Hays Contact Centres - January 2010
Hotspots
Senior Customer Service Representatives with industry-specific skills are a hotspot of demand at present. Given the high number of candidates, employers are able to be selective in the industry-experience required in candidates. Telesales candidates are also sought as the market improves and businesses focus on generating revenue. Finally, collections candidates are needed to recover bad debt.
For these roles, employers seek candidates with a stable resume. Candidates that have previously jumped from job to job are not viewed highly by employers in the current market. Stability and loyalty are critical.
The coming quarter
The need for sales and senior customer service staff increased over the last quarter of 2009. The upward growth of demand for experienced candidates within these areas will continue this quarter.
Given the abundance of contact centre candidates in the market, employers find recruitment very time consuming, particularly in the early shortlist stage. A recruiter offers a quick turnaround.
Candidate trends
A drastic increase in the number of candidates is the result of previous redundancies and cost cutting measures. Candidates ideally now seek a role with a stable organisation.
