Everything is doing well in my new job and I even got my first salary last week which gives me more motivation to continue and to stay in the company for good if ever they will give me a chance. The training is getting more intense but fun at the same time since we’re adapting the whole environment of our workplace and absorbing all the processes and procedures of our job. If there’s one thing I can complain, that would be the location and transportation difficulties. I have to travel 3 hours ahead of my schedule which makes it a bit more stressing. Not to mention if there’s a heavy traffic along your way. If i only have a car, this would no longer be an issue for me because I can take those alternative and short cut routes to our company. It is less time consuming indeed. I might consider renting a space somewhere near my office too so it would no longer be a hassle for me to commute. Or better yet, I’ll get my own RV (Recreational Vehicle) and stay wherever I like near the location of my company. I’m not really sure if we have places here where you can park your RV legally like those places in US but that would be really cool if we have one.  But of course, if you will get or buy an RV , make sure you apply for 5th wheel insurance as well to hedge the risk of any possible devastating loss in case you got involved in a vehicular accident. Well, anyway, since I do not have enough budget yet to buy my own car, i have to bear all these stressing daily travel experience. After all, i have to face everything in a professional manner especially if i really want to stay in this company right?

So I got the message from the HR personnel, inviting me for initial interview and exams for tomorrow. I immediately prepared myself for it. I’m kinda nervous yet pretty exciting because this would be my first job outside Cavite if ever. I picked on the best attire, shined my shoes, prepared my documents and resume, and also got a haircut. I slept early because I was scheduled for a 10 am Interview and knowing that I am not familiar with the place, I had to travel 4 hours ahead of my scheduled time.

And so, I woke up early, took my breakfast right on time (which is kinda rare because i usually take my lunch and breakfast together). I went to the bus terminal exactly 6 am. I am not aware about the time and travel interval from Cavite to Makati. I don’t have my own car so i really have to commute

Good thing we have transit buses here that go directly to Baclaran which is, by far, the nearest location to that company. It took me an hour before reaching Baclaran and I had to ask someone to tell me how to reach the location of that company. They told me to ride another bus going to “LRT/Ayala” and tell the driver to take me to the that building. It took me almost 30 minutes to reach that place though I had a hard time looking for that specific building which took me another 30 minutes before reaching the exact place. And Since i traveled 4 hours ahead of my time, I am 2 hours early on my schedule ^_^.

I sit down at the waiting area along with the other applicants, and then an HR staff came in, called our names one by one. She sent us to a room and distribute the exam papers to us. The room is more like a pantry to me and the HR is so informal not to be so strict to the other applicants. The first exam, to be honest was quite easy since it is more like an exam that requires practical answers. I think it is done to measure how fast we can response on a certain type of situation. Since we will be handling calls, it is very understandable why it is necessary for us to take such exams. The second exam was quite tough because it was related to technical. Some terms are Jargon for me. I know the basics but not everything. I was crossing my fingers that time, hoping to pass the exam.

The results came in, and my heart was jumping out of joy when i heard my name. They asked us to wait at the lobby area and started calling our names one by one.  It’s a one on one interview so we really have to wait. And when a staff called my name, she sent me to a new room which is nicer than the first one. I was introduced to their HR Manager who is also the one who interviewed me. She asked me some basic questions at first and then some tricky ones at the end. I rattled, somehow at the end but I managed to handle myself and answer her questions completely. She told me to expect a call from their HR within a week to notify me if i made it or not. If I made it, they will schedule me for the Final Interview.  I’m not really sure actually and I was planning to apply to another company after that. I was about to leave the building when my phone rang. It’s a call from their HR, asking me to go back, scheduling me for the Final Interview. whoah! That was fast right? Even though I am aware that Call centers usually have one day application process, I’m still quite surprised.

Anyway, 3 of us made it to the Final Interview that day and they give us another location where the Final Interview will be held.  They deployed us to another company and we have to commute again just to reach that place. There, we meet another applicant from another agency, applying for the same position. They sent us to a room and told us to wait. A staff came in calling the first applicant. It took him almost 30 minutes and that’s pretty long for an interview. I was so nervous when he mentioned that we will be interviewed by 3 persons from higher departments. I was the last one to be interviewed and my feet were shaking so bad. I went to the room where I was directed to and I saw them sitting beside a mini conference table. They invited me to come in. They asked me several things, technical and Customer service related questions. Thanks God I am quite familiar with the questions being thrown to me and I think I did pretty well.

I am satisfied with my answers and I hope they do feel the same way. It was 6 pm when they sent me out. They told me that  results will be given to my agency and they agency will inform us whether we passed or not.

I am not familiar with the location so I really have to rush myself and look for a bus or jeepney that will take me to Baclaran again. I had a  very stressful travel that day because the bus suddenly stopped at the middle of the highway. I will post about it in my next entry.

Finally, I got a chance to share you my first serious job hunt in Makati. Well, It’s been more than a year since the last time I worked under an Employer, since then, I decided to work at home as a Freelance web writer. Being a Freelance writer has never been an easy task. Even though I have my own time, i still have to stay online the whole day and also to meet all the deadlines I have. What’s a Freelance Web Writer? Well, as what the job title suggests, I am working a Freelancer. I used to write reviews or articles on a certain products, services, websites and more based on the request of the advertisers. I’m not really sure if it’s the best term to describe my job but one thing for sure, I am making money online using my blogs and websites. The Income is good enough to support all my needs and also to support my family, however, unlike those typical jobs, the compensation here is quite tentative and not stable enough. I also don’t have those necessary benefits that every employees should have. This is my main reason why i decided to look for a new job. Unfortunately, we don’t have much companies here in Cavite which will suit my resume. Remember, I am an undergrad so it is quite hard for me to be hired easily. A friend of mine encouraged me to hit Makati and look for latest job openings. Of course, i decided to look available jobs online first. It is very frustrating that almost all online job searches today are populated with the same kind of job industries. Expect to see jobs related to Call centers, Office Staffs, and SEO specialists. Actually I was aiming to be in an Office job, however, as you can recall, I was scammed by a company last 2008 (check my post here) so since then, I try not to deal with any company that is looking for an office staff or other related position. So I have no choice, even though I hate to be in a call center industry again, I really have to. I set my own goal that I should have a job before the year ends so really have to rush myself to get a new job. I worked as a TSR before so somehow, i am familiar with the drill and I am aware how stressing the job was.

Fortunately, I found a job opening for a Local Call center somewhere in Makati. It is Day Shift, it is Local, and the compensation is not much different from other call centers. This might be a Signal call for me so I grabbed that opportunity and send my resume online provided with a cover letter. The day after my submission, I received a text message from their HR personnel inviting me for initial interview and exam.

Things went fast after the interview. The rest of my Job Hunt Experience in Makati in my next entries…

Today, i will share you my experience about this Scam company and how they scammed an innocent applicant like me. It was way back 2008 when I decided to hit Makati and apply in some companies. And then here goes a company who was looking for some office staffs as a part of their company expansion.

I will definitely mention their name here so that you guys are aware about their modus operandi. Anyway, the name of the company is SIE (Solid Innovation Enterprise). The company is known for selling Water purifier and Refrigerator freshener. I wasm’t aware about the company so i decided to pursue my application,

Here’s how they scam their innocent applicants. They will organize interviews and they will even have a brief orientation about their company, when is the company established, etc etc. Of course, their words are very convincing, keeping all your doubts away. As a matter of fact, when they saw my resume, they even offer me a supervisory level with high compensation package, making me so attracted to the job. The process of application is as normal as the others except for their last and final exam. The exam will be done in actual where in they will require you to sell at least one of their products in a day. Meaning, you have to go outside, working as a promodizer, and you have to exert all your effort just to dispose at least one of their items.

This is the only way for you to be hired which made me realized that there is something wrong with the process. I am applying for the Office Staff Position right? They told us that our job will not be dealing with any sales so why do we have to sell their item just to pass their exam?

I backed out and then i searched about the company’s profile and i have read about their modus operandi. Well, the lesson here is that you have to conduct your own research first before applying to any company. Check the company’s history and ask some of your friends whether they are familiar with the company or not.

At the end, i just wasted my time, my effort and my money. Sigh.

My job right now is barely relying on the Internet and i just can’t live a day without accessing my sites. Working as a freelance writer is not that easy since i have to meet all the deadlines or else i will not be paid. It’s pressuring indeed but at the same time, it’s fun. I treat it more as a challenge than a pressure. Well, being optimistic is somehow helpful to keep all those stress away.

Tomorrow is my big day since i have to contact one of our major clients to talked about our upcoming projects this July. Gosh, this is very time consuming! Could you imagine that i have to call each clients every time we have projects? I might suggest my boss to download that MegaMeeting Webinar Software so that we can reach each clients much faster and easier.

Anyway, since I’ll be very busy tomorrow, i may not be around here in the blogosphere for awhile but i promise that I’ll do my blog hopping routine once i got back. Happy blogging Everyone Miss yah all!

Here’s the my fourth article about about Internet Scams and Hoaxes. If you missed my previous entries you can check these links ( Bank Details and Phishing Scams,  Fake Medical Information, Urban Legends About Contaminated Food and Drinks). Anyway, our topic for today is probably one of the most common and popular type of scams and I myself, was a victim of it too. Have you ever received emails promoting the joy and ease of working at home usually in bold-faced and capitalized subject lines full of exclamation points?

Messages with subject lines like “Make Extra Cash At Home”, “Work in the comfort of Your Own Home”, and “Wide Selection of Jobs… Top Pay! are tempting to open but don’t be fooled. According to some reliable websites, people who do respond to fraudulent work-at-home schemes are asked to pay a lifetime enrollment fee in exchange for the listing of the name and address of about 80 Companies. And then, it is up to you to contact those companies for more information and thorough verification.

Sometimes, the contacting “company” will even charge an additional fees for a start up kit for each job type that includes assembling electronic circuit boards, assembling holiday decoration, typing, processing coupons and the like. Jobs that require the assembly of crafts may also require users to purchase costly materials, equipment and training from the fraud perpetrator in order to make the products. However, once you invest, they never buy back the products or refused to pay for the finished products on allegations that they did not meet “quality standards”

Others attempting to contact the company to question them only to find out that the phone line has been disconnected or the company has closed shop and moved to a new location.

Well, such offers are deceptive and misleading and should be ignored or reported to the authorities. Many ads do not disclose that you have to work an inordinate number of hours without pay or do not disclose hidden costs. And of course, it’s also a matter of common sense. Be aware if the email came out from nowhere and should not do any transactions unless you proved that the company is a trusted one.

Up Next: Me, Being Scammed!!!

There are so many things and factors to consider before deciding to renovate any parts of your house especially the bathroom. Well, first, you have to make sure if your budget is enough for your plans. Remember that there will be some unexpected expenses if ever the worker found some faulty defects in your bathroom especially those plumbing related issues.

If you know how to renovate it yourself and if you have the skills, then good for you because you do not have to worry that much in finding the right remodeling company but if you do not know anything about renovation then better not take the risk or else you will end up in a very disastrous outcome.

Hiring professionals has always been the best option when it comes to bathroom remodeling. Well first, they are well trained to it and they can guarantee you to get the your desired bathroom satisfactorily. They also have the right equipments for this kind of operation and they can finish their work in no time. Oh and you can contact them again in case there of troubles.

In Chicago for example, if you are looking for a Chicago remodeling services, you can simply contact Chicago Renovation & Development. The company is well known for providing high quality services. You can call them at 847-786-4902 or you can simply visit their official webpage by clicking the link provided above.

Working at home is not really bad at all. Being a freelancer is probably one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. However, being a self employed has many disadvantages too especially when it comes to benefits.

Just like what i said, i am a freelancer so it means i have no direct contract to my employers and my benefits are so limited. Actually, it seems that i have no benefits at all. What i am missing here are those long term benefits, those necessary benefits that all employers should have like the Social Security System contribution, Housing, and even the health or life insurance. My mom said that i better start self contributing which is obviously the only way left to me to get those benefits and use them in the near future. However, i just have to bear with some sacrifices because i have no choice but to go directly to their company and pay the contribution myself.

And when it comes to the insurance thing, i guess i have nothing to worry because i can get one online via www.wholesaleinsurance.net. Good thing transaction like this can be done over the web and i do not have to visit or go directly to the insurance company. Whew! at least, i have nothing to worry about the benefits now even though i am just a freelancer right?

Interview is one of the most crucial and the most nerve wracking part of any application but this is actually something that you should not be afraid of because this is a part where you can showcase yourself and prove to them that you really have what it takes to be on that position. Know what the job entails you are applying for. Find out all you can about the company before you apply. Think up reason why you would be the ideal man for the job. Think of sensible questions to ask the interviewer. Go over in your mind possible questions you will be asked and think of intelligent answers to give.

When you are introduced with your interviewer, greet him or her with a warm smile, a strong handshake and maintain eye contact at all times. Don’t look at the floor or ceiling or else he will think that you are hiding something or you lack of confidence. Your education may be impressive but it won’t always guarantee you a job. Your personality, dress and manners plus education and previous experiences will.

Do not oversell yourself. Make the interviewer aware in a confident way of your qualifications and the reasons you feel you are the man for the job. Do not ask inane questions or give hazy answers.  One of the most irksome things you can do is to start inquiring about vacations and benefits. Know exactly what the salary you desire. Know what the job will demand for your talents. If possible, come to the interview with a suggested plan of action you would propose to implement should you be employed. Be forthright, do not try and mislead your interviewer. If you were fired from the previous position tell him so and the reason why. If you lie, you will be found out. Never negate a previous employer. Loyalty is valued by all employers.

Waaah! You guys do not have any idea how stressing my day is. My boss gave me tons of assignment to do and all of them should be submitted before Monday. I really don’t know what to do now and I just can’t say “NO” to him since there’s no one else can do this job other than me. Well, this sounds like I’ll be off from the Internet for awhile until I’m done with all of these pending tasks. I don’t want to disappoint my boss and instead of complaining, i should be more grateful for all the trust that my employer is giving me. I should face everything professionally and prove to them that i really deserved to be in this position.

Anyway, I will hit the mall later so maybe I’ll grab that opportunity to buy some bath salts. I used to add them  in my bath to make me feel more relaxed. It has this therapeutic effect that keep all my stress away. So once i got home, i will definitely take some bath  to wash away all these pressure and stress inside me before proceeding to my work again. Wish me luck guys. Will be back soon!