Are you a call center agent? Do you want to work as a call center agent in Malaysia? If so, then this article is for you. OFWs in Malaysia can earn a lot more than what they can earn working in the Philippines, and being a call center agent is no exception.
Going to Malaysia involves an application process that can be time and resources consuming, but it’s all worth it in the end once you finally get that job. In this article, an OFW call center agent in Malaysia shares that exact experience. She said that if you are patient enough, and if you are willing to invest in time and resources, then you will be a call center agent in Malaysia just like her.
Disclaimer: The information posted here is based on the personal experiences shared by the OFW in the video below. Please let this post serve as a guide only. If you have specific questions, you may ask the OFW by commenting on their video on their accounts.
Call Center Agent in Malaysia: Application Steps and Procedures
The information presented below is a summary of a YouTube video from a channel named Honey’s MY Stories. In this video, the vlogger talks about the process she did to apply, the documents and other papers she had to submit, and other things she needed to do before getting a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. If you want to watch the full video, then click on the link below:
The vlogger starts off with a disclaimer that she is not from the Human Resources department of her company. She is just a call center agent that is sharing her experience and application journey.
She also said that your experience may be different from hers. The process may differ in terms of the steps or even the order of the steps. Changes are highly likely due to the pandemic, and because we need to adopt these changes in lieu of health protocols.
The vlogger mentioned that there are many different ways to apply to Malaysia as a call center agent. These are:
- Referral
- Direct application via company website
- Agency
The vlogger mentioned that she successfully applied through ERP (Employee referral program), so that’s what she shares in the video.
Employee Referral Program
The vlogger shared that back in 2020, she saw a Facebook post for a job hiring as a call center agent in Malaysia. These are the details of that Facebook page:
If you’re interested in working in Malaysia, my account is hiring
Account specialist and team lead
Qualifications
- Bachelors degree
- 2 years call center experience preferably handling live channels (chat or call)
- With at least 15 months passport validity
- Speaks English Japanese Indonesian or mandarin
- Successful candidates will enjoy
- Free work visa
- Free flight to KL
- Free first month accommodation
- Good salary package
A couple of months before she saw this ad, the vlogger said that she has tried to apply directly through the company’s website. Unfortunately, she did not hear any feedback from that application for months. That’s why she decided to try the referral.
Seeing this Facebook page, she then contacted the person who posted this in Facebook, aka the referrer. She asked the referrer if they’re still hiring and they said yes.
Steps to Apply through Referral
The following is a list of the steps you need to take to apply as a call center agent in Malaysia through referral:
- Step 1. Be added to the referrer’s internal portal
- Step 2. Create profile and submit application online
- Step 3. Phone screening and online assessment
- Step 4. HR Interview
- Step 5. Final interview
- Step 6. Comply requirements for job offer
- Step 7. Job offer
- Step 8. Employment Pass
- Step 9. Endorsed to a Philippine Agency
- Step 10. Visa and Medical
- Step 11. PDOS
- Step 12. Briefing by agency
- Step 13. Swab test
Step 1. Be added to the referrer’s internal portal.
Here is a summary of the first step:
- Contact referrer and ask if they’re still hiring
- Send resume
- Give an email address
- Be added to their Internal Portal
Since she already used her first email to apply directly through the website, she can no longer use her email address that she used in that website. As such, she was asked by the referrer if she had another email address, which she did and gladly gave.
The vlogger then received an email stating she was referred.
Step 2. Create profile and submit application online.
In that email, there is a link to a webpage that lets you create an account profile as well as submit an application online. Note that it is not enough to just submit a resume and wait for a call.
You need to create an account profile and submit your application online. If you don’t do this, even if you have been added by the referrer to the internal portal, your status will be “Not applied.”
Step 3. Phone screening and online assessment.
After 8 days from creating an account profile, the vlogger received a call from TA. This was a phone screening, and she was just asked simple questions to confirm her details.
After the screening, she was then sent an email link for her to do an online assessment.
When she applied directly through the website, she also had an online screening too. If you directly apply through a website, you will create an account, submit an application and immediately do an online assessment.
But after her first online assessment, several months passed and she was never contacted. She didn’t know what happened, and she just assumed that she failed the assessment.
When it comes to referral, on the other hand, she was also not contacted right away. So she thought that maybe she failed again. But out of nowhere, someone called her. This time, it’s a different TA, telling her to have a new phone screening and another online assessment.
She was just so thankful that she was given another chance to have online assessment. It’s her third time, and because of that she already knew where she made mistakes because the questions are the same. Fortunately, she passed on her third try.
Step 4. HR interview
A week after her successful online assessment, she received a call from HR. This was another interview, but it’s not that difficult she says. It’s just like the phone screening but this time there are other questions.
Primarily though, this interview is all about helping her set expectations. She was told the following things:
- What happens to her when she gets accepted to work
- She will work in Kuala Lumpur
- She will be far away from her family
- She will possibly be quarantined when she arrives in Malaysia
- She was then told that she will be scheduled for a final interview
Step 5. Final interview
The final interview is through video call. She said that it’s like account verification with one of the account managers. The interview lasted for close to one hour. She was asked a lot of questions and she just approached each one with confidence.
Her interview was done on 3 pm, and on that same day, by 7 pm, she received a result from the interview, and she passed.
Step 6. Comply requirements for job offer
One you pass the final interview, there are a set of requirements that you need to comply so you can proceed to the job offer stage. Some requirements are as follows:
- Passport
- Diploma
- Previous pay slips
- Contact details of HR or supervisor from previous company
There are other requirements that you need to submit for background check, but these are the most important.
The vlogger mentioned that it took her one week to process of these requirements because she was still working at that time. She only found time to process these requirements during her rest day.
Step 7. Job offer
After sending all requirements, she finally received a letter offer. She read it and thought it was okay. She then signed t and uploaded it on her account profile.
Note that the job offer is not the end of it all. After submitting all requirements and getting a job offer, there’s a lot more that needs to be done; more requirements that need to be submitted.
Indeed, the series of interviews are just the first part of the application. The second part of the application is the compliance of requirements so that you can successfully work in Malaysia.
The vlogger even gave this advice; If you want to apply abroad, especially as a call center agent in Malaysia, you really need lots of patience. Indeed, patience and prayers are the key to a successful application.
Step 8. Employment pass
In order for a foreigner to work in Malaysia, they need a work permit known as an employment pass.
She said it takes 30 to 40 days before you get the document. You will need to wait patiently for this though because you need this document to get a single-entry visa.
Step 9. Endorsed to a Philippine Agency
The next step is for your company in Malaysia to endorse you to a partnered agency in the Philippines.
For a Filipino to work abroad, he or she needs to comply with a set of requirements from the POEA. An agency will help assist you in dong this so that you can work legally in Malaysia.
Step 10. Visa and Medical
Once the employment pass is released, you can now get a single-entry visa from the embassy. Being from Mindanao, the vlogger said she had to arrange her schedule so that she processes her medical and visa application while she is in Manila.
Normally, it takes 7 business days for a single entry visa to be released. However, for some reasons hers took 3 weeks. She had to go several times to the embassy of Malaysia, hoping that this time around, her entry visa will be available.
When it comes to the medical exam, she says you can process that in one day. She shares that her agency has a partner clinic so that when you have your medical exam there, the clinic will just directly email the results to the agency.
Step 11. PDOS
While waiting for the release of the visa, she was asked by the agency to attend the PDOS. PDOS stands for Pre-departure Orientation Seminar.
The PDOS is a one day seminar attended by all OFWs before they leave the Philippines. However, due to the pandemic, the seminar is not face to face anymore. You just have to attend an online seminar. Then, you will receive a certificate which will be sent to your agency.
As you can see, having an agency really helps. They will compile all the documents you need, and just hand them over to you when you are about to leave.
Step 12. Briefing by agency
After her visa was released, the next step is a briefing from her agency. During this briefing, she was handed the docuemnts that the agency collected, including the PDOS certificate, results of the medical exams, and other POEA requirements. After that, she was booked a flight ticket to Kuala Lumpur.
Step 13. Swab test
The last test you will take before you can fly to Malaysia is a swab test. When she travelled, the rule was that the swab test results have a 72-hour validity. That’s why she and her friends decided to have a swab test 2 days prior to the flight.
She took a swab test from the company called JTCENICA. You can search this company on Facebook. She says that their swab tests are cheaper than many other companies.
There you have it. All in all, it took her almost 4 months to process the entire application journey. She spent a month and 2 days in Manila, and it is a rather expensive ordeal. However, the application expenses are worth it, because once you arrive in Malaysia and start working, you will soon reap the benefits of your efforts.