Once again, it's has been a long long time since i've last blogged. I'll definitely try to do it whenever I'm free. Anyway, I've officially left the Army since 31Jan2011 and celebrated Chinese New Year the following week. Basically, Chinese New Year this year wasn't much of enthusiasm. It has really become a recurring event. We'll just have to wait next year. I'll need time to think of ways to make it exciting.
Immediately after I ended my last day in Army, I started to find job. It was really a tiring task to find a temporary job. In the end, I had to blast out generic emails to whatever temp jobs I could find on Job street. Fortunately, I got a few replies from another agency, Recruit Express. Things were starting to pick up when I went for the interview at Tampines. It was only a few days after the interview that I realised the interviewer from the agency was younger than me. I guessed that she must have been a temp staff too. Anyway, I also realised that I had focus on the wrong market sector. The branch in Tampines only handles jobs offerings at corporations in the east area. Most of them are engineering and industrial companies. Well, she offered me $7/hr which I think would not be able to satisfy my desire to earn huge bucks. In this case, I would rather go back into the Army and continue the job I was previously handling. Easy money you know. Wait. I take that back. My job in army wasn't that easy as well. One good thing I encountered was that she did not really get back to me with regards to the job offer. Why? I was offered another Job from the Banking and Finance branch at UOB Plaza. This time round it was different. At least it was a job that's somehow related to what I wished I'll do in the future.
The consultant offered me a job in HSBC and was asking if I mind doing customer service and able to work in shifts. I agreed out of desperation. Following the call was a callback by the HSBC staff. It was a phone interview. Basically, it was meant to test if I could deliver well over the phone. Oh please. I've used to do call outs to my servicemen when I was in the army. And again, I agreed to try the job despite the need to do customer service and shifts. Well. I got the job and signed the contract the following day.
The job description got worse when I continued with the training which lasted for a month. The other temp staffs had the same thoughts as me. Being a phone agent is a stressful job. Not to mention that I had to handle Premier customers who mostly had the "I got money and I expect to have what I have demanded" mentality. It was even tedious when you gave wrong advice. Along the way, I'll put myself in the customers' shoes and think. It was really tough.
Life goes on and I've to mentally encourage myself to bear with the daily calls. I had to endure just like how I endured my training life in army. One thing that I've learned from OCS which helped me a lot: To excel and to overcome. I believed being an officer in the army had made me to look at things with an optimistic mind. This is a skill I've sharpened during my life as a cadet.
At this point of time, I've also decided not to take up the offer to extend my service at the contact centre. I believed that I do not need to further torture myself with something that I've no interest. Banking is fun but not customer service in Banking. Sometimes, I would also admire the perm staffs at the contact centre. For years, they could stay within the centre and they had to deal with unreasonable customers almost all the time.
While I was waiting aimlessly for calls, I couldn't stop myself wondering if taking up the offer to extend my service in army would be a better choice. 6 months, 'nurturing' and training with the cadets. Earning much more than what I can earn from the call centre. Oh well. I left the army because I needed a break from it. A real break from the 2yrs of serving the nation. That's was also one of the reason I decided not to continue with the contact centre.
I guess I'll continue to reflect until I finish the contract. As for now, I'll need to get some rest. I'll be going to visit my grandparent's burial grounds early tomorrow. For now, I'll look ahead...
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