Turning a Love of Conversation Into a Career

When Wira Adhikara enrolled in Capital Training’s Contact Centre work preparation programme, he already had a diverse international career behind him. With a background in Electrical and Computer Engineering and programming, he had worked across government, technology, and administration roles in both Indonesia and New Zealand.

Today, he enjoys a full-time role with Spark as a Customer Experience Agent on the 111 emergency service — a step he believes was supported by his experience at Capital Training.

Wira graduated from university in Australia with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering before returning to Indonesia to work for the Ministry of Public Works. He began as a Database Officer and later moved into the financial department.

His career later brought him to New Zealand, where he worked for the Indonesian Embassy in Wellington.
In the consular department, he helped process Indonesian passports and visas.

Although many of his roles focused on administration and public service, Wira continued to develop his technical skills. Programming remained a passion, and he often used those skills to improve systems wherever he worked.

“In Indonesia and also at the embassy, I built new systems for reporting and improved existing software,” Wira says. “I love learning how systems work and finding ways to make them more efficient.”

He later moved into the interactive sector, working in game development and animation pipeline development until the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the industry and the studio he worked with closed its New Zealand facility.

During this period, Wira built a database system for an automotive workshop in Newtown, Wellington and later joined the business as an administrator and IT support person. While the work itself was rewarding, the environment eventually became a concern after several break-ins at the workshop.

Through Work and Income, he discovered the Contact Centre training programme at Capital Training.

The four-week programme, funded by the Ministry of Social Development, prepares students for roles in customer service and contact centres, with training in areas such as conflict management, health and safety, computer navigation, interview preparation and more.

For Wira, the course was an opportunity to strengthen his communication skills.

“I really love to engage with people,” he says. “But English is not my first language, so I wanted to improve my communication and listening skills.”

Wira says the time he spent at Capital Training made a real difference, and one concept that stood out was the ’25% theory’ of meeting new people.

“When we enter a new workplace, we need to adjust to new people,” Wira explains. “The 25% theory helped me not to overthink relationships. Before, I always felt I needed to make everyone happy. Now I have another way to approach it.”

The course also helped him become more confident communicating with people over the phone.

“I prefer meeting people face to face because I can see their expressions,” he says. “But Capital Training helped me get comfortable engaging in conversation with people over the phone.”

Another important lesson was learning how to tailor his CV for different industries. Previously, Wira’s CV focused on software development projects — which worked well for roles in gaming or animation but was less effective when applying for customer service or public sector jobs.

“Capital Training showed us how to structure a CV so it immediately catches the attention of human resources staff,” he says.

After updating his CV using the techniques he learned in the course, he began to see results.
Wira secured interviews and ultimately received two job offers at once. He chose Spark, attracted by the company’s culture, location, and flexibility.

Today he works as a Customer Experience Agent handling 111 emergency calls. In time, he will also train in Spark’s Answer Message Service (AMS), which manages more complex customer enquiries.

“When I observed the role during my interview, I realised this was exactly the kind of work Capital Training had been preparing us for,” he says.

Although the role involves night shifts, it has turned out to suit his family life.

“My youngest child loves sports and plays a different sport every term,” Wira says. “Working nights means I can attend my children’s activities after school.”

Wira believes the training he received at Capital played an important role in helping him secure his new job.

“Follow the way Capital Training teaches you to build your CV,” he advises future students. “It really changed a lot for me.”

He also highlights two key skills he gained from the programme: listening and resilience.

“In communication, the hardest skill is not talking — it’s listening,” he says. “And in a call centre, resilience is very important. Resilience is a combination of patience, and bravery.”

For now, Wira is enjoying the opportunity to do work that suits him well.

“A lot of my friends say my hobby is talking,” he laughs. “Now my hobby has been facilitated.”