Dear Joyce: Concerning a recent reader who wants a bilingual pay premium when working in a call center, that reader may want to consider relocation.

There are many call centers in Austin, Texas, for instance, and many pay extra for bilingual skills. Admittedly, it's doubtful that relocation expenses would be covered for an hourly employee -- but it doesn't hurt to ask. Moreover, if you get incentive pay, additional money for extra language skills and perhaps a differential for working an off shift, your earnings could move up quickly.

Your reader also asked about classroom training in Spanish. From my experience, those who succeed in call center jobs that require bilingual skills either grew up in a home or lived for an extended period of time in an area where that language was spoken.

Those whose second-language skill was derived solely by classroom instruction often are not viewed as being fluent with the language. For example, many of my co-workers who grew up with Tex-Mex become uneasy when dealing with someone who speaks Castilian, the language found more in the interior of Mexico.

Anyone who wants to bolster proficiency in a second language, say Spanish, can do volunteer work with an organization that works with people whose primary language is Spanish. -- Peggy Terry, Austin, Texas

Dear Peggy: Thanks for your good advice. Two Web sites related to call/contact centers are Call Center Network Group and the Call Center Industry Advisory Council.

Fluency is a two-way street. Another reader in your state, for whom Spanish is a first language and English a second, tells me that he's the only bilingual person in his call department and handles more calls than anyone else. But he wants out, e-mailing me with these closing words: "I feel that other company's they need my skills, so I looking for a new Job Career." I suspect that his frail command of English is holding him back.

As evidence that call centers can be a springboard to bigger things, take pages from a new book: "Bodacious!" The author is Mary Foley, who moved from entry-level $8-an-hour customer service to head of the hectic call center at the fast-exploding America Online -- and, ultimately, to AOL's first head of corporate training. She retired from AOL independently wealthy at age 33. I don't think she's bilingual.

Dear Joyce: A friend mentioned hearing about "The best job interview question of all time" but didn't know what it was. Do you? -- E.S.A.

Dear E.S.A.: I suppose you mean the best single question that interviewers can ask you, according to recruiting whiz Lou Adler, president of Power Hiring.

Adler says the best question he's ever found to flesh out a job seeker's real self is ... drumroll ... "Please think about your most significant accomplishment. Now tell me about it."

While technically not a question, Adler says it's a springboard to sizing up a person's competency. The interviewer learns a myriad of facts, including the actual results you achieved with numbers, changes made, details, amounts; the technical skills you used and learned; the actual role you played; and how you dealt with challenges and conflicts.

I agree, it's a doozer of a question. Grab a tape recorder and practice this one if you're in the job market.

Variations on a theme from Adler: The same question can be posed in a variety of ways. That is, be prepared to describe several different individual and team accomplishments, such as "Describe your biggest accomplishment in setting up manufacturing scheduling systems."

Dear Joyce: At 54, I am trying to change careers. I don't know what to say when I'm asked why. What's a short and sweet answer? -- R.Y.

Dear R.Y.: If you can't find a way to make your new direction seem somehow related to your previous career, just say: "I have revisited my goals and am ready to begin a new phase in my career."

Send career questions for possible use in this column to Joyce Lain Kennedy at Box 368, Cardiff, CA 92007, or e-mail her at jlk@sunfeatures.com. Sorry, the volume of mail makes personal replies impossible.

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