Call center and Government jobs? (Phoenix, Tempe: how much, wages, live)

[HarveytheRabbit]

Are there many call center jobs to be had in the Phoenix area? Ive heard that Wells Fargo and other big companies base their customer service centers there.
1 How much do they pay on average?
2 Are they very difficult to get?
3 Where are they located, downtown?

-Also are there many jobs in the state government, being that Phoenix is the capitol?
I have ten points veterans preference and I can usually gets jobs in the government easily based on my resume, but don't think I would want to do anything outside like post office or parks and rec departments

[observer53]

There are a lot of call centers here for various companies, the pay varies somewhat. If they are hiring, they would be advertising in the newspaper and on internet job sites.

The state government has had a hiring freeze on for two years or so. There are exceptions to it, but not many. By the way, post office is a FEDERAL job, not state or local parks and rec departments for the state and the cities are generally NOT hiring due to budget cutbacks, so you needn't worry about those "working outside" jobs, either. If you want to check for federal jobs to apply for with your ten point preference, go to www.usajobs.com -- you can search for federal jobs in particular geographic areas.

[phoenixmike11]

Call centers are 1 of the main job categories in Phoenix. They are located almost everywhere in the Phoenix metro area. If you have experience working at a call center then my guess is you should be able to get a job near where you live.

[Zippyman]

Agreed - lots of call centers here, wages are usually under $15.00 an hour, many have no benefits. As for government work, just an anecdote - I took the city of Phoenix's 911 dispatcher test a little over a week ago - about 250~ish others took the test at the same time. If you want a city job, be prepared to wait. Very few openings and lots of hopefuls. The lady next to me during the test claimed to have taken the test and passed it four times.

[AZJoeD]

Wells Fargo, American Express, Go Daddy, Verizon all have call centers here.

The state and most cities here are broke. Not too many jobs available.

[from nv]

American Express and Discover are just off of I17/101 area. As an ex-Amex'er, I was paid about $20k working in their travel callcenter. It was fairly easy to get on, however, the call standards were very strict. They offered superb benefits, but it was hard having to be working on different shifts, weekends, holidays. I had a good experience working there, but the call center environment just wasnt quite for me. They are almost always hiring from what my friends tell me. Good luck!

[1200RT]

Originally Posted by AZJoeD

Wells Fargo, American Express, Go Daddy, Verizon all have call centers here.

B of A as well, i believe.

[AzXd]

US airways has a call center in Tempe i think.

[AzDreamer]

Maybe you should consider a federal government job, they are paying double what private companies can afford.

[AZgarden]

For AZ state jobs, go to www.AZstatejobs.gov There are about 240 jobs on line, more or less each day.