Interview Steps

The Oxford Dictionary defines it as a face-to-face meeting, for the purpose of assessing the qualifications of a candidate for jobs or admission to educational institutions or for the purpose of obtaining statement or opinion of any respected person.

Nowadays, several success formulas have come out to see your victory during these stressful moments of an interview. But they would fail if you do not prepare yourself beforehand and practice. These are not any difficult tasks. They will require just 30 minutes of your 24 hours. So, read my points and tell me whether they did come to your aid.

 

’’The BPO industry is booming’’ boasts yesterday’s newspaper for the nth time.
Industry sources say that 750 candidates are being recruited every day (actual figures are more than that). So, this industry is here to stay unless an Armageddon happens.
Over the past few years, I had the opportunity to show my attractive resume and attend interviews at reputed bigwigs like Accenture, Convergys, Stream, Aegis Peoplesupport, and etc... These are the usual steps in a call center job interview:

STEP 1 - Voice/Passage Reading
You will be given a passage or a simple topic to speak on.
Required - Excellent fluency in English. Remember, the keyword is ’’excellent’’.
They look at your ability to converse easily without much grammatical errors, stammers, stutters,  & other pauses. Don’t put on a fake foreign accent to impress them (you can be rejected on-the-spot). On selection, they give you the requisite accent training. So, simply speak in a neutral accent without excess MTI (Mother-tongue influence).

STEP 2 - Written Test 
Multiple choice questions consisting of English language, Numerical ability, Logical reasoning and Computer awareness.
English language - basic grammar, antonyms, synonyms and so on.
Numerical ability - simple Maths like selling price & cost price, ratios, percentages and so on.
Computer awareness - basic Internet knowledge and there may be a typing speed test too. Don’t fret if you’re average here. You will be trained after selection.

STEP 3 - Listening Test 
A tape will be played once. You will be listening to a simple English conversation by 2 persons. You are given a multiple-choice question paper based on the conversation. For each question, tick the most relevant choice. You will not get another chance to listen to the tape.

 
Note – This is another very important qualifying round. Be very attentive and do your best.

FINAL STEP 4 - The HR Interview 
This ultimate round can either be direct face 2 face meeting or via telephone.
Two of the HR (Human Resource) personnel will interview you, asking you about yourself, your earlier work experiences (if any) and your general views on BPO’s or Call Centers. Either way, please remember, your English will be checked. Keep a neutral accent and act confident.

Usually, they are of your age (25-30, not a grandpa). But, don’t let their youth fool you. They’re like hawks eyeing your body language and ever-alert to every word you say.
Dress light-colored formal shirts, formal shoes, and a pleasing smile.
 
Always wish the female interviewer first. After you are seated, stop the constant shaking of legs. Lean slightly forward & keep your hands on the lap (not on the table). You may use your hands occasionally to express a point.
 
When Person-1 asks the question, look at him first while answering, look at other interviewers occasionally and finally end with Person-1. Same applies to Person-2, 3 or 4. Avoid too many errs., stammers or pauses in your sentences.

If you’re not sure about an answer, say ’’I’m sorry.  I don’t know.’’ outright instead of mumbling something silly or fake.

Be short & simple, without any complex vocabulary. NO question of theirs requires an essay. 4-5 lines are more than enough, or you might just say something to regret later. Instead, ask ’’Sir/M’am, is there anything specific you wish to know about....(whatever question they asked)?’’

Some questions they ask may tempt you to pounce & wring their necks! Again, they are just testing your attitude. So, whatever the provocation, be cool & permanently paste that warm smile!

Who Can Apply as Call Center Agents?

Filipino students are trained and educated to use English as a second form of language in school.  With that, if they were able to learn, practice, and apply the English lessons, then it won’t be difficult for them to work in this industry.  English fluency is a major requirement for those who wish to join the call center industry as call center agents.

Here are some of the qualifications or requirements:

- Good to excellent English written and oral communication skills

- College level or must have finished at least two (2) years in college

- Computer literate with basic knowledge in MS Office applications

- Willing to work in shifts

- Problem solving and analytical skills

- Highly trainable and a fast learner

- Typing proficiency (at least 30 words per minute)

- Ability to multitask

- Accuracy and attention to details

There is no need to worry if you have a little problem with your accent.  It is understandable that some of us are affected by the so called Mother Tongue Influence (MTI).  MTI is the effect of a person’s mother tongue (ex. Filipino accent) on any other spoken language such as English.  Most call centers would provide English communication trainings to correct this glitch.  You may also want to correct yourself by watching English series or movies at home and try to imitate the way they speak.  By doing this, you are shooting two birds with one stone – learn and enjoy!

What's the difference between a BPO and a Call Center?

A BPO is the acronym for Business Process Outsourcing.

"Business process outsourcing (BPO) is a subset of outsourcing that involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of specific business functions or processes to a third-party service provider.  It is typically categorized into back office outsourcing - which includes internal business functions such as human resources or finance and accounting, and front office outsourcing - which includes customer-related services such as contact center services.

A BPO that is contracted outside a company's country is called offshore outsourcing."

The above mentioned definition may sound so technical to you.  To make it simple, BPO is the process of hiring another company to handle business activities for them ranging from data processing, back office support, recruitment, payroll, sales, customer service or technical support, to telemarketing and the like. 

A Call Center, on the other hand, is a form of BPO that deals with inbound and outbound calls providing sales, customer service, technical support, telemarketing, & phone surveys for their clients.

In short, all call centers are BPO's but not all BPO's are call centers.

You might ask why do they (the clients) hire another company to do these business activities for them, especially for offshore outsourcing? The main answer to that question is "Cost Savings".  We can't deny the fact that labor in the Philippines is much cheaper compared to that of the U.S.  Access to lower cost economies through offshoring is called "labor arbitrage" which is generated by the wage gap between industrialized and developing nations.

What is a Call Center?

You might ask what is a Call Center?  Here are some definitions gathered from different sources:

• a center equipped to handle a large volume of telephone calls (especially for taking orders or serving customers)
  wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
• A call center or call center is a centralized office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call center is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers.                                                         en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_Center
• A business location where a person can call for such things as customer service, to place an order, etc; A business location where large numbers of telemarketing calls are placed.
  en.wiktionary.org/wiki/call_center
• A centralized office where calls are transmitted and received.
  www.fusionbposervices.com/glossary.html
• A company, or department of a company, that offers operator-supported voice services. A large number of operators handle inbound calls via a hotline and/or outbound calls as part of a direct marketing campaign.
  www.annualreport2008.telekom.de/en/co/glossar/index.php
• A help desk where customers can communicate by telephone, fax, and e-mail.
  ecommerce.etsu.edu/Glossary.htm
• A  call center is a facility that answers inbound, or places outbound telephone calls. Call centers, also known as contact centers or customer care centers, use sophisticated software to provide a full range of services.
  on-linetechnologies.com/directResponseTerms.php
• An establishment that takes telephone orders and forwards them either directly to the merchant or to a fulfillment center. Common uses are DRTV (Direct TV) and Radio Broadcast campaigns.
  achsolutionsgroup.com/glossary.php
• An organization that handles a high number of customer interactions including requests, information, provisioning, sales or services via the telephone or multiple contact channels either through inbound transactions, outbound transactions or both.
  campus.blueprintaudits.com/mod/glossary/view.php