A lot of great advice here, but I'd like to put my 2 cents in as well since I've somewhat been in that position.
First things first...He should NEVER expect to just magically jump into a position with high pay. It doesn't work that way. Otherwise, he'll just end up disappointing himself, lose confidence and end up staying where he is.
I know redoing the resume is a given as you mentioned in your post, but that is as important as the interview. Probably even more important. If he's interested in a certain position, he should try and re-word his responsibilities to fit that certain position. I'm not saying he should lie (even though most people do on their resume), but more like extending the truth a bit, if that makes any sense. Sometimes you've done certain things at a job which can relate to what you're looking for, but don't realize it and people tend to leave it out. He has to evaluate EVERYTHING he's done including the smallest things. Those small things can be his open door to where he wants to be. He has to think hard and doing a resume just doesn't take days. It can take weeks. You say he's very ingelligent. In what way? How so? Try to find a way to implement his intelligence into the resume. He has to market that. Sell it. That's what a resume is. It's to sell yourself. A lot of people's resumes just indicate what they've done. It has to be more than that and in detail. Think of an SP ad. Who would you rather see? An ad that only states price and phone number? An ad that also includes their measurements? An ad that includes pictures plus what is included in a session?
Me as a buyer, would like to know what I'm getting into. This goes the same for any hiring team.
Having a call center position within a larger organization can be a benefit. It can lead to internal hiring to other departments. Just as long as he's on good terms with his manager. A good company should always hire within and give someone a chance at something if he shows he's willing to learn. Sure, the pay may not be equivelant to what others in that same position are getting (maybe even considerably less), but considering he has nothing to back him up, it's an open door to pursue what he wants. In this day in age, it's all about EXPERIENCE. I don't care how many degrees or years of schooling you had, the years of experience is more important. Well, for majority of jobs out there.
Maybe take a crash course on something he's interested in to get a certificate. Then use that as leverage to move within his current company. From there, he can grab the experience he needs, and then start looking for openings elsewhere. It can be a bonus when an employer sees an applicant has moved within a company. Treat the current company as a stepping stone. Majority of companys out there only see you as a number, so don't dump your heart and soul into it. Being loyal is one thing, but being smart about your well being is another.
Keep in mind, a lot of people out there still don't know what they want to do regardless of age and there are a lot of people that tend to change careers and start from scratch.
I want to pull in 6 figures a year or at least close to it. I did not complete high school and I have worked in call centers as customer service agent in the past, and I HATED it soooo much and I knew I had more potential for something better. So I had to do something about it and it started off with a certificate and then movement within a company. From there I slowly gathered experience and then moved on to other company's to gain more experience within my field. I still wasn't too happy with what I chose, but at least I got out of what I hated doing and paid a little better. Because of the experience, I got exposure to a lot more than what I was doing within my field, yet they were still related in some way to my line of work, and that opened more doors for me to move in a different direction which I am more interested in with potential to make the 6 figures that I want. I'm not there right now, but at least that path opened up for me which I chose that can lead me there while not being down and out with what I do. I was actually surprised that there was so much more out there in relation to my field, other than what I was doing
Just because you do a certain job, doesn't mean that's the only thing available in that field. It's like a tree. There are different branches. And in order to find out what they are and where they lead, you have to gain experience and be somewhat exposed to those other opportunities within that field. Take for example...if someone says they want to be in automotive. First thing that comes to peoples mind is a mechanic, but in reality, there's a lot more other careers in automotive than just bending over and working under someones hood. But in order to find out what they are, it may be a good idea to start out as a mechanic and then slowly get exposed to what the automotive industry has to offer.
