Business interview

Interviewee

JULIE OGAYON: HR DIRECTOR of CONVERGY’S philippines

Questions:

1.       How would you describe your typical week in the office?

-          I normally start my day or I usually report in what others would call the mid shift I usually come in around 2 or 3 PM and I get home around 8. I really don’t know the time, it really depends on the needs of the day but I would describe my work week as more of an action-packed week wherein I would always be on-call during odd hours, even when I am at home have to be on-call and here in the office it’s more of, what I do is more on consulting, meetings and conference calls because most of our inter-actions are of our internal and external are from other countries. From Mondays – Fridays we are really busy but then what’s good about my work is that after the week I have the weekend to myself although I still need to be on-call . It’s always part of my responsibility to be available for on-call’s

2.       How long and what did it take for you to be in the position you are in now?

-          I’ve been in HR for more than.. I have been working for more than 19 years. I think about 15 years of HR. But in this company I started more than 5 years ago, but I assumed this post.. I started here as a senior HR officer and worked my up until I achieved this level. Right now that’s what I’m doing i’m directing HR. That’s about 5 years of..how would you call that.. it’s really hardwork. Because in the business we are in it’s really more of performance level. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been here.

3.       Have you had any experience prior to working in your current office?

-          Yes, I think I’ve mentioned earlier that I’ve been working for more than.. almost 19 years now. It was not always with HR. I’ve handled different jobs before. Those jobs that I’ve handled helped me to be where I am right now.

4.       Was there a point in your career that you felt like you hit rock bottom?

-          Yes, I think this was the time wherein I was not able to reach out more to a different field. I didn’t see any more growth in what I was doing. That was really the time that wherein I decided that I really have to go back to  what really I think is my line.

5.       Were there other career choices that you had considered before this one? If there is, what factors did you consider in making the choice?

-          I don’t know if it was actually a choice. But When I chose my line it was really more on what job’s came along. It was not something that I planned although I wanted something that is related to my course which is B.S. Psychology. I started work in the afternoon as part of the staff in Angelicum and from there I was exposed to research and then ofcourse HR work and all other thing.. actually even work in the community like outreach programs. And then my next job which is totally unrelated to HR was in athletics. But again, in a way, it was also related to what I was interested in because I used to be an athlete. Being in the job for 4 years as an athletic coordinator, there is no more challenge. There was really not much chance for me to grow and that’s when I decided to go back to HR.

6.       Would you say that you have chosen the correct career?

-          Yes.

7.       Were you always the same person in college or in high school as you are today?

-          I would say so, yes, In terms of leadership. But that’s something that I was into doing. Some people would say that Im a natural leader. I think it comes from my background from being head of our volleyball team in elementary and highschool and at the same time I was also on the top brass of the citizens army training of our school. And then I was always involved in extra-curricular  activities. In a way the things.. the way I deal with people then is the way I deal with people now. It’s more on how to manage or even beat people.

8.       Did you always think that you would get this far when you were just studying?

-          Not really. I guess it’s.. I’ve always lived a simple life. For me at that time, it was just having work to sustain my family and needs but not really to start to aim for a high position. Ofcourse I’m thankful that I was given the opportunity but if in terms of something that I was looking forward to when I graduated, It wasn’t something I had planned.

9.       What advice could you give others in choosing a career? Do you have any tips for one like myself to be able to be successful in the business world?

-          Advice, I guess it’s really finding your niche. You have to know where you are good at, where your passion lies and what really interests you. You have to look at it as a vocation and not a career because if it’s a career you can actually.. it’s something you can get tired of but if it’s a vocation, it’s a calling.. something you were called to do then.. even if it’s something you do everyday, the passion for the job would always be there because you know that this is.. whatever you do right now is something you like or something you love to do.. now tips for success, I guess my advice would be to put in hardwork and don’t forget to pray. Also in-hand with hardwork you have to know how to innovate. Not just be part of the.. you have to stand-out. You have to know where you can improve and not just be contented with what’s happening right now.