Our Contact Centres are the frontline of Admiral and the beating heart of our business. Much of our success as a company depends on the day-to-day interactions that take place with customers over the phone and we wouldn’t be where we are today – the UK’s largest motor insurance provider – without our contact centres. They are one of the most vital parts of our business.
That is why it is crucial that we take Contact Centre Recruitment seriously. We rely on our contact centre staff to retain customers, provide outstanding service, and ultimately grow the business. Securing a Contact Centre role can be competitive, so we’ve put together some hints and tips to help you demonstrate your full potential throughout the process, and give you the best possible chance of success…
Application Form
The key with your application form is not to rush it. It’s one page long, so we’re not looking for an essay, but we do want to see that a potential job at Admiral is valuable enough to you that you take some time over it. Make sure you’ve answered the questions correctly, and that the information you have provided is accurate. Your answers don’t need to be lengthy, but they do need to be honest. That said, don’t feel you need to hold back from giving us details! Find the balance of helping us to understand you and your skills without writing paragraphs for the sake of it. Make sure you have read it through and checked for spelling and grammatical errors.
The best application forms move beyond simply describing what you get up to day-to-day and also include and focus on personal qualities. For example, “serving customers in a polite and kind manner with a smile on my face”, gives us much more information about you than “serving customers at the till.” Ultimately, you don’t need lots of experience for a Contact Centre role with us as we provide plenty of training, but we do want to see that you can empathise and listen to a customer, and that you are motivated to solve their problems and connect with them over the phone.
TOP TIP: Copy and paste your application into Word to do a spellcheck.
Telephone Interview
The telephone interview is a crucial part of the Recruitment Process, as it gives us a real sense of your phone manner, a key factor in your ability to engage with customers and provide great service. Not only that, the telephone interview allows us to see that you can be professional in your home environment, particularly now, when the line between home and office are blurred as we work from home. Make sure that you are ready for the call. Find a quiet place with no distractions and good signal so your call isn’t interrupted, where you can focus on the questions and give your best answers.
You will probably be a bit nervous during the interview but try not to that stop your personality from shining through. We need people in our Contact Centres who are polite, chatty, kind, and resilient, so make sure you get that across in your answers, but also during more general conversation with your interviewer. You could make some notes about Admiral, the role you have applied for, and some examples of what you do well in your current role, so you can refer to them during the interview if your mind draws a blank.
Be professional at all times. Whilst we would encourage you to build rapport with your interviewer, make sure your jokes don’t go over the line and your language is appropriate. Try to relax, maybe even enjoy the chance to chat to someone new over the phone!
TOP TIP: Print out the job advert, take some notes, and keep them in front of you during the call.
Meet and Greet
Not all of our departments are running Meet and Greets at the moment, so you may not get a chance to take part in one. Pre-Covid, Meet and Greets were a chance for you to come into the office, get a feel for the place through meeting our current employees as well as learning more about the role you had applied for through a presentation and listening to calls. Whilst we can’t invite you to the office, we are running some Meet and Greets over Zoom and you’ll still get a chance to learn about the role and meet the team!
If you are invited to a Zoom Meet and Greet, there are a few things to be conscious of. Make sure you have downloaded Zoom prior to the meeting, and that you know how it works. We would expect you to have your camera on, so make sure you are dressed appropriately, and you’re in a quiet, private space where you won’t be disturbed. It would be great if you could put yourself on mute from the start of the call, to avoid any unwanted background noise that could disrupt the meeting and distract other candidates.
This is your chance to impress us and make a good impression before your interview, and another opportunity to learn more about the role. You will meet a department Team Manager, as well as someone who is currently doing the job.
TOP TIP: Make a note of any questions you have as there will be an opportunity to ask these at the end.
Face-to-Face Interview
The last stage of our recruitment process involves an online meeting with two members of staff – someone from the department you’ve applied to and a Recruitment Officer. Even though it is virtual, it’s still an interview so make sure you are smart and presentable. Try and find a place where you can be sat upright, with your phone or laptop leaning on something so you don’t have to hold it - a lot of movement can be distracting for you and the interviewers. Make sure you’ve done enough research to demonstrate you understand the role, as well as a bit more about Admiral as a whole, as it shows your commitment to a potential job with us. Your preparation for the previous stages, along with what you’ve learned on your telephone interview and Meet and Greet will be a great help here.
This is your last chance to make a positive impression, so try to maintain an approachable and professional manner, but don’t be afraid to be yourself as well – we want to get to know YOU. Don’t worry about talking too much – this is your interview after all, and your interviewers will let you know if you’re low on time. Try and fill your answers with as many examples as you can, as we want to see evidence that you can demonstrate the empathy, kindness and resilience you’ll need in a Contact Centre role.
TOP TIP: Don’t be afraid to take some time to answer the question – processing it properly will ensure you give a better answer than jumping in when you’re not sure.
Take this advice on board and we’re sure you’ll be successful in your application, but don’t forget, sometimes these things don’t go to plan. Don’t let that deter you. Call us – we’d be happy to share our feedback with you to put you in better stead for future applications whether that’s with us or another company (hopefully us!).
