’t work for a reputable company.  If I hired someone overseas, they would have a company with a long track record, so that I would be able to trust them.
 
Example #2
“good working and good typing skills”
 
Commentary
1.  There is no introduction here.  The person claims to have good working skills, but doesn’t say who they are. 
2.  This person should email the manager offering a job rather than responding to a blog. Blogs are not for advertising that you are looking for a job.
3.  This text is not  a real sentence.  Sentences begin with a word that starts with a capital letter, and would include a subject and verb.  There are no subjects or verbs in this sentence.
 
Suggestion
If this person were emailing someone for a job, I would recommend a quick email in this general format.
 
Dear Sam,
I have five years experience as a typist and data entry clerk.  Please let me know if your company has any vacancies that might be able to employ my skill sets. I am a very hard worker and am flexible about where I live and how many hours per week I work.   References are available upon request.  Please see my attached resume.
 
Respectfully,
Vijay Chaudhury
 
Example #3
I get many emails saying, “Dear sir”.
I don’t like to be contacted by people who don’t even take the trouble to know who I am.  I am just one of thousands of people the writer is contacting. I think it’s better to send focused emails only, not spam.  A focused email is targetting a specific company and contact person about a particular job that you are qualified for.  Contacting random companies and begging for work is sheer stupidity and  a waste of time too.

Training for Outsourcing Jobs

July 12, 2011 by 123outsource
Categories: Getting a Job | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

We get many people applying for non-existant jobs at our company.  My company consists of myself and one other person. We do all the work. We have no other jobs, and don’t understand why someone is applying for a job, that we never claimed to have?  This clueless behavior is why many are out of work and can’t find any work. Nobody wants to hire someone who can’t think and who wastes others’ time.  Additionally, most of the job applicants can’t spell and are very sloppy in their communication skills. I would never hire anyone to even pour me a cup of coffee if they were sloppy.  So, what is the solution?  Training!
 
What do you need to know?
To work in outsourcing, there are various types of skills you need to know.  For call center work, you need to be able to speak clearly and listen well. For data entry work, you need to have good English skills and good formatting skills.  If you don’t know how words are spelled, you will not be able to correct other people’s errors when transcribing data.  In data entry, you might have a hand written document and type the information into a database.  You are expected to format addresses correctly and find errors in spelling. If you can’t spell yourself, how can you possibly find errors in other people’s spelling? 
 
Catching errors
You might need to notice inconsistancies in data too as a data entry clerk.  If you are looking at addresses and you realize that the zip code (PIN code) is from Delhi, yet the rest of the address seems to be in Cochi, Kerela, you just caught an error. A good data entry clerk is watchful and sharp and can catch mistakes with ease. Sometimes, the name of a neighborhood might erroneously be put in the city field.  In India, addresses often include names of areas like Jayanagar, or Shivaji-nagar.  If the database you are using has a separate field for city and street address, you need to make sure the right information is in the right place.  What if the name of the road is all mushed together?  Springhillroad for example. Do you know when the names should be separated and when they should be together?  Sometimes you need to google this information.  Should Shivaji-nagar have a hyphen, or be separate words? Maybe it should all be one long word.  As a data entry clerk you have to be sharply aware of these issues and have a way of solving them, otherwise you will be the most mediocre data entry keyer in the industry.
 
Schools
If you live in India, the king of the outsourcing industry, you will have no lack of schools for many different outsourcing professions.  Just look in the local classified section of your local newspaper and you will find dozens of schools that will teach you how to work at a call center, data entry company, or medical transcriptioning.  Rather than bothering hundreds of companies for a job when you are not qualified, you are advised to get highly trained so that you are an asset, and not a liability.  Companies in the West want to outsource to save money, but if there are multitudes of errors in the work produced, the errors will cost the companies more money than they are saving.  Many companies that outsourced to the Philippines, or India found that the error rate was sometimes so high, that they were willing to pay ten times as much to have companies in America do the work for them.  On the other hand, if you can provide faster and better service in India, than any American company can provide, you will make a handsome living in the long run.  In the long run quality of work, and good customer service will win you high paying work and steady work as well.

Looking for jobs in all the wrong places

July 3, 2011 by 123outsource
Categories: Getting a Job | Tagged , | Leave a comment

We get all types of feedback from people using our site, but the feedback involves them asking us for a job!  Additionally, people who click the “I’m going to use this company” button want the company to use them, so they are misusing this button. Responses to blogs are mostly from those seeking employment too.  We don’t offer jobs here, we are a DIRECTORY.  If you want a data entry job, go to a data entry company, NOT US!  We can’t help you.
 
What is a directory for?
In America, we have what is called the Yellow Pages.  This is a phone book that you use to look up phone numbers of businesses. If you want a data entry business, you look up under “D” to find companies in specialties beginning with “D”.  As technology evolved, America invented electricity, the telephone, computers, and the internet.  In ancient history it was the Chinese who invented more than anything else, but the 1900’s was the American century — at least for innovation.  Our business is a phone book or yellow pages for outsourcing companies. We DO NOT offer jobs!  We offer a way for companies and freelancers to list their service so the public can find them.  So, please don’t ask me for some processes for your company.  I don’t have that.  I can list your company on my directory and that is the beginning and end of it!
 
We don’t know where the work is!
People say to me, “So, I know you don’t offer jobs, but who does?”.  I can’t answer that question. The only way to get work is to ask specific companies who specialize in the type of work you are trying to do.  Ask them, not me please.  I understand directories, and where to get good sushi in Los Angeles only, that sums up my intelligence.
 
People will not hire you overseas
Most of the inquiries I get are from people who can not spell in English.  If you are in India and can not spell, NOBODY in America will hire you to do anything. The Indians who come to America are doctors and computer experts.  If you have trouble spelling, or trouble with punctuation, you need to perfect your language skills, otherwise nobody can use your service anywhere. 
 
Are you worthy of a job?
If you are not proficient at Data Entry, or Call Center work, and start bugging companies incessantly about a job, you are wasting their time and your own.  Go to school, and become good at something. Then, your job search at least has a chance of having some type of success.  If you don’t understand that proper nouns begin with a capital letter, and you don’t understand that the space goes AFTER the comma, and not before, you need to go back to school — and fast!  
 
What can we do for you?
Our site has a new page where you can list yourself as someone seeking a job.  I’m not sure how many companies visit that page, but at least you are giving yourself a chance.  Most of the entries there are butchered in my opinion.  Mispellings, and not particularly graceful or impressive accounts of previous employment are in abundance.  If you are going to advertise yourself, you should make yourself look impressive. Have someone proofread your work please!  Presentation is everything!  So please take a look at our job seekers page!

How to find a data entry job!

May 14, 2011 by 123outsource
Categories: Data Entry, Getting a Job, Popular Posts | Tagged , , , , | 22 Comments

Where to go to find data entry jobs. 

There are many places you can go to find data entry jobs on the internet, and many places you can find data entry jobs in your city. It is safer to find a real job where you work in an office. That way you meet the boss face to face, and they can not run away when its time to pay you. There are many sites on the internet that can help you find work, but some of these are scams. It is important to find legitimate companies who really need your services and who really will pay you.

Tell-tale signs of scams
If a company wants to use you, but doesn’t test you thoroughly, it is likely that they are not professional, and a potential scam. If a company wants to charge you money for being on their list, there is no guarantee that you will receive a single inquiry. This is risky business. You should not pay money to a company unless they were referred to you by a satisfied customer.

Internet sites
Some sites list job openings, while other sites have opportunities to work remotely. Some sites will help you start your own business. A few sites specialize in helping you get freelance jobs. If you have no business background, it is not advisable to attempt to start you own business doing anything. Data entry is a serious business and clients will not want to hire someone working from home who they don’t know unless you come highly recommended. If you are going to do remote data entry, make sure the company spends time checking you out. If they don’t invest in scrutinizing you, they are likely to not be a good company to work for.

Our recommendations
Find real companies in your metro, or at least within a few hours of your home. Try to meet with them in person, and see if they can either hire you or offer you freelance work. Sometimes, the bosses of these companies will be able to refer you to their colleagues who have similar companies. If your skills are not up to par, you will spend a lot of time job seeking, but without finding much. If your skills are excellent, then you should start off by contacting data entry companies in your area and talking to the HR staff over the phone or in person.

Sites that list job offerings

Indeed.com
This site has a long list of job openings for data entry clerks world wide. It is a good place to look for openings.

Naukrihub.com
This Indian based site can help you find work in many types of professions including medical transcriptions, BPO, and data entry.

BPOjobsathome.com
This site helps you work from home in India and has many types of data entry, and data conversion jobs that you can do.

Careerbuilder.com
Lists Data Entry jobs all over the United States

dataentry.in
This site offers information about data entry jobs in India including medical billing, data processing and many other specialties.

careerguru.com
This site offers a holistic job search. They have many data entry jobs being offered in the United States.

gofreelance.com
This is a fun site, but they don’t have that many actual data entry jobs being offered.

Sites offering work from home opportunities

my-data-team.com
This site offers work from home data entry job opportunities.

online-home-jobs.com
This site caters to people all around the world, including India, the Philippines, and many other countries. This well organized site has a well explained process of how you can find and do data entry work. They even offer online chat with an attentive clerk at the other end.

ourdollars.com
This site offers work from home data entry job opportunities. Get paid by automated funds transfer technology as often as you want to get paid!

online-data-entry-jobs.com
This site allows you to gain employement working from home anywhere in the world. You can be an outsourced data operator, marketing typist, data-collection research assistant, data proofreader, general audio transcriber, response typist, and more!

homeworkers.org
IHA offers many types of jobs where workers can work from home including medical coding, photography, writing, data entry, product assembly, and more germiny.com This site does a thorough job of describing the real work opportunities verses the scams. clickonlinejobs.com Offers work from home data entry jobs.

You might also like:

Training for outsourcing jobs
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2011/07/12/training-for-outsourcing-jobs/

Data Entry & Data Mining basic information
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2010/12/27/data-entry-data-mining-information/

How to write a resume for an outsourcing job
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2016/01/01/how-to-write-a-resume-for-an-outsourcing-job-2016/

Training for outsourcing jobs
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2011/07/12/training-for-outsourcing-jobs/

The winning traits to get an outsourcing job!
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2010/09/09/the-winning-traits-to-get-an-outsourcing-job/

Judge a book by its cover; Judge a company by its office
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/12/16/judge-a-book-by-its-cover-judge-a-company-by-its-office-2016/

People who take the first job they find might be unhappy in the long run
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/08/26/people-who-take-the-first-job-offer-they-get-might-be-unhappy-in-the-long-run/

How to write a resume for an outsourcing job!

March 9, 2011 by 123outsource
Categories: Getting a Job, Outsourcing Articles, Popular Posts | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

To see the 2016 version of this article — click here

How to write a resume for an outsourcing job
 
We get many resumes emailed to us daily, and it is sad to see how poorly organized they always are.  I have not seen one good resume so far.  There is more than one way to write a good resume, but the most important thing is to keep it organized with no omitted information.  Information should be in inverse chronological order, contain information about your education, and even professional memberships.  Please keep in mind that I am sitting here in Los  Angeles, and the rules are different in Manila or Hyderabad, or wherever you may be.
 
Here are some general tips about resumes.

Use a high grade of paper
In America, it is customary for resumes to be treated like very valuable documents such as legal documents like wills, or trusts. Likewise, resumes traditionally are printed by a professional printer and drafted by a professional typist.  The paper used should be a very fancy grade of off-white or ivory colored paper. Some use light gray in the legal profession.  Different professions might have different standards.  The main thing is to ask around to see if a particular grade or shade of paper is preferred.  Your resume is one of your first impressions, and you want to appear fancy and well equipped. If this is not available wherever you are, try to find a very high-end print shop near the downtown of your metro, or do the best you can in your neighborhood.

You might also like:
Ways that people ask for jobs
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2011/07/31/ways-that-people-ask-for-jobs/

Training for outsourcing jobs
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2011/07/12/training-for-outsourcing-jobs/
 
Inverse chronological order
Although there are various ways to craft a resume, the information should be in some sort of clear order.  Make sure that all of the years in your professional life are somehow accounted for, or you will be questioned.  I have seen more resumes in inverse chronological order meaning that the most recent job description is on top.
 
What to put on the resume?
You should state your job objective, and indicate any highlights in terms of your type and level of specialties. There should be a brief summary of each job you have held, education, and anything else that you think is really important.  Its generally preferred to keep it to one page, but two might be okay.  It might not be a bad idea to attach exhibits to the back of the resume: one exhibit for each job you want to elaborate on if there is a lot to say.  That way the interviewer can view that information only if they want to, but won’t be overloaded.
 
Job objective
It is recommended to put this at the top of the resume.  Indicate what type of job you are looking for and why.  
 
Highlighting special skills
You are encouragedd highlight particular areas of experience that would be highly needed by the potential employers you are contacting.
 
What do I say about each company I’ve worked for?
Include the dates you worked for these companies, the name and city of the company, and your job description.  You might quickly mention particular tasks that you were responsible for if you can keep it short.
 
How do I document my education?
State what schools you went to and when.  What degree did you get?  Were there any special areas of focus?  What did you major in?  Stick to Universities and High School, or whatever the highest two degrees you have earned are.  If you went to special trade or music schools, you can list that too to make an impression.
 
Professional memberships?
Everybody wants a job and claims to be good at what they do or want to do.  But, a professional membership can prove how passionate or serious you are about something.  If you claim to be a member of a professional organization, make sure you really attend meetings and know what is going on at that organization so you will appear to be serious.
 
Customized letters should accompany each resume
People looking for jobs fax, email, and mail resumes to everyone in sight.  This is not so smart.  Resumes get throw away quickly.  You should make personal contact with whomever you are sending the resume to so they will remember you when they get the resume. That way they will at least read it before they shred it.  Attach a nice customized letter with the resume. You can say how much you enjoyed talking to them on the phone and how eager you are to get started soon.
 
Don’t list reasons why you terminated employment
If the interviewer wants to ask, they can ask why you left a job.  But, the worst thing you can do is to jump from job to job.  Its expensive to train and hire new employees, so bosses want someone who is stable who will stick around and work hard.
 
Good luck!
Go on the internet and read the details about good resumes.  Have a few people in the business world check your resume and make pointers. Have them check again once you have fixed the pointers.  Its common to go through many drafts before arriving at a perfect finished product.
 
Remember
A resume makes one of the first impressions that you will make with an employer.  Get to know contact people at companies over the phone or in person before sending a resume.  In marketing, having met someone is worth a thousand pieces of paper.  Being on top of your skills is critical.  There are thousands of unqualified people looking for work.  If you feel you are not at the top of your game, please find a tutor, school, or way you can improve upon your weak points.  Make sure you know everything you need to know.  Nobody wants a semi-disfunctional worker. You will waste people’s time and end up unemployed if you don’t know your stuff.  Practice your communication skills to.  Everyone needs someone who can speak well, confidently, and clearly. Meeting someone is the first impression, the resume is the second, but good work skills will keep you employed in the long run with a high salary.

You might also like:

Looking for jobs in all the wrong places
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2011/07/03/looking-for-jobs-in-all-the-wrong-places/

In China, hot girls were hired to motivate programmers
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/08/24/in-china-hot-girls-were-hired-to-motivate-programmers/

Six problems that only individuals working in a BPO industry would understand
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2015/06/15/six-problems-that-only-individuals-working-in-a-bpo-industry-would-understand/

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How to make employers apply to you?

September 25, 2010 by 123outsource
Categories: Getting a Job | Tagged , | Leave a comment

This might sound easier said than done, but employers are tired of the same dumb people applying for jobs. What do employers look for and What are employers looking for? Crafier and more saavy employers do what the industry calls “digging” to find some unusual and more interesting job candidates. Employers are tired of brain-dead applicants faxing their CV or resume. They are tired of boring interviews. They want to hire someone who is exciting and alive.

There was a guy who wrote his own blog, and said that he was looking for a job. His blog was so interesting, and he wrote so much about himself and what he liked to do, that many employers did contact him. For most of us, this strategy wouldn’t work. But, for unique and creative people, it could work. Some employers want to hire someone with a Master’s degree to be a blogger while others prefer to hire someone who has written amazing blogs before? Who would you hire?

By putting your work on the web, prospective employers can check you out before they even talk to you. Great! People want to see what you actually can do, and what you would produce instead of a bunch of unverifiable claims boasting about how great you are. Put your work on the table!

There are also sites where you can post a profile about yourself and what job you are looking for. If you do a nice job with your profile, employers might give you more attention that you might expect. Remember that the OTHER profiles are probably boring and list a bunch of potentially fake qualifications. Make yours really unique and interesting in a good way, and then you might be the one who gets called. Remember, the key is to stand out and show what you have got!

The winning traits to get an outsourcing job!

September 9, 2010 by 123outsource
Categories: Getting a Job, Outsourcing Articles | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

How to get an outsourcing job
 
I get emails daily from people in the Philippines, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan asking for the secrets to getting a job in outsourcing or doing outsourcing.  Doing outsourcing is no different from any other industry.  You provide a service, and someone pays you.  The only difference is that the person or company paying you lives in a different country.  The main focus is to always be improving and sharpening your skills and to be at the top of your game.  Presentation is another very important factor.
 
Presentation
Most people have a variety of skill sets.  Some people are good at being a “people person”, while others are good with numbers, or good with their hands.  The best acupuncturists are generally the worst at marketing and vice versa.  The worst chiropractor I have ever had was a millionaire because he knew how to market his clinic and how to hire other people who were good at chiropractic work and related professions.  Maybe you are good at your work, but terrible at presenting yourself.  Have you ever thought about that?    If you are unskilled, then you will not be able to get any type of decent job until you have some solid skills.  An unskilled person should find a way to become masterful at some skill.  But, for those that are skilled, but have lousy presentation skills, here is my “expert” advice:
 
Presenting yourself has many facets, and don’t overlook any of them.  A good RESUME is key.  DRESSING well is very important in our superficial planet.  Being PUNCTUAL is critical.  Being pleasant or even FUN to work with can be a huge determining factor in getting or keeping a job — nobody wants to work with someone who makes them feel like tearing their hair out no matter how talented you might be.  A good ATTITUDE that comprises caring about others and caring about what you are doing is irreplaceable.  LANGUAGE skills are critical — do you speak clearly and enunciate or do you avoid people and grunt “uh” when someone asks you a question?  If English is not your mother tongue, people will still enjoy talking to you if you are clear, helpful, and pleasant, no matter how thick or thin your accent is.  SPELLING — do you type with an accent?  People lose respect for others who don’t spell well (which is a problem for me, because I’m  a lousy speller-er).  Lets elaborate on these main points below:
 
Resume
People send me their resumes daily and these documents are filled with a multitude of sins.  Some resumes do not clearly document what the person does, while others don’t document what company and metro the person worked.  If the company and metro are mentioned, job descriptions and responsibilities are often omitted.   The purpose of a resume is to evoke a feeling of credibility and to inform others. If you leave out all of the useful information that someone would look for in a resume, your resume will get tossed in the trash.  As a general rule you should NOT send a resume to anyone you have not talked to either in person or over the phone.  Resumes end up in what Americans call, “The circular file” (trash).  Go to a professional resume editor to have your resume get a professional touch and you will impress everyone.  Additionally, people misrepresent themselves on resumes making themselves look like they are much more skilled than they really are.  Try to make your resume look real, and make your experience look believable and include contact information so that your information can easily be checked by the person reading the resume.  You could include contact information for the manager(s) you worked for. 
 
There are different formats for resumes.  It could be in inverse chronological order.  You could include: Job Objective, Highlights, Relevant Experience, Work History, and Education.  Avoid leaving “holes” in your resume.  If there is no material for 2002-2008 then the person reading your resume will wonder what you were up to?  It is best if a resume is on one page, but two pages might be acceptable if the content is good.  The resume should be professionally typed with adequate margins.  It must be proofread so you can be sure that there are no errors.  Its traditional in America to have a resume on special off white or ivory rough paper.   The quality of the paper is part of a professional presentation.
 
FYI: I do NOT hire individuals for any jobs, nor do I have personal contacts in outsourcing other than programming companies throughout the world.  Please do NOT send me your resume.  
 
Dressing
People have always been very superficial, and human nature shows no sign of changing.  Dressing for success is very important, however, what to wear can depend on your job description and culture.  Italians like flashy suits, while the British prefer more “understated” clothing.  Indians are always found in slacks and a button down shirt and rarely wear a tie (at least in the high tech industry).  Blue collar jobs have set uniforms, while white collar jobs allow a lot of flexibility in the grades of quality of clothing.  If you have expensive clothes, but wear them sloppily, you will make a mediocre impression.  But, what if you get clothes for a bargain that make you look like a millionaire — its possible.  Remember, that you are dressing for others and not yourself.   If your boss is happy if you wear old “frumpy” clothes with holes in them, then there is no harm in wearing them.  Since we are not psychics, we don’t know how others that we don’t know want us to dress.  Therefor, its best to dress well so we are more likely to please our superiors.
 
Punctuality
Working with others involves coordination.  If someone is always late, it is aggravating to work with them.  If you show up late for your interview, the boss will expect that you will be even more late for future meetings and will strongly consider not hiring you.  In some European countries, you are supposed to come a few minutes early, while in Japan you customarily must arrive within seconds of the appointed time to avoid being rude.  Japanese coordinate their trains and cabs so they arrive exactly on time.  If you live in India where the locals are on IST (Indian Standard Time — always late), if you are on time, you will be special, and everyone will like you — at least after they arrive which will be at least twenty minutes after you do.  They will appreciate that you are waiting for them instead of them waiting for you. Although Indians are much more patient than any other nationality on the planet, they still will appreciate your punctuality.
 
Being pleasant and fun
Some salespeople are overly friendly and it sometimes comes across as fake.  But, their livelihood depends on interaction, so they try to speak in a pleasant way and be fun.  If you are trying to get a job, you are selling yourself. You need to be up beat, fun, and ready for action.  Although Americans have some of the worst scores in math and science in the developed world, the levels of confidence and fun-ness are higher here than in other places.  Indians are the opposite.  Its common to see an Indian who can do PhD level math have no self confidence and be very shy, uptight and rigid at a job interview.  In the professional world, those who can be fun without sacrificing professinalism or responsibility have a huge edge over the competition.  Additionally, smiling generally doesn’t hurt unless you are applying for a job in a mortuary.
 
Attitude
A good work attitude is important anywhere.  You need to really care about what you are doing and about the people you are helping. In India, the culture lends its self to a lot of superficial bowing down to authorities.  Indians love to huddle around their superiors, kiss their feet (at least mentally), and never question authority.  This might be a cultural necessity (I’m glad we are not like that here), but its superficial.  Real caring and responsibility is necessary.  Responsibility will be omitted in this blog because it is a minor part of getting a job, although its the main component in keeping  a job.
 
Language
We live in a world where people speak several languages, and we all use language differently.  Slang can differ from metro to metro, and levels of formality differ in different types of professional and class environments.  Obviously if you want to work at a call center, you need to speak and communicate clearly and be patient with others.  But, to be a programmer or data entry clerk, its also advantageous if you can communicate clearly.  When I talk to programmers in India, I always have to say, “What?”, because I can never hear their answer to my question.  “Was that a yes or a no?”.  If you are shy, quiet, or an unclear person, try to practice being clear.  Nothing in life comes easily, especially language.  People spend twenty years learning their native language, and another twenty to learn a foreign language. Plan on putting some thought and effort into speaking clearly.
 
Spelling
If you are submitting written work to a manager or boss, make sure you spell well and write well.  Have your work checked by your most erudite friend if you have such a friend.  Paying a professional to edit your work wouldn’t be a crime if you can afford it.  People lose respect for me every day each time I make a spelling mistake.  I write a lot and most of it is not valuable enough to triple check.  I explain to people who criticize my spelling that I am a marketing professional, not a spelling professional.  Those people who lose respect for me still do business with me since I get them work, but its painful to be disrepected so frequently for petty reasons. The main point is to do whatever you consider to be “doing your best” to spell well when submitting important documents.   Its as important as your professional skills to many people.