It has been over two weeks now since I last posted about random nothings and more than a week now since I stepped foot on the doors of the Business Process Outsourcing industry, for the second time.
It was on March 4, when I blogged about the decision of going back into the field of contact centers. Here again is the link to that post just in case you left the planet Earth and just came back. ",)
This post will be more of a diary-slash-informational-tutorial-slash-whatever-you-may-find-it post. Diary for there will be several dates mentioned. Informational tutorial as I'll try to provide some "useful" tips. (How useful? Well, you gotta figure it out yourself).
The courage to face the recruitment officers came into being one fine day of Wednesday, March 6 when I walked in the recruitment hub of an infamous center located at Walter Mart in Muñoz. I decided to check this one out first as it has the same technical account that I've handled for more than a year and a half.
I belonged in a group of five (5) applicants for the Initial Interview. Out of the five interviewees, we were down to two - both of us had call center experiences and we were both once part of the same account in the company I used to work for before. Talk about coincidence.
We were then asked to fill up an online application form as part of our Profile Creation. Here basic information about you will be encoded in an online form.
After a grueling "some" minutes of waiting for the next step of the process, I was first called for an Online Assessment.
It was to my surprise that even though I applied for a Technical Support post, I was profiled for a Sales Account.
The heck do I know about Sales?
Moreover, as I was in the middle of the assessment, the following series of questions shook me:
If it's 12NN in New York, what time is it in Frisco, TX?
If the time in Chicago is 4:30PM, what time is it in London?
What the? Do they expect their applicants to have memorized the US Time Zones? Or its world equivalents?
Without much gusto, I finished the assessment, without high hopes of getting the job.
And so I did.
Here were my scores for the said assessment:
Sales - 73%
Service - 69%
Telephone Skills - 63%
Sales Orders - Average
Moral:
If you have plans of applying for a post in the call center industry, be it customer service, technical support, sales, billing or what not, you must at least be prepared with the following:
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| Photo courtesy of http://us.123rf.com |
Have the CONFIDENCE to face the interviewers. During the interview, be proud of yourself. This is the time for you to "sell" yourself. Sound confident of what you know. But remember to always tell the truth. Take note that interviewers are there not to bite you but to gauge as to what post you might fit in or if you don't fit in at all.
You must also be equipped with at least the basic KNOWLEDGE on whatever it is that may be part of the assessment. If you're applying for a US-based company, you might wanna check out some facts about the United States.
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| Photo courtesy of http://www.daniel-wong.com |
And lastly, you must have the heart to ACCEPT REJECTION. It is not always a YES in the industry. At times, after the interview or the assessment, you might be given out a paper with the following words on it:
"Thank you for your interest of working for the company and taking time to apply today. At this time your current skills set does not meet our requirements for our current job openings.
We encourage you to regularly check our employment website after 6 months.
Again, thank you for your interest and we wish you success in your job search".
Always remember that failure is your footstep to success.
As C.S. Lewis puts it, "Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement".
However, due to a series of unfortunate events, not the kind of movie which starred Jim Carrey (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events), I courageously hurdled the terrors of the recruitment team once again after several weeks.
This time, I went to a contact center whose recruitment hub is located in one of the major players in the television industry in the country.
March 18
I was on the Recruitment Hub for an Initial Interview at around 2PM. Here, I was asked whether I am a college graduate or not and how did I learn about the job openings.
I was then part of a group of ten (10) people called for Profile Creation. Time check, 2:30PM. Just like most other centers, an online form needs to be completed.
It was at 3:30PM when we were called for Communication Skills Assessment. After the series of "tell me something about yourself" plus a Miss Universe questions, we were down to three (3). According to the CSA Recruitment Specialists, they were using a 6 point scale to gauge one's accent and neutrality in speaking English.
| Photo courtesy of http://www.adminesolutions.com |
The three of us then joined the other group of those who passed CSA. At 4PM, we were asked to go to a nearby clinic and have our Pre-Employment Medical Exam. This PEME, comprised of Apico-Lateral Chest XRay, Optical and Physical Exam lasted for almost an hour and a half. Time check, 5:30PM.
It was 6PM then when we were asked to take a Computer Based Test for profiling. This is more of an online assessment wherein you will answer questions relating to sales, customer service, technical support and the likes.
At 7:30PM, I joined a group of three (3) for the Personal Interview. This is more of the "Tell me something about yourself" part but with more in depth questions.
After which, the interviewer handed us a piece of paper of endorsement for the Final Interview with the accounts' Operations Manager the following day.
March 19
We were asked to proceed to the site at Cubao at 9AM. I was at Cubao site before 9AM and was called for another panel interview of three (3) at around 9:30AM. Here, you will be interviewed to verify if you meet the requirements for the account you were profiled for.
We were then instructed to wait for a call - if we are for a job offer or if we will be endorsed to a different account and would need to undergo another Ops Interview.
Aside from the Final Interview sheet, we were also given a request to have a 5-Panel Drug Testing. So immediately after the interview, we proceeded to the clinic where the test will be conducted. It took us another hour and a half before we were accommodated. Time check: 11AM
March 20
I was in a middle of a meeting with the Department of Health on CSO 2014 Budget Consultations when I received a call from Recruitment asking me to go back to the hub at 3PM to submit my requirements.
So after the meeting, I hurriedly went home and tried to complete the stuff that I currently have:
× NBI Clearance (must be at least 6 months from date of issue)
√ SSS ID/Number (E1 Form)
√ TIN ID/Tax Identification Number
√ School Documents (TOR and Diploma, for college graduates; Copy of Grades or High School Diploma, for college undergraduates)
√ PhilHealth Member Data Record
I managed to arrive at the hub before 3PM. I was first asked to get a "Fit to Work" Clearance at the Company Clinic as the Company Nurse has the results of the PEME.
We were then told that we will undergo a Job Offer Orientation at 5PM wherein details of the contract or the job offer will be discussed.
We were then asked to wait for the contract signing. I was called for Job Offer Signing at around 7PM. All pages of the two sets of contract needs to be signed. Make sure to read EVERYTHING on the contract prior to signing each page.
After which, they asked us to fill out government mandated forms. BIR Form 1902 for those who does not have TINs yet; BIR Form 1905 for those with TINs - this is for updating registration; and PhilHealth forms. HDMF or PAG-IBIG forms needs to be done online and completed form printed and submitted.
I finished the entire process - submission of requirements, job offer orientation, forms completion and job offer signing at around 8:30PM.
Moral:
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| Photo courtesy of http://krsnamusic.com |
Aside from the first few characteristics that I have mentioned, one, if not the most important characteristic one should have is PATIENCE. Patience in terms of having to wait in line or for the next process for hours and hours. Patience of having to skip meals because you're in the middle of the recruitment process, as your name might be called for the next step while you're busy munching on food.
So, what I would suggest, is that you bring at least some crackers or candy bars to give you enough energy to keep you going for the duration of the recruitment.
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| Photo courtesy of C. Fortea - SXM 74A. |
Next, MAKE FRIENDS. Try to at least talk with your co-applicants. You will be surprised to find out that you two might share a common interest, you both might have a friend in common, and many other commonalities. This will also keep you busy while waiting for the next step. This is FUN! Trust me!
Lastly, you have to ALWAYS KEEP YOUR LINES OPEN. You will never know when any of the recruitment team will be contacting you for updates, requirements and everything in between. Make sure that you give your active number in the process.
So, there you go! I hope you find this blog post useful. If not, nah, just say YES. I wish you all the best in your dream of working in the business process outsourcing industry!
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