John Gokongwei's Speech About More Than Getting A Job

I just read John Gokongwei's speech in one of his talks before Ateneo graduates, and what struck me was that contrary to what everybody seemed to me looking for - a job, or rather a well-paying job, John Gokongwei wanted the Filipino graduate to DO more, to BE more. It's a worthy ambition and maybe some kids (who are unlike me) will be able to attain that dream. Here's an excerpt from his talk:

Entrepreneurship is the answer. We need young people who will find the idea, grab the opportunity, take risk, and set aside comfort to set up businesses that will provide jobs. But why? What are jobs? Jobs are what allow people to feel useful and build their self-esteem. Jobs make people productive members of the community. Jobs make people feel they are worthy citizens. And jobs make a country worthy players in the world market. In that order of things, it is the entrepreneurs who have the power to harness the creativity and talents of others to achieve a common good. This should leave the world a better place than it was.

Let me make it clear: Job creation is a priority for any nation to move forward. For example, it is the young entrepreneurs of Malaysia , Thailand , and Singapore who created the dynamic businesses that have propelled their countries to the top. Young people like yourselves. Meanwhile, in the Philippines , progress is slow. Very little is new. Hardly anything is fresh. With a few exceptions, the biggest companies before the war-like PLDT, Ayala, and San Miguel-are still the biggest companies today. All right, being from the Ateneo, many of you probably have offers from these corporations already.

You may even have offers from JG Summit. I say: Great! Take these offers, work as hard as you can, learn everything these companies can teach-and then leave! If you dream of creating something great, do not let a 9-to-5 job-even a high-paying one-lull you into a complacent, comfortable life. Let that high-paying job propel you toward entrepreneurship instead. When I speak of the hardship ahead, I do not mean to be skeptical but realistic.

To Work Or Not To Work... In A Call Center

That's a question I asked myself a few years back when I was still pretty darned ambitious and all these call centers were popping up. There are even more now mind you! It seems like they're growing by the minute and they're all hiring like crazy!

In Cebu there are Convergys, eTelecare and People Support as the big three I think, but there's also ePerformax and Teletech and probably a bunch more that I'm just not familiar with.

I have met a lot of people who vowed that they would never work in a call center. Some of them call it the "last resort" and many think that it's actually a no-brainer job.

I actually respect people who work in the customer support industry. Believe me it's not easy. I have not tried myself, but I've seen how it's done and I've seen how agents are trained and I've seen how they are managed.

It's pretty rigorous and agents should get more credit for that. I for one, can never hold my patience down when somebody annoyingly stupid is on the other line.

I haven't tried being a call center agent and although there are prejudices about being one, I think it's a pretty good industry to be in nowadays. Even with the economic crisis, it doesn't seem like any of them is slowing down in terms of hiring. So that's a positive indication that the industry is still strong.

I work in marketing, where I'll probably be for the next few years of my life - God willing. But for sure, I won't turn down an opportunity to work in a call center for the right opportunity.

Keep an open mind. Call centers may have high turn-over rates but based on experience, this also accelerates growth and corporate ascendancy in the business if you just stick to it. Like all things, it's a job that somebody's got to do. If you do your job with extra effort and just shine. People will notice you in whatever industry in whatever position. You can succeed.

Top Three Things Your Should Expect To Feel When You're With Your New Job, Your New Office, Your New Boss

I'm in a new office. I have a new job. I have a new boss. I haven't been anywhere new in Lord knows how long. I'm not the kind who can just open up to anybody. I'm quite the introvert really and often people think I'm a snob. I've even been called arrogant and snotty. But that's just the way I am. I'm very transparent towards people who know me, but for people that I've just met, I would be considered rather aloof. I don't really warm up easily.

You could only imagine how I felt when I moved from my old job to my new job. But as I confided in friends and family, I realized most of what I felt were quite normal. So here they are for the benefit of those who might be in the same boat I'm in:

1. Uncomfortable. You'll come from a place where you practically knew everybody and (well in my case) almost everything there was needed to know about your job. Naturally when you've stayed in a place long enough, you inculcate all that you need to know about the job - if you didn't you'd probably quit. So the transition is going to be uncomfortable. Having to start again in a new place with new tasks surrounded by new people. Unless you're more like some of my friends who can just as easily converse with new acquaintances, you'll feel that very awkward feeling of being out of the loop. It'll get better though as you get to know people and just absorb the company's culture.


2. Humbling. As I've mentioned I came from a place where I practically knew everything there was needed to know about my job. And so moving to a new office where I'm required to have the same skill set, the same knowledge base and expertise as my previous position is quite humbling because starting out in a different industry means that I had to go back to square one as novice. Had to accept that practically everyone around me knew just a little bit more than I did and that I had to accept correction from people above and below. Personally, I don't mind being corrected and criticized that I can take. It's the "not knowing" part that really bothers me - maybe because I'm management, I feel like I should know these things and I feel rather irresponsible if I don't


3. Insecure. This is probably just me because I feel I have so much at stake, having a child and all. But insecurity doesn't just mean I don't have security of tenure, it's an overall feeling of not really being sure. Half the time I don't know what I'm supposed to do so I tag along with more experienced members of the team. Where I work now, people don't take it easy on you because you're new and there is no such thing as a learning curve allowance. Here, it's swim or sink. I just try to do the best I can in hopes that my work meets their standards. But the fact that I'm new makes it very difficult to even be aware of these standards. That's where the insecurity comes to play.
   

Well those are my top three. But I have to admit things are getting better. The good thing about a new office is also that you have the opportunity to meet new friends. And that is a blessing by itself. I have been very fortunate to have met a lot of professional and talented people. I feel like I'm the presence of experts all the time. It makes me feel tiny sometimes but more often than not, lucky -- very lucky.

Top 3 Reasons Why People Change Jobs

I recently just changed jobs. I was paid ridiculously high and was quite comfortable where I was but I realized that though I was not unhappy, it felt like something was missing. And so I made the jump. It got me thinking, why do people switch jobs? Here's my top 3

1. People switch jobs for more money! Of course that is the obvious choice. We want more money and we need more money with the inflation and living conditions being what they are. That is a given
2. People switch jobs for better career positioning. Everyone wants to move up in life. If another position is open that offers advancement from the status quo then why not right?
3. People switch jobs because they are dissatisfied. This is my reason because I was definitely paid more by my previous employer - double in fact than what I'm getting now for the same position. My parents just shake their heads at the thought of not being able to enjoy that kind of money anymore. But it's the better choice I think.
   

I was dissatisfied because I felt I could learn more. I was dissatisfied because I felt I could do more if I were directed and mentored in the way that I realized could never be done by my current employer. And that is why I left.

But just so we have a moral to this story: although we think that we should be paid a premium for the amount and quality of work that we do, we should still look out for our own personal satisfaction. I couldn't imagine going to work everyday and being so miserable.

The BPO Industry Set To Grow To Need 1 Billion Employees - So Who Are They Looking For?

With BPO growing at a break-neck pace particularly here in the Philippines, there has been a projection that the industry will provide more than 1 billion jobs in relation to BPO - otherwise known as business process outsourcing.

To correct some misconceptions, which is that BPO only relates to call centers and contact centers, which is a majority but not the entire truth, BPO is in fact composed of many different industries:

• We already know of the call centers and/or customer service centers that are now everywhere. They employ hundreds of people and also, exit a lot of them considering that many workers have to come in during the night and try to sleep during the day. That is a difficult job, but since the clients are on a different time zone then that will have to be a work-related adjustment many of us have to make if we indeed need and/or want the job
• There are also numerous back-offices that include finance or accounting offices that are outsourced, this employs numerous accountants, analysts and finance executives
• Design is also a skill that is often outsourced. More often supplied by freelancers that actual companies - website design and graphic design in general is very common as a service that can even be done within the convenience of home. Designers are quite lucky.
• There is also the medical-related back office which is mostly now medical transcription. These companies are paid a lot of money I hear and that is why I think they are investing in ways to train people before they hire them

There are many kinds of people that the BPO industry is looking for, I may have missed some of them but rest assured that there are a lot of job opportunities for different types of graduates available if only you work hard and not get picky at the job you want to do.