Career options in BPOs and KPOs

Business Process Outsourcing and Knowledge Process Outsourcing are currently booming industries in India.

Businesses need to constantly stay competitive and keep prices in check, what better way then to outsourcing work to a remote location that is cheaper and lets you benefit on all the 24 hours of the day. Companies across the globe are therefore favoring India. Additionally India has a huge talented and educated work force. The annual revenue earned by India from the BPO industry is around $11 billion (1% of the GDP).

Recently the BPO and KPO industry has operated like a huge sponge, absorbing millions of young people into their workforce. Till not so long back cities like Bangalore were the main hub of BPO and KPOs. This is changing; companies are seeking further cost reductions and moving to smaller areas like Gurgaon, Noida, Hyderabad, Pune, Thiruvanantapuram, Chennai and Calcutta.

The BPO industry offer a diverse range of career options to young people fresh out of college and freshers keen to try out their hand are flocking to join a BPO and KPO in large numbers.

What is a BPO Career all about?

A BPO career revolves around the core activity of delivering business process outsourcing services. This involves voice (telephone) and non-voice (email, chat) based customer interaction services, transaction processing, telemarketing, technical support or analyzing of customer specific data. It also involves back-end jobs such as claims processing and processing of Finance & Accounting transactions.

What is the kind of work Outsourced to India?

The BPO work that is outsourced is from various industries like

• Credit cards
• Healthcare products
• Personal care products
• Education
• Retail
• Technology
• Legal
• HR
• Marketing
• Administration management
• Finance
• Telecom and many more

Although the business started off with the United States outsourcing work to India, the list of countries has grown to include others like Australia, Canada and UK, Ireland etc.

Advantages of starting a career in a BPO

• Global exposure
• Communication skills are enhanced
• Exposure to different people while handling customers
• Good work environment
• Transport taken care off
• Young people all around, so it can be a fun atmosphere
• Good compensation package

People having multi-lingual skills in French, Spanish, etc., also have good opportunities in BPOs.

Requirements for Joining a BPO

• Graduation in any stream
• Good spoken and written English communication skills
• Basic Computer skills
• An attitude and willingness to learn
• Ability to interact with people of various regions and cultures
• Willingness to work on night shifts
• Adaptable nature

Work Timings

Since the BPO Industry caters to clients across the globe, the work timings are in line with that.

There are broadly 2 shifts at which BPOs work,

• US shifts – This would entail working between 5.00 PM to 9.00 AM
• UK shifts – This would entail working between 12.00 PM to 12.00 AM

Salary

Starting salaries could be anywhere from Rs. 15,000 – 20,000.

What are the various rounds of interview in the recruitment process?

The recruitment process can be rigorous and lengthy, nearly everything centering around your communication skills.

Usually the recruitment process involves:

1. Group Discussion– The candidates are evaluated on the parameters of:

• Communication Skills
• Leadership Traits
• Team Work
• Logical Thinking
• Knowledge of the Subject
• Body Language

2. Personal Introduction– the candidates are required to give a brief introduction about themselves to the Interviewer.

3. Communication skills – Grammar, Pronunciation, Neutral Accent and Fluency in the language.

4. Grammar/Aptitude test – This is based on the process the person will be working on.

5. Voice and Accent test– The candidates are evaluated on their:

• Pronunciation
• Rate of Speech
• Vocal Qualities
• Grammar
• Clarity in Thought and Speech
• Accent Aptitude – British/American

6. Line Interview– Line Evaluators assess candidates on the Fitment Issue. The candidates are checked regarding their adaptability to respective processes in terms of their selling skills, patience, problem solving skills, etc

7. HR Round – The offer is based on the Performance of the Candidate in all the rounds of the Interview, Educational Qualification and Prior Work Experience (Relevant/Non-Relevant).

There are hundreds of companies offering BPO services and so you have a huge choice about the company you can join. Once you put up your CV at a job site or register with an HR Consultancy you will be informed about dozens of job opening.

Go for as many interviews as you can, first for the experience and to learn the ropes, and then to clinch the deal. If you focus on your communication skills and are good at it, you should have no shortfall of offers and then you can actually pick and choose the company you would like to work for.

Innovate or perish

India needs to find a way to advance its higher-education sector. A McKinsey study reports that only 25% of India-trained engineers and 15% of finance and accounting professionals have the skill sets to work for multinational companies. The report also highlighted the dismal quality of education in many private colleges, where the curriculum is not in sync with the industry’s need. ICRI aims to enhance the clinical research culture in the country to international standards of development, management and monitoring. For decades, foreign universities have been an integral part of India’s higher education.

Whizkids across the country with the financial means have left for highly regarded global universities to study. Many of these students never return, taking both their tuition money and their talent overseas. More than 160,000 students are currently studying in schools in the US, Australia, UK, and elsewhere. Over 100,000 pack up and head to study abroad every year, spending $7 billion on tuition and housing due to the unavailability of career oriented courses in India. In order to make India a world class hub for education we need to bring in new technologies, new courses and set up new departments. To achieve this, reduce red-tapism, deregulate and grant autonomy to universities and offer liberty to access global Institutions.

Paradigm Shift

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Do you have it in you?

Being an entrepreneur is a full-time job. Some entrepreneurs make sure they use their academic background to enhance their business acumen and hence, choose educational qualifications that would help them do so. While one would come across entrepreneurs who first choose to complete their education and then start their own ventures, there are some who choose to continue their academic pursuits even after they have become full-time entrepreneurs.

Academic aspirations

Neha Hiranandani, director, Hiranandani Group of Companies has a strong professional family background in the field of medicine, finance and real estate but is also pursuing a law degree simultaneously. “I am pursuing law to fulfill my academic interest and have a strong urge to have a distinctive identity within the business and family,” informs Hiranandani. So, how did the idea of pursuing education and running a business at the same time happen? “In my 3rd year of college, I had an opportunity to work in a law firm, which eventually provoked me to study law too. Fortunately, the law programme is designed in such a way that classes are conducted in the mornings, leaving you with the rest of the day to work. So in that sense, I certainly did plan on working and studying simultaneously. However, shifting tracks and moving outside a pure legal framework of opportunity was a conscious decision I took when the opportunity presented itself,” shares Hiranandani.

Managing a business and pursuing education at the same time is certainly not an easy task. According to Hiranandani, “Time management is an essential skill for any entrepreneur.”

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How to Impress your Interviewer

All of us have attended interviews in our lifetime, or will do so shortly. A call for an interview is invariably a mixed feeling. A sense of apprehension and anxiety mixed with excitement and happiness. While the call for an interview is just the first step, it is important to get prepared for the long competitive exercise ahead.

Being prepared is always the key to any successful interview, when you set out for an interview, be sure you understand what your potential employer is looking for. Expect questions that aim to

• Determine your level of maturity
• Your ability to adapt
• Personality traits that make you the best candidate for the job

Situational questions at an interview are also often asked as these types of questions allow prospective employers to determine your analytical ability and judgment. Behavioural questions are common as they give the employer insight into how you have reacted and dealt with problems in real life situations.

Before the interview

• Know the exact time and location of your interview; know how long it takes to get there, park, find a rest room to freshen up, etc.
• Arrive early; 10 minutes prior to the interview start time.
• Treat other people at the company with courtesy and respect. Their opinions of you might be solicited during hiring decisions.
• Dress appropriately for the industry. Your personal grooming and cleanliness should be impeccable.
• Choose conservative coloured clothes, never flashy colours.
• Make sure your shoes shine and the socks should always match your shoes.

At the interview

• Remember to turn off your cell phone and the beeper of your watch before you go into an interview
• Offer your hand, and give a firm handshake, a pleasant smile to your interviewer. Introduce yourself.
• Even when your interviewer gives you a first and last name, address them by their title (Ms., Mr., Dr.) and last name, until invited to do otherwise.
• Ensure you stand and sit erect. Slouching, is a big no.
• Don’t fidget; there is nothing worse than people playing with their hair, clicking pen tops, tapping their feet or unconsciously touching parts of the body.
• Maintain eye contact with your interviewer
• Take a seat facing the interviewer, however, slightly off center. Be sure that you are in a comfortable position
• Pay attention to nervous mannerisms. You might be feeling nervous but the key is to appear calm and composed
• When speaking, use good grammar and a friendly tone. Never answer in monosyllables of only “yes” or “no” to a question. Be polite and avoid rambling when answering a question
• Remember to be enthusiastic! And exhibit a positive attitude. The interviewer is evaluating you as a potential co-worker.
• Never whine, gripe or complain about past employers, jobs, classes etc
• Be sure to showcase your level of commitment and preparedness by being positive
• Be a good listener – make sure you allow the interviewer to finish his/her sentence before starting to answer.
• Be prepared to ask a few questions, however they should be thoughtful and pertinent. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification
• Be Honest, it is always better to state the truth
• Be professional. Don’t get swayed by the friendly behaviour of the interviewer and disclose things that may not be relevant.
• After the interview don’t forget to thank the interviewer and reiterate your interest in the job.

Interview Don’ts

• Don’t falsify application data or answers to interview questions.
• Don’t chew gum or smell like smoke.
• Don’t take your parents, spouse, fiancé or friends to an interview. If you are not grown up and independent enough to attend an interview alone, you’re insufficiently grown up and independent for a job.
• Don’t use deodorants and colognes with strong fragrances

If you don’t get the job, don’t be disheartened. Gear up for your next interview. After all the more interviews you tackle the more polished you become.