Survival Jobs in Calgary

[Ketevan]

Call centre job is relatively easy to get but not that easy to survive. I got a call centre job 3 weeks after landing in montreal but could not stay there more than 2 months. I will explain why:

The first reason is that you are forced to sell a certain quota per day. I was working in customer service for large telecom in income calls. After solving the client's problem (e.g. Paying bill) I had to propose a product to him. If he said no, I had to insist until he gets furious and hangs up or swears at me. It is hard to work when you feel that everybody hates you. If you do not sell enough, after 3 months you get sacked.

The second - you are constantly under control. If you spend more than 2 minutes looking for the answer to client's question, the vigilance officer will come and pull your ear. But believe me in most cases 2 minutes is not enough to find info. Your heartbeat reaches dangerous maximum.

All your calls are recorded. At the end of the day, your team and your coach will go to class to listen to your call and criticize you together. Here you asked too many questions, there you took a too deep breath, here you forgot to mute while coughing...

Working hours are inhumane - finishing at midnight on monday, starting at 7 am on tuesday, finishing at midnight on wednesday etc.

And all of this for a minimum wage and under supervision of people who do not even have a university of college degree. Wave good bye to your self esteem.

After quitting the job, i spent 3 weeks on job hunting and the only interview that I got was again with a call centre. Seems my destiny is to return there, but this time I will avoid any aggressive sales duties and when customers swear at me, I will imagine I am listening to Beethoven.

a call centre job is an easy survival job, it also helps new immigrants develop their communication skills

 

[kingkong1]

Call centre job is relatively easy to get but not that easy to survive. I got a call centre job 3 weeks after landing in montreal but could not stay there more than 2 months. I will explain why:

The first reason is that you are forced to sell a certain quota per day. I was working in customer service for large telecom in income calls. After solving the client's problem (e.g. Paying bill) I had to propose a product to him. If he said no, I had to insist until he gets furious and hangs up or swears at me. It is hard to work when you feel that everybody hates you. If you do not sell enough, after 3 months you get sacked.

The second - you are constantly under control. If you spend more than 2 minutes looking for the answer to client's question, the vigilance officer will come and pull your ear. But believe me in most cases 2 minutes is not enough to find info. Your heartbeat reaches dangerous maximum.

All your calls are recorded. At the end of the day, your team and your coach will go to class to listen to your call and criticize you together. Here you asked too many questions, there you took a too deep breath, here you forgot to mute while coughing...

Working hours are inhumane - finishing at midnight on monday, starting at 7 am on tuesday, finishing at midnight on wednesday etc.

And all of this for a minimum wage and under supervision of people who do not even have a university of college degree. Wave good bye to your self esteem.

After quitting the job, i spent 3 weeks on job hunting and the only interview that I got was again with a call centre. Seems my destiny is to return there, but this time I will avoid any aggressive sales duties and when customers swear at me, I will imagine I am listening to Beethoven.

Yeah, from what I hear from you, it seems easier to get this kind of call centre jobs than a cashier job at a McDonald's.

 

[Ketevan]

I have not applied to cashier in MacDonalds, but applied as cashier to banks and never got response to my applications. I get immediate interview invitations to my applications to call centres though, both outsource call centres and within-company centres or probably they call me out of curiosity,just to ask why with a british PhD I apply to such jobs as if it was my choice 8)
I would prefer a cashier in MD though, because my actions will not be constantly recorded and people generally are in good mood, while in my previous call centre 80% of clients called to yell and hang up.

Guess what? Yesterday I got to know an egyptian lady by chance in a park and when we started talking about job experiences, it turned out she worked in the same call centre as me and quit for the same reason as me - sales pressure.

Yeah, from what I hear from you, it seems easier to get this kind of call centre jobs than a cashier job at a McDonald's.

 

[ravercwb]

I have not applied to cashier in MacDonalds, but applied as cashier to banks and never got response to my applications. I get immediate interview invitations to my applications to call centres though, both outsource call centres and within-company centres or probably they call me out of curiosity,just to ask why with a british PhD I apply to such jobs as if it was my choice 8)
I would prefer a cashier in MD though, because my actions will not be constantly recorded and people generally are in good mood, while in my previous call centre 80% of clients called to yell and hang up.

Guess what? Yesterday I got to know an egyptian lady by chance in a park and when we started talking about job experiences, it turned out she worked in the same call centre as me and quit for the same reason as me - sales pressure.

Hi there,

Have you tried to move to a francophone province since you have a British PhD?

Have you worked on your Canadian resume and applied to real jobs emphasizing your British experience and expertise?

Thanks for replying.

RaverCWB

 

[Ketevan]

I am already in francophone province - Quebec.

Yes, there is no bank, consultancy company or college left in Quebec where I have not applied yet.

Hi there,

Have you tried to move to a francophone province since you have a British PhD?

Have you worked on your Canadian resume and applied to real jobs emphasizing your British experience and expertise?

Thanks for replying.

RaverCWB

 

[ravercwb]

I am already in francophone province - Quebec.

Yes, there is no bank, consultancy company or college left in Quebec where I have not applied yet.

I mean anglofone province

 

[Ketevan]

I am quebec skilled worker and signed a contract before landing that I will live in Quebec only. Besides, I do not find the situation in other provinces significantly better as I follow my friends' stories there. Wherever we go, we face the same scepticism towards foreign credentials, where these are British or Malawian credentials.

I mean anglofone province