In the customer service arena, it is the employee as much as the product that defines a company. Call center hiring practices dictate exactly what kind of employee will be representing the brand the company works so hard to develop. In fact, it serves as a powerful tool to identify the right candidate evaluation style for success.

Call center hiring, according to this Hire IQ blog, involves a different set of qualifications depending on the job. A call center has a variety of people doing a number of different jobs. Some of them are on the phone only, while others may need to focus on some face time with customers. Call center hiring practices will differ depending on the position for which the candidate is applying.

Virtual interviews can give call center hiring personnel the ability to “audition” a candidate for hire from afar, while keeping costs down through negating any travel arrangements. This is also a much more effective means by which to evaluate the candidate than a phone interview alone as it allows the call center hiring personnel to see the candidate.

But in the case where the candidate won’t be interacting with customers face-to-face, the non-verbal body language and appearance has little to do with his/her ability to do a great job over the phone line. In this situation a virtual interview isn’t needed. In these situations, it’s more effective to conduct the interview over the phone and get a true sense of how that person can communicate over the handset.

A cost-effective interview approach that is cheaper than virtual interviews or phone interviews involves online interview processes that can weed out the least likely to get a job through more expensive interview avenues such as virtual and phone. It’s basically an application that’s beefed-up to capture more information about that potential employee.

An online interview process can begin with only a few questions, like the candidate’s name and address and brief work history. If the call center hiring committee likes what they see, the interview can scale up and the questions become more specific. This technique allows the candidate to answer without having the usual nerves that come with traditional job interviews.

The call center hiring team that puts together the picture of what they’re looking for before they go casting their net is more likely to succeed in the process. Do they want their employee to work at home or in a central location with other workers? Do they need extensive experience or can the right personality be trained? Identifying these elements is critical before the interview process begins.

Luckily, call centers in the U.S are seeing a return of jobs that were once outsourced to other countries, like India and the Philippines. Call center hiring teams have more jobs to offer and a willing group of workers lined up for the positions. It’s up to the call center to define what it is they’re wanting and the best method by which to audition the candidates.

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