2024 was a roller-coaster ride for at HGS OSS. From conquering challenges to achieving new goals, everything just became a stellar success! That’s why we were excited to host one of the brightest events of the year, YEP 2024: Stellar.
Last year, we had our Year-End Party (lovingly abbreviated to YEP) with the theme Moonrise. It was inspired by the cinematographic excellence of renowned director, Wes Anderson, specifically his film Moonrise Kingdom.
This year at the SMX Convention Center, it’s all about stellar – think planets, moons, galaxies, and stars – spotlighting the shiniest and brightest achievements of our teams. Hence, we aimed to create a marvelous night for everyone in the celestial wonderland!
The night sky eagerly waited for our teams to land on the cosmic carpet in their grand outfits. Moments before the party launched, everyone dressed themselves in sparkling silver to emulate the heavenly bodies. Some even donned golden sequins to imitate the dazzling stars in the galaxy. All of these to get the brightest party started (and make the whole venue shine like a diamond)!
Photo: Our teams showering in Cosmic Outfits
Just like our tradition in every YEP, we recognize those who best dressed themselves in the costume contest. Our foyer hosts interviewed each attendee to describe how they personified the stellar theme. Embodying the celestial bodies, we got two folks who were crowned as the Stars of the Night! That lady donned a space costume with side props popping off and a shimmering glam on her face stood out. And the other embodied the literal solar system, grabbing the crowd’s attention.
Photo: The Winners of the Stars of the Night
These folks commanded the carpet with pure elegance and orbital opulence. Every jaw we witnessed was on the floor, especially when these winners walked on stage and received the award. No wonder they were the main characters in the intergalactic event!
The Manila YEP 2024, as with all our YEPs, is nothing without starry entertainment. Our teams stormed the stage with their electrifying talents in our HGS Got Talent competition. All our contestants brought nothing short of extraordinary! Everyone followed the theme, Exploring the Futuristic World, creatively mixing up their talents and concepts to shine on the stage.
Our contestants amazed us by reimagining the theme. One team clothed in the movie Avatar, others disguised as celebrities like Bruno Mars, while some serenaded us with Beyonce tunes. At last, we got those out-of-this-world talents who brought home the cosmic award, the House of Tempsters! We can never forget how they narrated the futuristic world, explaining what’s next for mankind. At the same time, these performers danced their hearts out to wow us!
Photo: The House of Tempsters delivering Show-Stopping Performances
We’re thrilled to have our talented teams because they never fail to surprise and amaze us with their competitive conceptualization and execution in every YEP. Let’s congratulate everyone for their consistent and wonderful performances!
The infinite possibilities that HGS OSS holds are only possible with our teams – and no one has proven that more than those who we consider our true blue. We rewarded our teams who have been with us for a decade or more! We walked with these folks onto the stage as we honored their undeniable hard work on what they do at HGS. The atmosphere of SMX Convention Center lit up because of their presence. On the stage, they showed off their opulent award – a symbol of stellar success!
Photo: A 20th Long Service Awardee walking the Stage in Elegance
Next, monthly huddles have been always the tradition and culture of HGS to celebrate together with the teams. We presented the Best Huddle Award and Best Host Award. We recognized the teams who splattered the crowd with unforgettable fun! And that’s the Hue & You June huddle from the 10th floor of Twenty-Five Seven – they earned those two magnificent awards.
Photo: Our 25/7 teams bringing home the Best Huddle Award for Hue & You
Oh, we forgot to mention—we also rewarded our lucky early birds in the raffle promo. We gave away fantastic gadgets and appliances to draw smiles for our amazing teams. After all, they deserve it!
Before the chapter ended for YEP: Stellar, our Starlight Serenade performers took the limelight to pump our hearts out. From classic melodies to Disney tunes, we were in awe of their heartfelt performances.
Blasting off an unforgettable celestial party, we had DJ Inna Gita ignite the crowd with some loud, flashy music! Everyone in the crowd raised their glasses, danced the night away, and enjoyed each other’s company while it lasted.
All year round, it was an exhilarating but fulfilling one to witness all our incredible teams making waves of success. We’re over the moon having our brilliant teams build together such a happy workplace. In another multiverse, we hope to be working and bonding with them as they redefine what it’s like at HGS!
This YEP is not the last, because there’ll be more celebrations for everyone, especially those who shape HGS—our teams! Before we forget to mention, our teams in Cebu will still have their stellar event coming this December.
Of course, we still have a lot of surprises for our amazing teams before we completely end the year 2024. This November, the Halloween season may be over, but the Feast of Terrors huddle is on a mission to hunt them. We’ll be having spooky games, candy-sweet adventures, and more, so stay tuned.
For this stellar journey in Manila, we’ll now wave goodbye because we’ll be seeing you for the next one! And if you’d love to be part of a fun workplace, head to Careers Site for also an awesome career. We hope to welcome you during our huddle (or even in our next YEP event).
The thrill of a job interview is always mixed with a dose of anxiety—been there, felt that. We know those nerves can kick in but fear not! We’ve gathered expert job interview tips from seasoned recruiters to help you ride that interview straight to a job offer.
Introducing one of HGS OSS’ finest recruiters: Jally Ballega from the Talent Acquisition team! She’s here to give us the low-down from common job interview questions to positive post-interview signs! So, listen up and let’s hear job interview tips straight from the pros!
Think of your resume, CV, or even your LinkedIn profile as a pre-interview pitch! Your resume is the best chance to pique the interest of potential employers before you even meet them.
Some would make their resume one-and-done, with no further revisions until new experiences can be added. But as Jally advises, “…it’s important to tailor it to the specific job you’re applying for.” So, be sure to think about what your potential employer may want to see based on the job description that you’re aiming for. Keep it simple and focused. Highlight the skills and experiences that directly relate to the role.
The interview highlighted 3 common resume misconceptions:
By avoiding these common resume pitfalls, you can craft a more impactful resume that will help you land your dream job. Start refining your resume today, and you’ll land that interview in no time!
Preparation is usually the cornerstone of a successful job interview, “Whether it’s in-person or online, preparation is key.” There are different ways to prepare for an interview:
Let’s dive into each of them, shall we?
Conducting research on your potential employer should give you that boost going into the job interview and show initiative. It demonstrates that you are genuinely interested in both the role and the organization.
Familiarize yourself with the company overview. Understand the organization’s mission and values by going through their website. You can also get a feel for their company culture by scrolling through their social media pages.
A great way to impress recruiters is to highlight recent projects from the organization that you saw online!
Recruiters tend to ask a standard set of questions that you can anticipate. A great job interview tip is to familiarize yourself with them to be well-prepared:
Your interviewer will likely ask about your reasons for leaving your current job. Instead of dwelling on negative aspects, frame your answer positively. For example, instead of saying ‘I left because there was no growth,’ you could say ‘I’m seeking new opportunities to challenge myself and advance my career.’
As simple as this one may seem, it’s a potential pitfall for a lot of interviewees since a lot fail to prepare for it. Alison Green, columnist from The Cut, advises that you should always keep it professional, not personal. A strong answer, according to Green, is concise yet shows how you started in your career, noting achievements, and ending with what you want to do next.
Flattery can be a good thing here, but not too much. Talk about your interest in the organization to showcase that you have some investment in its success. Try to structure it broadly first, talk about the industry, and then focus on why this company caught your interest.
This is your chance to show genuine interest in the role, whether it be to build on your current skillsets or to explore something new. It’s also a great opportunity to show your plans for the future, and what you can bring to the table.
These are some of the questions you can expect, but not all of them, of course. “[You should] practice answering common interview questions but also be ready for role-specific questions.”
A mock interview is a great practice tool that simulates a real job interview. Think of it like a rehearsal before a big show. Here’s why they help:
After asking a friend, family member, or even a career mentor to be your mock interviewer, you can start! “Set up a quiet space, have [them] ask you both technical and behavior questions, and practice answering them out loud.” After all, you probably already have the answer in your head: it’s just hard to verbalize it.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; that’s why mock interviews exist. It’s not meant to be perfect, just a space to learn and grow.
A big thing to consider nowadays is whether your interview is set to be conducted in-person or online.
The biggest difference, according to Jally, is body language. In online interviews, it’s hard to rely on physical aspects of communication, “so it’s crucial to look directly at the camera to mimic eye contact.” It’s also important to still be presentable despite being at home. Do create a quiet, tidy, and professional environment, “and [still] dress as if you’re attending in person.” If space is a problem, you can always use a background filter!
While in-person interviews require attention to body language, eye contact, and a confident handshake! Always be cautious about your non-verbal cues as sometimes it’s the subtle things that can go wrong. Overall, do your best to arrive early, and try to dress appropriately.
What is considered “appropriate” job interview attire may vary depending on the industry, “but you can never go wrong with business casual.” However, if you’re unsure, it’s better to be slightly overdressed than underdressed!
One of the smart job interview tips you can study up on is to understand what the recruiter wants to know. It’ll help you anticipate questions outside of the common ones, but it’ll make the interview go more smoothly and focused.
The interview is mainly to look at two things: you as a professional, and your collaboration skills as a teammate. So, here’s Jally’s input on what the recruiter wants to know:
You as a Team Member. “We want to understand how a candidate works within a team, handles conflicts, and contributes to shared goals.” It’s best to highlight projects you’ve worked on and some struggles that you’ve encountered along the way as a team. For fresh graduates, talk about your experience in school from internships to volunteer work that shows your effective collaborative skills. Either way, this lets recruiters know how you communicate, your adaptability, and ability to work as a team.
You as a Professional. You’ve probably heard of the “Strengths and Weaknesses” part of any interview, but why do recruiters ask it? “[It’s] designed to assess self-awareness and honesty.” No one’s perfect, and no one is fully flawed. Knowing your strengths shows confidence in your abilities, and acknowledging weaknesses demonstrates a growth mindset.
But how do you answer the “Strengths and Weaknesses” portion of the job interview? Focusing on your strengths to that relevant, firstly. Show what you can bring. “For weaknesses,” Jally advises, “choose something you’re actively working on and improving.” The key is to show awareness of where you can grow, and that you are motivated to take steps towards improvement.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell when a job interview goes well, but here are Jallys tips on 3 positive post-interview signs:
Of course, these may not be a guaranteed yes, these are just a few good signs or at least a way to know that you’re doing something right.
Before we leave, we’d love to give a quick shout out to our lovely recruiter, Jally, for giving us these job interview tips! Thank you so much Jally for answering our hard-hitting questions.
So, what are you waiting for? Take these tips out on the open road and start applying for your new career! You can check out the open roles we have at our HGS OSS Careers site today. Hey, you might even be interviewed by Jally herself!
Beware: You’re about to read something truly horror-filled! But don’t worry, it’s a hauntingly good read because we’re diving into the November huddle with the HGS OSS teams!
The spooky huddle has been our most anticipated huddle every year. Although Halloween is done by October, the spooky huddle continues to haunt us… it means it’s never too late to celebrate the frightful fun together this November!
Last year, the spooky huddle was all about Filipino folklore—like the kapre, duwende, and nuno. Every corner of the office was filled with classic horror tropes, but it also showcased our teams’ culture of creativity. This year, we handed our teams the freedom to explore what spookiness they could bring to the office chamber with the theme, Feast of Terrors. And guess what? It was a fright to remember!
We challenged our teams to transform themselves into chilling creatures with their costumes. From haunted makeup to eerie masks, we had our hearts pumping as if we were in a horror movie! The Wicked Transformation and Spook-Tacular Makeover for our virtual and onsite huddles, respectively, were our contest themes.
We’re not going to lie when we say that our teams’ entries sent shivers down our spines! You could see our winner in Wicked Transformation who painted her face with a bloody and ghost-like look that felt like she was creeping out of our screens!
Our Spook-Tacular Makeover winner roamed around the office chamber as a burger monster, dancing around to hauntingly entertain us. On top of their performance, they also handed real buns to the audience – and everyone had a good dose of laughs! With their standout entry, we handed Dionie Reclamante the win!
The way Dionie infused horror elements into Angel’s Burger, a famous local business, had our hearts racing! We expected they’d scare us out, but instead, they entertained us to the highest level with full wit.
Every office site we walked through was a nerve-wracking experience! In our Terror Zone contest, we challenged our teams to transform their workspace into a dreadful space. Then, we visited each bay with different stories to tell… and we’ll share with you a glimpse of terrifying stories from our top 3 winners!
Curse of Ange. From its namesake, Ange was unknowingly killed by someone in her house near the wishing well, cursing the family’s home. One of the teams from Twenty-Four Seven team gave us an interactive session by letting us listen to the accused who could’ve killed Ange. Each accused, from family members to friends, defended themselves, stating they didn’t murder Ange – well, who’d admit they’re a suspect?
Alcatraz. Have you heard Alcatraz’ full story? That’s the idea that inspired the other team from Twenty-Four Seven. During their presentation, we heard untold stories from prisoners and what they did to their victims. But, we won’t dive deeper as it might give you nightmares! Similar to the Curse of Ange, this was an interactive experience. This time, we were like in an escape room, solving tricky puzzles to proceed to the next level.
Puno’t Dulo. Or in English, it’s the beginning and the end. The story began with a terrible crime—a murdered woman. And that woman was someone’s daughter. Devastated, the father and mother tried to seek justice, but the system failed them. In the end? They became killers… and murdered those people responsible for their daughter’s death. That was a creative eerie story from our Twenty-Five Seven 9th Floor team that won 3rd place!
If you were to walk through their terrifying experiences, do you think you could survive? How about let’s take a look at our WFH teams?
Imagine turning your home workspace into a strange local place—could you still live there? Well, our remote teams were brave enough to transform their spaces in the Bewitch Your Workspace contest!
You can see from our champion, Jo Ann Velasco, cast some horrifying elements in her home workspace with pumpkins, spider webs, and… are those ghostly figures? Yep, it is!
Meanwhile, Jovelyn Mopera shed her workspace with spider webs and a witch. There were also red lights surrounding it—we could call her place a dark and uncanny one! No wonder she earned the 1st place.
Little did you know, Leahmela Lozada also had a witch in her workspace. This time, it’s not a witch figure, it’s a real little girl under a witch costume! It’s no surprise Leahmela claimed the 2nd spot.
These creepy contests might have got your hearts racing! But to ease things up, we’ll share with you the sweet fun about our teams’ little ones in the office. These kids had some good little candies and chocolates from our teams. Not only did our teams don costumes, but their kids went all out as well. Some of them excitingly wore superhero characters like Deadpool and Spider-Man. Another was the little girls in long dresses, emulating Disney princesses like Elsa and Anna from Frozen!
You can scream in cuteness seeing these adorable kids in their costumes, roaming around the office celebrating the spooky festivities with us!
As we close the final chapter of a frightful fun huddle, let’s also not forget to wrap up our incredible year 2024. Our teams never failed to show their creative entries in every huddle contest ever since from the beginning of the year until the last one. This November huddle was the perfect way to end the year, marked with upright synergy, creativity, and connection with one another.
Bidding farewell to 2024, we’re excited for what’s next in 2025! Oh, wait—stay tuned because our Cebu teams will celebrate their Year-End Party (YEP): Stellar this December! You heard it right! Certainly, we cannot wait for what our Cebu teams will bring to the stars.
So, if you’d love to experience huddles like this spooky one, we’re inviting you to join our team through the Careers Site. We can’t wait to celebrate each huddle with you!
Networking is a powerful tool to expand your connections and build meaningful relationships to enhance your career growth. With the right networking strategy, you can access job opportunities, career advice, or connect you with like-minded professionals. There are different ways of networking, including meeting people at job fairs, attending seminars, or simply engaging with your colleagues. If those aren’t available at your doorstep, LinkedIn can boost your network, and this article will help you how to optimize your profile.
But before that, first, what is LinkedIn? It’s the world’s largest professional network on the Internet. It is designed to connect professionals in your related field, hire the best candidate, or provide job opportunities. If you’re job hunting or shifting to a new career, LinkedIn is your partner in finding opportunities.
However, LinkedIn is a competitive platform, but it’s an advantage for career advancement for professionals like you. Now that 2024 is winding down, we’ll help you optimize your LinkedIn profile to boost connections and get opportunities this 2025.
Let’s say you’re building your LinkedIn profile from scratch – like totally from zero! If you’re creating LinkedIn to shift careers or establish your personal brand, what an optimized profile can do is drive career progression. An up-to-date LinkedIn profile can make potential connections reach out to you for opportunities.
To kickstart your LinkedIn profile, you need to have your most updated profile picture with a formal headshot. Consider this as your personal branding—confidence, professionalism, and cleverness. With a picture, your profile is 14 times more likely to be viewed by others.
Treat your LinkedIn profile “Introduction” section as a pop-up page – attract potential visitors with a captivating headline at first glance. This section could include your current occupation, specialized expertise, or latest achievement. And if you have one, earned titles like CPA (Certified Public Accountant) or CPHR (Chartered Professional in Human Resources) can elevate your profile’s appeal and add credibility.
As people say, first impressions matter! So, never miss the opportunity to grab visitors’ attention with these basics. Visitors can instantly tap your LinkedIn profile to learn more about you (especially for possible work collaboration). The question boils down to the next step – how do you maintain their attention to continue scrolling down your profile?
Now you’ve got the hook in your LinkedIn profile, you should continue the momentum by showcasing your professional background. Your experiences are crucial to selling yourself to your potential and current connections. Visitors, whether they are business partners, recruiters, or applicants, will press that “Connect” button in your LinkedIn profile to hopefully reach out to you for certain reasons. That could be a job offer, freelance opportunities, or even a business proposal. Luckily, if you’re a recruiter, the best candidate may apply directly to you, saving you time in finding the applicant you’ve been looking for.
Think of LinkedIn as an online resume, but this time, it’s in public view for anyone on the platform. But what should you highlight in your professional background on LinkedIn?
Once you’ve documented everything, you can summarize one of these in your “About” section. Try to condense your remarkable experiences and achievements into 150-300 words to count this as a hook. Remember, this section is your chance to tell your wonderful story.
There are countless skills that you can always highlight on your LinkedIn profile, so the more, the better! Write down your best skills and insert them in the “Skills” section. You are likely to be viewed or contacted by various people on this platform when you log multiple skills.
If you’re finding the best job opportunities, you need to showcase the skills needed for the industry you’re applying for. Adding the skills to your LinkedIn profile could vary depending on the industry you’re entering, specifically the hard skills. For example, in Architecture, employers might seek candidates proficient in AutoCAD. Information Technology (IT) professionals require computer competencies, while graphic designers often need expertise in applications like Adobe Photoshop. Generally, your hard skills point to your technical abilities and expertise.
However, you should never forget the importance of soft skills. To optimize your LinkedIn profile, recruiters or employers value how you interact with professionals, including colleagues. Soft skills like communication, time management, and leadership, are examples applicable to any industry. These necessary skills help recruiters gauge your collaboration with different people and how you approach each dynamic relationship.
To build repertoire and credibility, it’s crucial to add your educational attainments and certifications in your LinkedIn’s profile respective sections. These accolades show how you can do your job efficiently and effectively in the workplace. Remember, learning never stops, especially in this dynamic, fast-paced, and technologically innovative world. If you could invest in certifications to upskill, then you can be a competitive professional. Moreover, the “Honors & Awards” section will help you prove yourself as a professional for making every work remarkable and excellent.
LinkedIn, like Facebook, Instagram, or X, lets you post updates or share content with your audience. You can react, comment, or even repost content. However, on LinkedIn, the focus is on your profession, sharing your career stories or expertise on a topic. The way you optimize your LinkedIn profile with these will allow certain professionals to connect with you, while also knowing how you showcase your knowledge and attitude toward various topics or situations. Employers or recruiters will also have a glimpse of your image toward work and with stakeholders.
There’s no such thing as a perfect LinkedIn profile, but these pieces of advice may help you gain visibility across the social networking platform. However, to further strengthen your LinkedIn profile, you also have to invest in developing your skills. Whether it’s completing workshops or earning certifications, you will have more chances to be viewed by employers or potential business partners.
Now that you’ve reached the end of this article, you likely have a clear idea of how to optimize your LinkedIn profile. Once you’re done optimizing your profile and feel like you’re ready to enter a new career, we highly recommend applying to our Careers Site. We’re excited to see you update your LinkedIn, sharing with your connections about your new and amazing career at HGS OSS.
Outsourcing legal transcription services to offshore providers can result in significant cost savings for law firms. The lower labor costs in many offshore locations such as the Philippines enable law firms to access skilled talent at a much cost-efficient price than they would pay locally. This cost-effectiveness allows firms to allocate their budget more strategically, focusing on core legal activities and client services.
Offshore legal transcription functions can significantly enhance document accessibility and management for law firms. By converting audio recordings of legal proceedings, client meetings, and other important communications into text format, these services ensure that crucial information is easily retrievable and searchable.
With the advent of digital document management systems, transcribed documents can be seamlessly integrated into a firm’s existing workflows. This integration facilitates better organization and retrieval of documents, enabling legal professionals to quickly access the information they need, resulting in improved efficiency and responsiveness.
Accuracy is paramount in legal documentation. Reputable offshore staffing solution providers employ highly trained professionals who are well versed in their respective fields. Offshore transcriptionists ensure that every detail is captured correctly. This minimizes the risk of errors that could lead to potential legal implications.
Security is also a critical concern for law firms, and offshore providers adhere to stringent confidentiality and data protection protocols. By leveraging secure file transfer methods and encryption technologies, these providers ensure that sensitive information remains protected throughout the transcription process.
Beyond cost savings and efficiency, offshore legal transcription roles offer strategic advantages such as access to a global talent pool and scalability. Firms can tap into specialized transcription expertise from different regions, ensuring high quality output regardless of the complexity of the legal matter.
However, offshore transcription also presents challenges including potential communication barriers and time zone differences. To mitigate these issues, it is essential for law firms to establish clear communication channels and set expectations with their offshore providers. Building a collaborative relationship and leveraging project management tools can help overcome these challenges and maximize the benefits of offshoring transcription and other back-office roles.
HGS OSS specializes in building offshore teams for back-office roles across all industries including law firms. We have a deep understanding of the unique requirements and operational needs of these roles. We ensure that you retain full managerial control over your offshore teams, allowing you to guide and manage their work seamlessly. Additionally, we also provide full transparency over costs, ensuring you have a clear understanding of your investment at every step. To learn more on how we can help you build your own offshore team, contact us today.
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HGS CX. “Intelligent Document Processing.” HGS, 16 Aug. 2024, hgs.cx/technology/artificial-intelligence/intelligent-document-processing/. Whittaker, Zack. “Law Firm That Handles Data Breaches Was Hit by Data Breach.” TechCrunch, 4 Jan. 2024, techcrunch.com/2024/01/04/orrick-law-firm-data-breach/.
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