Convergys needs more workers

CEBU, Philippines – Convergys Philippines will be needing 1,000 more workers to fill up seats at their expanded facilities in Banawa and at the Asiatown IT Park.

Convergys Philippines sourcing manager for Visayas and Mindanao Jose Manuel Castillo II said that the recent opening of their brand new facility at i3 in Asiatown opens up more job opportunities in the company.

One of the pioneers and biggest Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firms that have located in Cebu, Convergys already employs a total of 3,400 employees in Cebu.

"Over the past few years, the Philippine market has established itself as a leader in the BPO industry. As such, Convergys continues to see growth in the Philippines and in Cebu, Castillo said.

“We felt that expanding our presence in Cebu would be well received and a good investment,” he stressed.

While the world economy continues to slow down and many industries in the Philippines announce more job cuts, the BPO industry especially in Cebu has continued to open up more job opportunities, because of stronger demand for outsourcing jobs abroad.

According to Castillo, Convergys itself has grown from zero to more than 16,000 in strength in five years, underlining the phenomenal growth potential of the industry.

“Convergys’ new state-of-the-art Cebu i3 contact center encompasses over 50,000 square feet and can seat around 1,000 employees,” Castillo said. 

He added that the convenient on-site recruitment center of the facility has gained a tremendous response from prospective applicants.

May of 2008, Convergys announced the addition of five new integrated contact centers to be added throughout the country because of increased client demand.

“Of those five announced, we have opened three since the beginning of the year and we look forward to the opening of the two additional centers in the coming months,” Castillo said.

Because of the overwhelming demand for call center agents, Convergys decided to partner with local online-based job searching company, called Mynimo (www.mynimo.com) to help Convergys find employable people immediately.

Mynimo president Wesley Chiongbian said BPO companies chose to locate in Cebu given its pool of qualified manpower considering Cebu’s numerous universities and colleges, which makes the province very conducive for business and investments.

“As more companies decide to locate in Cebu, more job opportunities are opening up. It is just a matter of choosing the right job for you,” he said.

Castillo said Convergys decided to partner with Mynimo in Cebu because of its focus on Cebu-based jobseekers and those who want to relocate to Cebu to find employment. He said it is also faster for Convergys’ recruitment officers to process applications filed through Mynimo.

“The applications we receive through the Mynimo website are from people who are currently residing in Cebu, this makes it much easier for us to process the applications within a shorter period of time,” Castillo said.

“Mynimo has been important in helping Convergys meet its recruiting goals by targeting the talent pool in metro Cebu. Since Mynimo users are Cebu or Metro Cebu residents, Convergys relies on Mynimo for targeted messaging and posting of our current open positions,” Chiongbian added.

Globally, Convergys has 84 contact centers. In the Philippines, Convergys currently has 12 contact centers with nearly 16,000 employees.