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Engineers in BPOs

I have a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering: and have been working in the engineering field. I am also pursuing my B.tech (Mechanical) through correspondence. I am interested in working for a call centre. What kinds of opportunities are available for people with a background in Mechanical Engineering?

Vijay Prasad

There are plenty of engineers in the BPO sector. To start with, you could consider joining a BPO as a front level Technical support associate. This would require you to have some basic knowledge of technology (operating systems, networks etc), good problem solving skills and ability to communicate effectively. Once you gain the exposure of working in a global environment, dealing with clients and also complete your B.tech degree, you could explore option in the growing KPO segment. You would be able to put your functional expertise in Mechanical Engineering to good use in that sector as a lot of global companies are outsourcing their knowledge based work to India which calls for skills in engineering, technology, management etc.

Data entry & processing

I am a Bsc graduate working as a Data entry associate with a private firm. Now I want to shift to Data processing. I have a couple of offers from small companies, which I am not very keen on joining. I am thinking of joining the BPO sector but am confused about the options?

Raja

A lot of BPOs are seeing tremendous opportunities in the non-voice sector which includes data entry, data processing, publishing, transaction processing etc. As you already have some experience in this field, finding a job in this sector would not be difficult. There are many big BPOs, which hire people for transaction processing.

Opportunities for linguists

I am pursuing my MS (Applied Linguistics) from Hyderabad Central University. I would like to work in the call centre industry. What kinds of opportunities are available for someone with my background?

Amman Ghanapuram

A lot of BPOs are involved in publishing and back office work like producing e-books etc. So they hire proof readers, editors etc.

So your background in applied linguistics can come in handy. You could also explore the voice segment, which would involve over the phone customer service.

There are opportunities open in the e-learning domain in BPOs as well where in there is a demand for content writers, Instructional designers etc. It really depends on what you are interested in.

MBAs in BPOs

I hold an MBA degree in Human Resources; I now work with a Manpower search firm, but would like to get into a BPO. Could you please tell me what sort of opportunities are available ?

Mahalakshmi

The BPO industry is very people intensive and the nature of the industry is such that most companies are always on the lookout for professionals. Given this the H.R and recruitment teams in most BPOs form a very critical function. You can join the recruitment function of a BPO or join the H.R function. As you have an MBA along with experience in recruitment, finding a suitable opening in a BPO would not be tough.

Neutralising accent?

I would like to improve my accent and speak in a more neutral accent. I have been given the same feedback many times. How can I go about learning it?

Rohan Vashisht

A lot of candidates lose out on opportunities because of their accent, which may have a mother tongue influence. The first step would be to acquire the language and be able to speak English with as much comfort as you speak your mother tongue.

You could work with a partner and read out loud for about 20 - 25 minutes everyday. Recording your voice and listening to it would also be useful. Try watching a lot of English shows/movies and news and observe the mouth movement of the actors and presenters.

You must remember that it's a skill and you need to be persistent and work on it regularly.

(Sunder works as a trainer with a leading global BPO on customer service, sales, communication and coaching & training skills.)

If you have any questions, write to sunder.ramachan

dran@gmail.com

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