Candidates' Corner:
Speak English Well and Get Hired
by Rocky Peltzman

So, you want to work at a call center. There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that there are thousands of jobs. The bad news is that the acceptance rate has dropped from 3 to 7 applicants out of 100 to 1to 3 out of 100. So, what is the FIRST step that will bring you closer to your goal?

Why English, of course. Americans want to feel confident from the very first question they ask, that YOU understand every word they say. And of course, US callers, who probably want to spend as little time as possible on the call, want to understand your answer the FIRST time, so they can get back to work, family or fun.

Call center management wants to provide the maximum service to its customers in the shortest amount of time and to be sure that a satisfied customer will not only continue to buy the product or service, but will recommend it to friends and family, as well. A customer service representative is the management’s face, so to speak, and it must be friendly, accurate and swift.

Both sides of the business equation—management and the American customer--want a satisfied conclusion to a customer service call. Now, how do you get your foot in the door to be the provider of that satisfaction? Will you make the grade? Your oral English test is crucial—if you fail to reach the cut off level, THAT may be the end of the process, full stop. If you come in right under the cut off level, you may, however qualify for English training.

How can you prepare yourself for the oral English assessment?

First, take out a tape recorder and tape yourself. Give out your personal information and your opinion on a relevant topic of the day. Now rewind and play it back. Did you make any mistakes? Do you think an American will understand everything you said? Ask yourself, “If I were phoning in a telephone report on CNN, would American listeners understand me?” If you have an American friend, or Fil-Am friend, let them listen to the tape, and ask for an honest answer.

Next step. Turn off the local TV and radio. By that I mean Tagalog programs and news! Why, you are asking yourselves? I’m bilingual, you say, I understand everything I watch on CNN or Star World. I love Frasier and Will and Grace.

I have news for you. If you watch local programs, you think in the local language. As we at John Clements do the oral English screening of applicants, it’s almost as if we can see applicants’ brains thinking in their native language and translating in nanoseconds to English. TO SPEAK GOOD ENGLISH, YOU’VE GOT TO THINK IN ENGLISH.

While I know that reading the local news is interesting and important, limit it to just that. Get on the Internet and download articles from the New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post, or Time magazine. Their concise, clear writing brings you up-to-date with what’s going on in the US and increases your word power. Don’t have the Internet? Buy the weekend Herald Tribune at a newsstand and you will have enough reading material to keep you busy for many days.

Let me give you an example of the misuse of a word I saw in my apartment elevator recently. The notice said, “To get your parking sticker, accomplish the form and bring it to the office.” “Accomplish” is not American English—Americans say, “complete” or “fill in” or “fill out” the form. Reading texts of all kinds written by native speakers will help guarantee you use the appropriate words in specific situations.

Now take this immediate step. Speak English from the minute you leave this talk EVERYWHERE YOU GO. Order your coffee at Seattle’s Best or Figaro in English. Speak to the salesclerk at Landmark in English. And if the clerk or waiter doesn’t answer you in English, don’t cave in. IF YOU SPEAK ENGLISH ALL THE TIME, YOU WILL THINK IN ENGLISH.

Now I’m going to tell you something you may not want to hear, and that’s to speak with your barkada in English. Maybe they’ll think you’re being a snob. Take a minute to explain that NOW is the time you need to bring your English up to speed, and ask for their help. Even ask them to correct your mistakes!

You may be asking yourself, so what mistakes do I make? These are the comments we note while assessing applicants in the Philippines:

I. Pronunciation

A. b/v, p/f, t/th/: For th, often people substitute the “d” sound. Unfortunately, Americans may take it as a sign of an uneducated person, or someone who cannot take the time to place their tongue properly when speaking. Deh, is not acceptable in place of the.

B. The American “t”: Americans enunciate the t very clearly and particularly on the phone it must be clear. The t at the end of words is often dropped here and this may confuse a native speaker. Stric/strict, perfec/perfect

C. The final “ed/t” of the simple past tense: Americans enunciate this clearly as well. A native speaker may think the agent does not know when to use the past tense if he/she does not hear the agent pronounce it.

D. Accent

1. Syllable stress

2. Word stress in the sentence (intonation)

II. He/she pronoun: Slow down just a little and think first—am I speaking about a male or female person?

III. Grammar

A. Past tense: Not using it at all (i.e., speaking in the present simple tense) or dropping the ed/t endings

B. Present perfect: “How long have you lived at that address? I lived there since I was born.”; should be “I have lived there since I was born.”

C. Prepositions

1. In/on confusion: born on 1953, throw the papers on the basket—both should be “in”

2. Describing physical objects and location (prepositions of place—in/at/on)

D. Comparatives and trends: Fourth quarter sales were greater than 3rd quarter sales, etc.

E. Parts of speech

1. Articles

2. Countable/non-countable nouns: “He has a long white hair” should be “He has long white hair.”

3. Adverbs: He speaks English well, not good.

IV. American idiomatic expressions

A. Two-part verbs (prepositional verbs): look out, look for, look up, look in, look on, etc.

The use of Filipino English, mixed words and contexts from the two languages, sounds correct, but is not used outside of the Philippines. Words like “re-electionist” are not a part of the American lexicon. Americans would say “incumbent”.

One of the first phrases I encountered when I moved back here 2 years ago is “For a while.” American callers will scratch their heads in wonder as they try to figure out what you mean. Are you going shopping for a while, or going out for coffee for a while? Americans say: “please hold on” or “just a moment, please” to signal that they will be silent for a little while in order to get information or transfer a call.

Again, reading, reading and reading of current American English texts will increase vocabulary, which MUST be seen in context, and American TV shows will supply idioms and the latest slang.

V. Question formation, particularly in the Past Simple: “When did you bought the computer?” should be “When did you buy the computer?”

VI. Listening comprehension—Listening practice can be tackled by videotaping TV programs and playing them until one understands everything said. Choose a mix of American drama, comedy, news, financial and technology programs. Drama programs, like The Practice and Smallville, tend to use words related to emotions or specific fields. Comedies use more slang and idioms in a “now” context and are spoken so fast that listening closely is vital to catching the point. News programs with reporters from all over the world give you listening practice to people with various accents—don’t forget that American customers also come from all over the world! You’ll be taking calls from Americans of all ethnic groups and regional accents. Technology and business programs keep you up to date with vocabulary necessary for many call center jobs.

Let me add another comment on the value of listening to as many types of shows and reading as many types of texts as possible. In ESL terms, what you know about the world is called “prior knowledge”. The more prior knowledge you have, the more varied and interesting you are both in Tagalog AND English.

Don’t forget to keep talking when you are assessed! Don’t just give a one sentence answer and sit quietly. Assessors want to hear you elaborate on your answers, express your opinion, and sustain the conversation.

Since call center agents deal with all kinds of products and services, you will make a better impression in your call center interview when asked open-ended questions about yourself and your opinion. Americans like hiring people who are curious, know what’s going on in the world and are able to talk about it.

These factors I’ve mentioned may lower one’s score from a “near-native” speaker to one who may need lessons before being sent on to the Call Center client for the next interview step.

Each client of course, sets their own cut-off level, so it is possible that one’s English level will not be good enough for one client, but satisfactory for another client. But why take that chance? Do what you can now to put your best voice forward at that all-too-crucial oral screening test.

Recently I heard a Public Service Announcement on the radio I’d like to share with you. It suggested reading, listening and watching everything. I quote “What you feed your mind helps you grow as a person, and as a nation.” I think that sums it up pretty darn well.

Now, if anyone has any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them. Thank you for your ear and time and GOOD LUCK on your oral English assessment.