Want to move up the corporate ladder?

You want to grow in the BPO industry and assume a managerial position -- fast.

Besides job-related skills, what are the other attributes that make a good manager?

BPO training expert and CEO of Fitter Solutions, Nasha Fitter offers this advice: It is very important that, in addition to possessing good technical skills, you also have good interpersonal skills. 

After a certain level, business is really about building relationships and contacts.

You may want to introspect and even take the advice of your bosses as to where your current deficiencies lie. You can surf the Internet for information, look for books, or even take a class that focuses on the gaps that need to be filled.

• Do you have a question for Nasha? Write to us

I have cleared till 7th round in EXL call centre in back office process but in the 7th I was rejected. I asked the HR why it is so but she did not response any thing. I have planned to join training of BPO but i found that there are so many centres provide just preparation of interviews (means round) and send us for different interviews in different companies or in consultancy. I am worry about my career. I have been working with a company as a System administrator of computer.

-- Rajesh Agrawal

I understand how frustrating it can be to not quite know how to improve your skill sets in order to attain the job you want. It is unfortunate that many human resource executives refrain from giving feedback when they decide not to choose certain candidates. They should, so that young people grow and are able to better themselves. In any case, let me give you my feedback based on the short e-mail you have written. 

While your voice quality may not be important for a back office job, your English skills still need to be. From your writing, it is clear you need to work on your grammar. 

For this, search for institutes (not necessarily focused on BPOs) that offer English training. Or, search for a tutor. On your own, you could possibly buy a basic grammar book. Additionally, I believe that reading newspapers, business magazines and good books will help you immensely. While reading, pay close attention to the way sentences are formed and how vocabulary is used. Additionally, watch English television shows. 

I am an MBA  graduate and i have my interview for a call center job. Can you give me  answers to the questions they are likely to ask me:

i. If you will get another job with lucrative pay ,what u will  do?

ii. Why you want to join a call centre?

-- Ajit Sahu

If you can truthfully answer your second question, the answer to the first will come naturally.

You need to ask yourself why you really want to join the BPO industry. Many young people make the mistake of taking jobs only for the money without thinking of their long-term career goals. When you are just starting your career, it is important that you are in a place where you will learn the skills you lack.

So think about what (other than money) you would be able to gain by working in a call centre. For example:

You could learn to communicate with international customers.

You could learn to improve your communication and interpersonal skills. 

Also ask yourself what excites you about working in a call centre. Perhaps it is something as simple as the fact that the industry is fast-paced and you want to be in an environment that is growing. 

Once you figure this out, the first question you asked should be easy to answer. Human-resource managers are concerned with attrition and want to make sure you will not 'jump ship' if lured with extra money.

If you are genuine about the reasons you want to work in the company, it will be evident that you won't be tempted to leave quickly. Here, it is important to convey you are interested in staying in one call centre for an extended time-frame rather than many for short durations.

You may want to point out that you are trying to build your resume and it looks better to have been with one company for a steady amount of time. You probably will learn more (and certainly learn more in-depth) if you stick with one company. Remember, the more honest you are, the more believable you will sound.

The last tip I can offer is to not come off sounding like you are seeking to climb the ranks quickly. Instead, focus on what you want to learn in the present.

I am software engineer with six years of experience. I am good in logics and love doing coding kind of work. But, I want to grow in this field where I am lacking.

One of the reasons is poor communication skill. Apart from that I am not able to do the man-management well because of poor PMP skills. Please advise me on how can improve on these points.

-- Sumit

i. It is very important that, in addition to possessing good technical skills, you also have good interpersonal skills. After a certain level, business is really about building relationships and contacts. 

I am not sure from your query what your exact problem areas are. In terms of English skills, I have written many articles for rediff.com where I have given in-depth suggestions that you can refer to. Please see: 

• 3 golden rules of communication
• How to improve your listening skills
• Networking at a party?

ii. In terms of management, there are various other factors to consider. 

~ Are you a good listener? Are you able to empathise with your colleagues and listen to their issues without immediately giving advice? 

~ Have you developed a personality that is well-liked? 

~ Are you able to engage in interesting conversations? This skill is especially important when dealing with clients.

~ Are you able to think insightfully and solve real-life problems without the help of others?

~ In addition to these, a good manager needs to have excellent presentation skills and exemplify overall professionalism. 

You may want to introspect and even take the advice of your bosses as to where your current deficiencies lie. Then, you can surf the Internet, look for books or even take a class that focuses on helping you fill the gaps.

I've a few doubts about call centres. How can i perfom well in a call centre interview? what kind of questions we can expect? My doubts are listed below.

i. should we include about our family matters in resume?

ii. how can we answer to this question; introduse yourself?

iii. about our strength and weakness, future plan etc.
 
These are my main queries. kindly advice me please.

-- Prasanth

Demonstrating self-confidence is very important for any interview. Much of this will come from how well you prepare before each interview. My thoughts on the questions you asked:

i. I do not believe in including family matters in a resume as it can be seen as unprofessional. Make sure your resume does not exceed two pages. Look on Microsoft Office online for templates to follow. 

ii. You must introspect and figure out why you would be interesting to a potential employer. Are you ambitious? Are you hard-working? What is it that makes you different from others?

Sit down and seriously analyse this question. Make a list of personality attributes. Then pick the ones that would most likely be seen as important at a work setting. For example, perhaps you are friendly -- an employer would view this as an essential attribute for seamless integration with team members and superiors. 

iii. The key is to make sure your strengths and weaknesses link together and make your weaknesses really sound like strengths. 

For example, let's say your strengths are that you are hardworking and personable (friendly). Your weaknesses should relate to these strengths. In this case then, you could say your weaknesses are that you are a workaholic and are easily trusting.

Notice, how being a workaholic is similar to being hardworking, and easily trusting people can be a side-effect of being very friendly. Notice that while you have listed attributes that can in fact be seen as weaknesses, they do not actually make you look bad; instead they allow your strengths to sound even stronger.

It is also important that while you state your strengths and weaknesses you give real life examples to justify them. That will make it clear to your interviewer that you are not lying and have really introspected to come to these conclusions. 

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