Onlinetraining - Ask Questions, Find Jobs, Post Stories & Get Advice

Onlinetraining

This topic is for helping members find online education and training resources to further careers

+2.7k followers

Ask a question

Share a tip

Tell us about your job search

Ask about work life balance

Tell us your success story

Share tips for interviewing

Sort by:

Attending Several Chats at the Same Time is Stressful and Unproductive - My Alternative Solutions ⭐⭐👍

As often, with music never played on mainstream media; today I leave you with modern Tango from Buenos Aires, Argentina. https://youtu.be/mQusfSWFt6M?si=1BPajGEzRaisDq4O

Like many of you, I too worked as a rep and did chat support, I dont know how I survived it since being super fast is not my strong point and as you may notice, most companies ask that chat reps take care of several chats at a time.

Company owners and most managers call it “ fast paced environment” . I call it stressing out uselessly….

My logic is: how many customers do we gain by chatting super fast vs how many customers do we lose due to the floppiness and stress that inherently comes with attending several chats simultaneously?

After my first promotion and being able to decide on the course of the customer service team I was leading, I decided to cut away with that crazy and stressful habit I still see today in most other companies for this function.

I established a simple rule: 1 agent - 1 chat and the hell with all that stress.

There were a few other things I always noticed about chat support I never liked:

The chat systems I always worked with always ask the visitor for their names and email. So I made it very clear to my teammates to never ask their names as they stepped into the chat; this is a mistake I see often still today..They just have to read the name on the system and greet them accordingly. Its so annoying to have to say things twice ..

And so I also instructed team members to carefully read the visitor's message as to answer every single point brought up and never ever ask for something the visitor already expressed. I find this is the most annoying thing that happens to me as a customer.

And then a few years back, in the middle of Covid and given all the mess we had with shipment delays and Brexit-related issues, we often accumulated important chat waiting queues.

I thought it was a ripe time to bend my rule and have our kids take care of several chats but I thought of a better solution:

I suggested owners IT team code us some short games during the chat wait time both before an agent came in and in case we needed to make the visitor wait more than 45 seconds in the middle of a communication.

The games are all company product and culture related, fast and easily played and if the visitor wins they get a discount on any future purchase.

The reaction was a soaring success; too much actually; we got many more visitors and I was left with the same problem again! So I hired a few super fast 20 year olds that do just chat , and still on a 1 chat 1 customer basis but we get so many visitors its a great ROI, people love playing these easy games for discounts! And its an awesome opportunity to convert visitors into customers

Anyone else hate the stress that goes along with having to do several chats at the same time? How would you remedy this if you had budgetary restraints and couldnt hire more agents, how do you improve it as an agent?

#jobsearch #interview #motivation #resume #hiringnews #workfromhome #advice #stress #application #hiringevents #unemployment #termination #ageism #policy #firstjob #foodservices #retail #onlinetraining #aboutmyjob #veterans #disability

2 Comments

Comment

The most important ingredients to have in a Resume/Application

This is an issue I think is always worthwhile coming back to under different forms.

From my small company recruiter experience, I think these are the points I see as most important:

1 - Showcasing past achievements: Most applicants always limit themselves to just saying their past experience. I find this is all just goody goody talk. I think that as applicants we need to demonstrate our best past successes by explaining how we did it and what were the results and also bringing or attaching data proof whenever possible.

2 - Customizing the resume to the role: Guys if you send a resume only minutes after a job post appears, from a recruiter standpoint it's not even worth reviewing it... because its impossible that you customized or bothered to learn something about the company.

3 - Use ATS I find companies are not realizing how much of a false positive this is but unfortunately damm thing is out there so if you dont prescreen your resume it can easily be discarded despite you being a super value.

4 -Avoid Self-labelling: Folks saying that you are confident you can add value to the team or you are the best fit or that you can change things head over heels is only your self-confidence. When I see this it goes directly to resumes heaven. Again, we all need to prove our value by explaining our best achievements plus the way we write or other pluses. It's the recruiter that needs to be convinced and begin to have that confidence in you...

5 - Avoid cookie-cutter lines that mean absolutely nothing... Saying some overused expressions like " I'm passionate about", " I'm an effective customer service representative" I find it shows a lack of originality and thus, of genuine interest in a role. Given that 99% of applicants use these words, using authentic expressions it can surely positively impact any recruiter. You can say things like "my drill in life" "what truly makes me tick", "I feel wholesome when"

6 - Use a Cover Letter: It allows you to explain some key achievements and show your personality. Why not use a video ora audio format.

Comment

Hidden

Can't Land / Don't like Interviews? Companies that hire with NO INTERVIEWS 💪💥

You have great skills but you're over 50, have a disability to which interviewers react wrongly, or you simply don't feel comfortable during interviews

I prefer hiring based on skills rather than on Resumes and interviews. It’s more efficient and even faster. More companies are embracing this reality for high-skill and tech jobs like software programming. But I came across a few lonesome heroes in customer service, virtual assistance, and artificial intelligence.

They offer work both Onsite and Remotely. Don't think No interviews means that you’ll just walk in and start working… there is still a selection process to qualify based principally on skills assessments.

1 - Fancy Hands:

Remote virtual assistance. Easiest to get in but workflow is not regular for beginners. You do many different types of tasks. Ex: finding a fine gourmet Italian restaurant for x number of people at x date in x location, summarizing a long article or booking a flight. Steady workflow. Hiring Process: Sign up and take a ridiculously easy internet technical and research skills test. Ex: Difference between Google Doc and G Sheet, what is Photoshop or Canvas used for and find what process a Kentucky lawyer has to fulfill to practice law in the state of New York. Pay is per assignment and low.

2 - Omniintercations:

Remote in traditional customer service over phone, email, chat. Hiring Process: Sign Up. Resume, PC tech scan. Typing speed (22 wpm). Choose project. Uses iCIMS video assessment process, meaning you answer online questions through a video recording. You can't rerecord but you can pause between questions. Very easy. Once accepted you have a 5 -10 min group chat for presentations and explaining the company. Ongoing training.

3 - Working Solutions

Mostly Remote, some onsite. Traditional customer service, data entry, marketing, sales Hiring Process: Sign Up. Behavioral written questions. PC tech scan. Choose a project. 5 minute chat just to ensure you have the proper experience for the job. Evaluated Training; if you pay attention it's no problem, otherwise it gets very difficult. Once approved you start working.

4 - Modsquad:

Remote cust service, social media moderation : Hiring Process: Resume + Written online questions (typical interview questions) It takes 4-6 weeks to get your results. If selected, you choose a project. 5-10 min individual chat where they ensure you have prior experience for the project type. They also explain about the company. International freelancer Opportunities.

5 - Mystery Shopper

There are many legitimate companies and most of the time it's half online, half onsite. Best place to start is https://www.jobslinger.com/ They compile all MS companies and award an identity verification for users that allow you to get shops easier than non-verified shoppers. No interview but if you don't do the assignment it will disqualify you for a long time with that company. Payment is 30 days later. It is a very easy income stream if you sign up with many companies. I find it’s a much more realistic income source than surveys or focus groups where you have to do much pre-screening to land one 10 buck survey.

6 - Artificial Numbness Companies

Appen, Telus International, LiveOps, and Welocalize. No experience required. Sign up, choose a project, study the guides attached to them, and pass an open book quiz. Tip: Avoid picking projects on their first pages: they are always filled, choose from pages 7-8 where no one goes… Many international opportunities also.

7 - Entry-level Data Entry and Administrative Assistant roles

Many times these roles don't require any interview process. There are plenty here and on other job search sites

8 - UPS. Onsite and only for Package Handlers, Warehouse Workers and Personal Vehicle Drivers No customer service but I think it's still very interesting to add here since they are pioneers in No interview hiring for in-person jobs. https://www.jobs-ups.com/quick-hire .

Hope this was useful to some!

1 Comment

Comment

Business Idea for Cooks and Chefs⭐👍

Hey cooks and chefs!

I may have a business idea for you ladies and gentlemen: Offering fresh, same-day made, abundant, 100% organic meals to companies and individuals.

Think that already exists?

Nope…It doesnt exist anywhere…

My wife and I try eating the most organic we can but of course as many others, time can be an issue and what do we find in the market of already made organic food?,, at the best 1- 2 companies offering frozen organic meals and always, unavoidably, its veggies based, plant based and portions are minuscule..

I’m telling you there is nothing for the average meat and potato guy like myself for whom healthy doenst have to mean eating three green leaves over a spoonful of brown rice ..

Both my wife and I love cow meat, chicken, fish, duck etc,,

The best company I found offers grass fed meat, thats cool enough but I rather eat meat from cows not fed any GMO’s . And its not that difficult to find on the market. Still, grass fed is great , problem is , no food delivery company offers the other meats and also NONE offers fresh meals cooked that same day. I know all about vacuum packing and its great but for us who are into organic food , we are not just into it for the healthy side, we are also into it for the greater taste we find in it and when you freeze food, once you cook it it will always lose some flavor.

There is nothing like freshly cooked unprocessed foods.

Also, most healthy food delivery services offer really small portion for men. And another huge issue: Looks like everyone understands healthy as discarting sweats!!! I find it complete nonsense..I also want healthy organic dessert with my meals!

Basically, I suppose I’m looking for the food my mother used to make when I was a kid before all the pesticides and intensive farming came along.

For sure, under a business perspective, I suspect it would be more profitable to make frozen meals for larger business scale but when I talk to friends and family we all agree we are willing to pay more for the freshness. I know I wouldnt buy every day but I definitely would a few times per week.

And imagine all the offices wanting to eat healthy, abundant and fresh tasty organic food that for once is not synonymous of three green leaves over some wholegrain rice … Imagine it with plenty of bechamel or gravy sauce!!

Maybe no one will find it interesting but there it is for you… eating food like we are supposed to, freshly made, healthy, and tasty. Website building shouldnt be an issue either; there are plenty of free website builders and even free e-stores for payment that one can use to start.

It would be a miracle but hey, if anyone does it and wants to move to southern Connecticut, let me know😎!

1 Comment

Comment

What Technical Skills do You Need to be SUCCESSFUL and STAND OUT in Remote Work?💻💲💲

As often, with music you’ll never hear on mainstream radio; today: a medieval piece. https://youtu.be/BoC8qFVuKDs?si=q3ERYRTZCLjx1KLi

I see many comments from members who never worked remotely and would like to take their chance on it and dont know what technical skills are needed. There are several things to know but I dont want to just give a list. Trying to be helpful, I’ll write about each category with concrete examples. I’ll split it into several posts:

Today’s menu:
1 - Know how to search for excellent information

If it sounds like one of those sugar talk lines you’re wrong… Getting the best information for your team or company is one hell of a way to give your company an edge over the competition and by the same token, setting yourself apart from the rest and getting that promotion or raise ( unless your company is cheapo),

A - Dont settle for a good general fit answer. Rather be persevering and dig in deeper to find THE ULTIMATE best info.

Example 1 (Simple): You work for a Real estate agent who needs a list of property owners in California but you live in New York and the website is not accessible to you. How to go around that?

Using a VPN. It will allow you to visit any website. You have free ones for simple sites or paid ones for more secure sites. - Do whatever it takes to get the info without annoying your boss. People hire remote workers to stay hands off these kinds of obstacles.

If you dont know at the beginning, no worries though. We all learn, and you will too, by trial and error👍

Example 2 ( More complex): You have to find sustainable notebook brands to sell for the Amazon shop you work for.

I wouldnt start by looking within Amazon itself… I would rather google what exactly is sustainability first, read 5-10mins about it. There you’ll learn about the difference with green or eco friendly products: so sustainable is not the same as green or eco friendly.. its the whole process from “cradle to cradle” meaning, the way its manufactured, the raw material used, the factory, the packaging shipping and return policy!!
Once we understand what we are talking about we can google search for notebook brands with those parameters. Lets say: “stone paper notebooks”. Or simply “sustainable notebooks” but you already know you need to discard all those results from brands trying to sell eco friendly for sustainable…
This way you can get your company the best, most genuine sustainable notebooks that will make a difference amid other Amazon sellers simply selling eco friendly.

B - Using Boolean search words:

When searching for something, oftentimes you will get many results from related fields that are not useful. Instead of scrolling through each result one by one you can speed up the process by doing a boolean search.

This means adding keywords and signs: AND, OR, NOT (or a minus sign) and QUOTATION MARKS to either narrow down or expand your search.
Example: When you type accounting AND sales your results will include both requirements.
If you dont mind using more complex features you can use parenthesis that allows searching for multiple boolean strings. Example: (accounting OR sales) AND analyst

C - Avoid prepositions, articles, and the use of plural Using in, on, of, a, the, and plural forms can heavily clutter your search.

D - Find information on a specific website Press simultaneously Ctrl+F and type the words you are looking for. Try it on this website!

5 Comments

Comment

What are job descriptions really saying when they say…

Unmasking the true meaning of job description jargon with sarcasm and fun - 💪🚩🚩

I’m not a big fan of YouTube tutorials since I find, too many times, there is a lot of self-promotion and little content value but of course, there are some exceptions and I find this person truly smart and even sarcastically funny as she explains what some job description jargon really means,,,

Learn while having some fun😎

https://youtu.be/_BwL5-EyFac?si=HeErs_bYfqCt2m2x

2 Comments

Comment

Tip the season to be thankful!! Be Bold and Make Extra Money in Customer Service by Adding Tipping Options💲💲😎

https://thedisplayoutlet.com/cdn/shop/files/35prw016-3618-2.v1_w104a_540x.jpg?v=1697719253

You work in customer service either in person or online, and unlike your friends working in restaurants, take out food deliveries or hotels, in spite of providing exceptional service, you get NO TIP…

In spite of most companies telling us how we are the “face” of the company and how “crucial” we are..., they dont think of adding a tipping option when working online or dont go beyond the famous tips jar when in a physical store.

But you can very easily make extra cash by adding a tipping option from within any E-store if you work online or original tip jar ideas and QR payment apps for those working in person👍😎

1 - If you work online:

All websites have an E-store running from the back to collect payment: Shopify, Square, Woocommerce, GoDdady, etc
Ask your manager or go to the checkout option within settings. You will often have a tipping option. Often, you can also customize the description for this option so you can invite the customer to specify whom they want to tip. https://youtu.be/BAlxH57k9Fc?si=BWDD3PuIiRz9lm4e
Unfortunately, either customer service support systems ( Reamaze, Georgias, Zendesk) havent yet realized the potential this could add to businesses by adding the option to their customer service satisfaction surveys or I’m crazy…

2 - If you work in person:

My ultimate Tipping tip😎l: I’ve seen some tipping jars trying to be funny to get customers to tip in retail stores and I dont know about you but I find them a bit invasive.
One cool idea would be to add a spinning tip wheel customers could play for a discount or prize whenever the spin lands on the right spot💲👍 This can also be done online. You can tweak around different similar ideas: a trivia tip jar for a discount or prize.
You can complement or replace the good ‘ol tips jar by placing a very visible QR code on the counter directing the customer to a tipping app with no download needed. Many times, as customers we dont carry cash but I also think its possible that these QR codes can come across as aggressive.. There is also an increasing number of self-service places where an Ipad asks you for a tip… say whaaat???
Invite the manager or owner to add a QR code for tipping discretely to the ticket or boxing so the customer can calmly decide from the comfort of his privacy.
There are many apps doing this: https://tipbrightly.com/, http://www.globaltippingapp.com/ https://etip.io/ https://www.wearetipjar.com/us/personal/ and more.

Be Bold, offer your manager ideas with complete solutions!

4 Comments

Comment

New to the Work From Home World and Don't Know Where to Start? Here is the Equipment you’ll Need Plus Bonus List of Companies Providing Free Equipment💪📲

Along with Carmina Burana from Carl Orff and the best paintings from Joseph Turner: https://youtu.be/GXFSK0ogeg4?si=ZB84yLLGZNAtfWb-

Having been mostly working from “home” over 20 years, in my opinion, there are two sets of requirements:

1 - First the vitals!

If you want to work from home its because you want to be at eeaaasse… so once you land a wfh job you’ll first need:

Your best Chocolate - it pumps up the blood- very good since in this industry you'll have your ass glued to a chair for many hours😉
Your favorite drink - Mine is Argentinean Mate, coffee, coke and juices. When I get a real pain customer I resort to a few sips of wine or beer.
Your favorite healthy snacks: Nuts and dried fruits are super cool since you dont waste time cooking anything and it doenst distract from work.
Great clean environment - hmmm.. This is the kind of proper advice we need to say, I have to admit, I fail this one often...
A great cushioned office chair - same reason as N1!
A great music playlist

Ok so if you think thats humorous… no no no.. , you’ll soon see how all that is indispensable***

2 - The functional stuff:

Obviously you need a PC, a phone and a great internet connection. Many companies require you have a minimum internet speed consisting of download and upload times. Typically this minimum is 10-15 Mbps. It pays to have significantly more: When wfh you’ll have many tabs open so you need the best speed you can get so your browser doenst freeze. Here you can see your speed: https://www.speedtest.net/
Aside a PC, many jobs will require you to use a landline phone either for traditional customer service or a cell phone for testing apps or other things.
A noise canceling headset: Many times companies require a super silent setting to service their customers through phone and you cant have dogs barking.. Around $50
Mouse: Some you plug in to your PC, some are wireless, I’m with the cabled team, wireless looks Chic but I find its not 100% reliable since many times its unresponsive and you find yourself moving the damn mouse without it actually moving on the screen.. $20
A separate keyboard: if you have a laptop, a separate keyboard can allow you to be more distant and that way avoid getting your eyes and back tired too soon. I find wired is more stable $25
Ethernet cable: Many companies require you work “ wired” meaning you dont depend entirely on wifi that can be unstable. Even if most dont require it, its super useful. $5
Laptop stands: Also great to prevent hunching over the screen. $60 for great adaptability and quality.
Blue light glasses: When working many hours in front of a screen, your eyes will get tired.. To remain productive the most, it can be very useful to use computer lenses that block blue light. Some see no big difference, to me the difference is huge; I can work many more hours before my eyes get tired.
Blue light reduction from the PC/laptop's own screen or as an addon; You can try programs like: https://justgetflux.com/. I find it helps but I still need bluelight glasses.

3 - Companies that hire remotely AND provide the basic equipment, Here is a post I wrote months ago with a list of companies. https://www.jobcase.com/conversations/ea8e25ea-ab76-49eb-9b9b-893ef35e2d95?sharedFrom=copyLink&p_key=GMneG6bF3LSbLz9uLFr_AMOE

Good luck!!

2 Comments

Comment

How long is a job post good to apply to? My own recruiter experience 🚩.

As always, with original and/or foreign music never played on mainstream radio. Today, Argentine pop rock: https://youtu.be/7Iqj54OHV4A?si=JAcHX--Em4E6Yv0R

To me, the hard truth is that there is no definite, one size fits all answer.

Generally, it is true it makes sense to apply the quickest possible. Most recruiters take good care of the first applications coming in during the first 2 weeks. I surely do.

But……

Most applications come in in the first 48-72 hrs, then they start to drop considerably until we get 1,2 per day after a week or so. This pattern depends on how big the company is and how many portals we’ve posted the job ad.

And the problem is that maaaany of these initial applications are shotgun ones… meaning, people sending applications massively without minimal tailoring effort. So, many times, I keep the job ad running longer to get truly interested people and have a good pool of value to compare from. I know many other companies do this too.

So, in synthesis, when you see a new job ad you like, if you tailor it enough and you can showcase great achievements that fit the role, you are a lot more likely to land an interview. There are other very legit reasons why a post may still be active after 2 weeks.

So, if you have the right profile for a job post and are willing to tailor it, I’d say up to 1 month, you still have good chances.

Howeeeverrr….

Note, many companies may simply have their job postings live because they forget to pull them down or their automated systems are not working properly.

So.. If you really like a job, its a great idea to contact HR and ask if the job is still open.

Some job portals display how many applicants a job post has received. Beware of this, it can be tricky. On most sites, that number actually reflects how many people clicked on the job ad, not necessarily how many applied to it. Its the case of Linkedin.

Remote positions tend to fill in a bit quicker

So I’d heavily emphasize on TAILORING your application and stand out: add a cover letter, send in a video (with true content, not generic bull) add hard data proof of your past achievements ( we all know talk is cheap) avoid overused expressions like, “I’m passionate about” find synonyms!, do not self-label yourself, you gotta PROVE IT, so just showcase your best achievements using action words.

But in a world where systematization has become the rule, for many companies, especially the bigger ones, the initial candidate screening process is done through automated systems, so you also have to ensure your application includes the words their algorithms want to see.

Here are 2 sites to pre screen your resume for free:

https://www.jobscan.co/, https://resumeworded.com

Hope this has helped some out there😎👍

PS: A hopeless cause: dare join the select club of those doing away with apostrophes!! at least in non professional situations - 98% of them are completely useless and a waste of our time😎

3 Comments

Comment

From Jail to one of the best paying remote jobs in the world for Free***

Just a note for those fresh out of jail of a great opportunity to become a Software Engineer and for free with a Technology training company founded by and for the ex-felons.

Yeah, you can also attend other institutions that do not charge either until you graduate and find a job. But these guys already somewhat know your story for having been there themselves and are able to support you in other personal ways, which regular institutions couldnt do.

Their name and website: https://www.nextchapterproject.org/

You dont pay a dime and once you complete the course they hook you up with one of their 15 partners ( Slack, Zoom, Paypal, Asana, etc)

Interesting to highlight that all Next Chapter graduates have a 0 recidivism rate. Who wouldnt be motivated to earn 120K per year and in a niche that is assured to never be short of demand?

They do run an evaluation both on your technical and personal skills which makes sense given they will be investing in you.. soo its worthwhile checking thoroughly the requirements with them.

If accepted, you’ll join their Software engineering bootcamp and apprenticeship program.