I am an energetic and extrovert person who enjoy human interaction. After graduating High school I started my first job as telephone operator at the JD Hospital, New Jersey. I have received several on the job vocational trainings as telephone operator and my total work experience sums up to almost 5 years.
You should hire me because I am upbeat courteous, patient, good listener and a very good communicator. Well-versed in handling multiline telephone exchange systems, I also bring ample data entry and client database management skills. I possess very good auditory, iconic and mnemonic memory and am usually able to remember and reproduce long lists of words for a considerable period of time.
If the information is not too much for the other person to digest, I would prefer explaining it to them verbally since my presentation skills and ability to get the message through to the other person verbally are very good. I am however equally comfortable in writing the same if required.
I have ample experience operating PBX machines, telephone exchanges, intercom and public address systems and fax machines.
5. Share difficult situation you faced? How did you handle it?
During the last year something went wrong with the database system and without the information it was not possible to process caller's requests and complaints. It took the technical department two days to fix the problem. Those two days were particularly difficult since customers called in all day and I could not cater for their requests. I used an apologetic tone, apologized verbally for the inconvenience and called each and every one back once the system was restored.
6. What according to you are duties of telephone operator?
Determining the caller requirements and providing the relevant information, forwarding calls to concerned department, updating customer database, filing caller complaints and processing them and sometimes, handling appointment scheduling.
7. Explain the difference between interpersonal and intrapersonal communication?
Interpersonal communication refers to clarifying what a person wants to communicate within his or her mind while interpersonal communication refers to communication that occurs between two individuals.
8. How would you do if client is asking about something you do not have knowledge of?
I would clearly tell them that the information they are seeking is not available with me. Then I will either direct them to the concerned person / source of information or will acquire the required information myself and get back to them later.
9. What kind of people you get along with best?
I am an easygoing person and usually get along well with everyone. I however find it easy to interact with people who are good listeners and effective communicators.
10. What computing skills do you have?
Ms Word, Email, Internet, MS Word, MS Powerpoint and MS Excell.
11. How you can handle stressful situations?
Do not like to react. Stress is only a temprorary situation which will phase out.
12. Why did you choose to become a Telephone Operator?
I chose to become a telephone operator because I have strong communication skills and I wanted to be in a position to develope my skills and help people.
13. How your former employer described you?
Good communication skills, willing to go beyond my work duties, able to meet deadlines.
14. How you can handle strict deadlines?
I handle deadlines through effective time management, task prioritization and multitasking. If the tasks are prioritized and time line chalked out, meeting the strictest deadlines becomes a piece of cake.
15. How you rate your communication skills?
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate my communication skills at 8. Communication is all that telephone operators do on any given work day so they hold a lot of importance.
I do not think it is unethical. An employee may not want to take calls due to personal or professional reasons and it is up to us to comply with their orders. Telephone operators are not allowed to pass judgment on these things. There are times when a caller is deemed harmful to a company (for one reason or another) and it is perfectly justifiable not to forward his or her calls.
