Interview Questions
Employee turnover rates in the call center world range between 20%-35% depending on whose research you consider. In my consulting experience I have seen call centers where over 50% of the staff run screaming for the door every year. A the same time, I have also experienced call center environments where turnover was incredibly rare. There are many factors that influence job satisfaction and employee retention. One of these factors is job fit; how well does the person hired for the job match the demands of the job.
As a BPO outsource company, Voice Teleservices wears many hats. Our call center serves many different industries and performs a wide range of roles. One client may hire us to make outbound calls to a list of website hand-raisers with the sole purpose of converting them to paid sales. Another client may have us employ a combination of phone, email and fax to promote their business and cultivate appointments for their team of field sales agents. While we serve as a “call center” to both clients, the jobs we need to staff for are quite different.
The purpose of this column is not to provide an exhaustive glossary of interview questions and employee screening techniques. The reader is invited to weigh in with their ideas. However, there is one question that should be asked in every interview to help ensure a good fit between the candidate’s skills and attributes and the job. It’s a simple idea so no need for a drum roll. But it works well on several levels and often times the simple ideas are the ones that work.
Step 1: After the typical walk through of the candidate’s resume and job experience the interviewer should move into a detailed description of the specific job. Describe a day in the life of a “lead generation agent” or “telemarketing sales rep” position. Define the specific metrics that the new hire will be expected to meet every day and every week. Share the details, warts and all, for what it takes to do the job well. What do your current employees love about the job and, more importantly, find most challenging? Really paint an accurate picture. Then, make sure the candidate is on the same page with you by asking: “Does this make sense?”, “”Do you understand what the job entails?” After they start nodding their head with enthusiastic agreement and they reach for your pen to sign on….move to Step 2
Step 2: You’ve reviewed the candidate’s work history, you’ve described the job requirements in detail, you’ve answered their questions and now you need to close the sale by asking; “OK. Now what makes you think you can do this job?”
Many interviewers never ask this simple question. Maybe they find it a bit too direct or they’re afraid of losing the candidate and they really need to fill seats quickly. However, if you ask this question you will find a better fit for the job your are hiring into. Candidates with self-confidence, the ability to think on their feet and those with persuasive language skills will knock your socks off with their responses. They will be a good fit for most jobs found in a call center and contribute value to your clients. The candidates who get flustered and cannot answer that direct question would probably not do well in a call center job where they need to answer direct, and some times heated, questions from customers and sales prospects 5 days a week. If you do not screen them out in the interview they will self select out of the poor fitting job in the near future and contribute to your turnover rate.
