America: A Tribute to Heroes 

I worked as a volunteer  in one of our company's call centers during the live cast of "America: A Tribute to Heroes" in late tonight of Sept. 21, 2001. I received about 30+ phone calls and collected $1500 donation. Along with 6,000 other volunteers in seven cities, I work from 8:00 pm till 1:30. Many of them stayed beside telephone until 3:00 am.   Lots of them, including me, had no regular interactions with customers.   However, this is more an opportunity of contribution than anything else. I think any help to those in need,  and any assistance to those who provide helps, would be the priceless treasures. I am glad what I do would appease the families and individuals who suffer from the terrorist attacks in New York city and Washington D.C.

  What I've Done in Capital One 

Nov. 2000- April 2001

• Champion One Metrics Reporting and Comparison with BAU

• Telephony contact intensity analysis.

• Analysis of “Voice of Customer”: Relationship between customers’ payment behavior and Capital One adjusters’ performances.

May. 2001-Oct. 2001

• Low risk account contact strategy: Identify and block low risk accounts from phone contact in order to increase contact intensity of higher risk accounts. Therefore, raise penetration rate and liquidation rate.

• Establish and maintain Primary Metrics Reporting: Start a long term and stable reporting tool for Champion One accounts.

• Establish and maintain Fee Waiver Reporting in Financial Solution dept: Initiate first of the kind for Champion One accounts. Outline and compare the fees waived/adjusted in both Customer Relationship and Financial Solution. Propose project to be established to load fee assessment data in Risk data warehouse.

• Analyzed the percentage of CDT asking rate over CDT eligible accounts. Work with MIS to establish UAT CDT table.

• Analysis in Outsourcing late bucket low value accounts: Alleviate the internal workload; optimize the FTE allocation; implement inventory management in a changing business environment.

• Search causes of incorrect proactive/reactive values in COLL_EXTRACT_DRIVER table.

• Propose ‘Linking banking account with credit card’ analysis at the SpeakUp!:  virtually raise credit limit of eligible accounts without deposit, promote Capital One banking service.

Trainings:

• Oracle SQL
• SAS Enterprise Miner
• Advanced Excel
• Building Relationship

  Amazing interview experience with Capital One 

It happened so quickly that I couldn’t believe my ear. Five minutes after the last test, I was offered a job from Capital One.  

They are bunch of energetic guys. They told all candidates that they would give us quick feedback, probably in the following week. It’s rocket speed compared with lot of other US companies.  

This is an easy-to-find place in Charlotte. Although facilities in this Embassy Suite were a little bit old-fashioned, the suite they ordered for me was big, even bigger than that lecture room, in which we had two DGS, one from Xerox and the other French journalist  (I recall that Kas and Kari were in some simulation talk show, with laughs and blushes.) 

I had two 45 minutes interview and two 45 minutes case analyses that morning. First financial test in the afternoon was so difficult that I felt hopeless. Second was a logic test, similar to that of GMAT. I was the last one to hand in the paper in that banquet room garnished with rolls of Cokes.  

I never think of working in financing, or at least as an operation analyst. I had been looking for something closely related to operation itself. I have to acknowledge that IMBA really gives much more than I expected before, making me benefiting in job search and interviews. However, it is also a matter of time and opportunities.  

After I walked out the test room or banquet room and handed in my “logic” paper, they immediately asked me to stay for a five-minute talk. We had to raise our voices, sitting in the lobby, beside an in-door fountain. Their offer was so slippery out of their mouths as they wantonly ignored my final test paper. 

I rushed out of the Suite and laughed in heavy rain. Columbia had a drought this summer. It drizzled the whole my way back to South Carolina.  

I had no idea about Richmond as I did about Columbia when I embarked a jet in Vienna International Airport. I am aware that it is closer to the Atlantic. When I stood at the high cliff of Lisbon, facing this continent at the other end of the Atlantic in 1996, I didn’t see my walking along Carolina beach. But this time, I see myself at the top of the cliff. It’s a montage of my universe.  

Today, covered by the sun of fall in Blythewood, it dawns on me that I will leave here so soon. It may be little cool in Virginia. I might miss the days here. But I will be closer to the ocean and DC.

  Why do some companies hesitate to sponsor H1 Visa 

From my experience, companies who don't want to sponsor the H1 visa have two considerations. First is the sponsor cost, which could be around $4000 -5000. This seems to be such a big issue that many companies wouldn't take any further step in hiring people. On the other hand, many companies consider this expense during salary discussion. I know cases that the sponsored pay the expense while the sponsors (companies) sign and file the H1-B visa applications.

Another concern is that companies worry that the sponsored will leave them soon after the H1 visas are issued. In fact, the sponsored will not likely leave the sponsors. If the sponsored will leave for another employer, they have to apply for a complete new H1 visa via new employer. They cannot take any advantage from their previous sponsors. Many H1 visa holders expect to apply for green card in the future. A stable job will make them more easily to acquire permanent residence status. Under such circumstance, the H1 visa holders are more willingly to stay in their present sponsoring companies.

If you are one of those companies, think from another angle. If you want to find good and professional people, they are normally not cheap.