National BPO test gets huge funding
By Juan Dela Cruz

BPOs in the Philippines are slowly starting to roll out a soon-to-be mandatory requirement to get a foot inside their doors: a 500-peso entrance exam which according to BPO chiefs has been patterned on what already exists in India. Getting a BPO job in Philippines has been like threading a needle for both applicants and the companies.

The applicants always have to deal with tough competition and strict applicant criteria while the latter deals with the endless task of finding qualified persons to fit the job requirements. As a result, the acceptance rate hasn't improved much since the first year it was measured from 2% in 2003 to 5% as of the current year. However, BPO Association executives think this perennial problem is about to go away as this national "BPO entrance exam" becomes mandatory for all applicants. In this process, all BPO companies can do away with each of their individual screening processes and go straight to the final interviews. In a recent interview, Business Process Association of the Philippines CEO Oscar Sanez said hiring processes for BPOs today is much like fishing in open seas.

With this exam called the BNCT or the BPO National Competency Test, the "open seas" will now just become a "very big pond" of qualified individuals making life easier for the HR Departments of BPO companies. For test takers, they are measured based on basic requirements most BPOs have such as English proficiency, computer literacy, perceptual speed & accuracy and learning ability. Then it’s a virtual free-for-all among BPO companies to snap up the best possible candidates in the pool.

On the face of it,  all seems to be well with this "genius" plan of BPO companies. The originator of this idea must be justly  proud of himself for coming up with it. However, not everyone in the BPO industry is happy about it. Firstly, to be able to take this qualifying test, an applicants must pay 500 pesos (A peso has the same value as an Indian rupee) but it doesn't even guarantee anybody employment. While it is a foot in the BPOs doors, there are no promises of employment. This doesn't sit well with many applicants for whom paying upfront for any job does not make any sense at all. It only adds to the financial burden they need to shoulder along with the remaining costs of looking for a job.

Another group inside the Business Process Outsourcing industry known as the Call Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) doesn't seems too elated about this development. According to a recent TV interview, this new test doesn't fit well into what individual call center hiring processes already have in place. Most call centers here in the Philippines have evolved into niche BPOs that excel in specialized services they provide. Some do mostly customer service and technical support, others prefer providing collections services, outbound sales are the forte of some and most small players make do with transcription and other non-voice services.

The general nature of this BNCT exam hardly touches the unique qualities and criteria they are screening for in their hiring processes. In a purely speculative opinion of this author, this project might well be one of the biggest reasons why the Call Center Association of the Philippines is bolting from the Business Process Outsourcing Association of the Philippines umbrella group. In a newspaper report last month, CCAP indicated its desire to independently pursue its projects. To an extent, this BPAP project might well be the tipping point of the split.

Even with a 62 million peso public funding this project has acquired, it seems it lacks the relevant support from the parties it hopes to make life easier for. Call center applicants don't like paying and call center companies, who far outnumber the rest of the other BPAP members combined, are already turning it down before it even takes off.

(Questions & comments? Email me at 1delacruise at gmail dot com)