The SA Revenue Service (Sars) has put out a call for 250 new contact centre service agents across South Africa’s three big metro areas, in what it has billed as a chance to “interact with taxpayers from all lifestyles and ensure you make South Africa great”.
The bulk recruitment is for more staff at four existing service centres in its digital channels division.
123 of the posts are in Gauteng, split between centres in Alberton and Dorningkloof. There are also 67 posts in Bellville in the Western Cape, and 60 in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.
Sars posted the call for applications this week, and those applications are due to close on 17 January.
The positions require only a senior certificate, Sars said, plus two years “experience in a customer service environment”, though it does not specify call centres. Tertiary qualifications are considered “an added advantage”.
Candidates will be expected to deal with a range of queries around tax, and the jobs are focused around communication. Ideal candidates will have great business English skills, both written and spoken, and be great communicators, Sars said.
It is also essential to be “highly efficient on a computer”, and have the ability to take initiative while simultaneously “being able to work in a highly scripted and monitored environment”, while the organisation is looking for “vibrant, energetic and driven individuals”.
Those hired can expect to deal with difficult customers, the job ad said.
In March last year, Sars advertised hundreds of jobs across a range of specialised fields such as trust practice, regulatory compliance and leveraged legal products, as well as for 200 young graduates in the tax, legal and auditing fields.
It ended up receiving nearly 90,000 applications, and increased its hiring ambitions.
UPDATE: Sars apparently removed the job posting referred to in this article from its careers website on Wednesday. “This job cannot be viewed at the moment. It has either been deleted or is no longer available for application,” that link now returns.
The job listing is still available on third-party websites – but applications can no longer be submitted.
Sars did not immediately respond to a request for clarification. This article will be updated again once it does.
Business Insider