JOB FOCUS: BPO Employee
Readers Digest July, 2005

Miloni Thakore works at the Mumbai office of First Advantage – Asia (FAQR), a business process outsourcing (BPO) Company that specializes in employment screening.

What the job involves: Each month at her 9am to 6pm five-days-a-week job,Miloni vets more than a hundred job applications of people recently employed by FAQR’s clients, who include some of India’s top Companies. “ A surprising number of applicants embellish their CV’s “ Miloni says. “ They lie about their education or work experience. Some even hide their criminal past. I’m on a team that screens each application and checks all claims with universities, previous employers, or the police.

“The task can be though at times, because some previous employers reveal little and universities can be slow to respond. But I’ve found recommendation letters written on stolen letterheads with forged signatures, and copies of graduation certificates that were cleverly manipulated on personal computers.” Miloni has to be meticulous in her research, because an adverse finding can mean someone getting into trouble, or even sacked.

Qualifications & skills: Miloni has an MA in philosophy, but graduates from any discipline can take FAQR’s entrance test, which measures analytical abilities and basic computer skills, mainly in the use of MS Word and Excel. “For my job,” Miloni says, “you also need loads of patience, an eye for detail, writing skills. And being a bit of private detective by nature is a big help.”

Pay & prospects: India’s fast-growing BPO Industry added 94,500 new jobs in 2004-05. Starting pay varies from Rs6000 to Rs12,000 and not all BPO jobs require graduates, Hard workers move up fast. Miloni joined as an Associate inn January 2004. A good year end review got her promoted to Senior Associate with a hefty 50% increment. Over time, Miloni could moved up to Team Leader, Manager, even Senior Manager and earn Rs40,000-plus. For more details and FAQ’s check out www.bpoindia.org.

Pros & Cons: Not all BPOs keep FAOR’s hours call centres, for instance, work round the clock. Night shifts can be stressful, one reason why many fresh graduates see working at call centres as something to fill time before moving on to better jobs or higher studies. However, the work pressure, even in BPOs with a normal working day, can be high. The atmosphere at FAQR, which employs over 400 graduates at its four Indian centres, is very professional, Miloni says: “There’s no time for small-talk with colleagues, except during brief tea breaks or the free cafeteria lunch.”