'The first can be their inability to listen properly because instead of concentrating on the question till the end, they start thinking of the answer and end up giving an incomplete or inappropriate response,' Saxena said.

'Then, a problem in their attitude, inability to handle the interview without getting confused or sounding under-confident and not having corporate awareness are the other major hindrances which we teach our students to overcome,' he added.

Teaching conversational English is another area most of these centres focus on.

CEO of WLC College Malobika Sengupta went on to say that besides the regular grooming sessions, they also ensure that their students get hands-on experience in the corporate world so that they can actually put their theory lessons to practice.

'We have regular classes from eight to 11 in the morning and then give the students the advantage of working from 12 to six in the evening in any corporate industry, so that they get a corporate exposure even before they finally enter any company,' Sengupta said.

Deepti Khare, a BPO employee who had taken a grooming course, said: 'The six-month course on grooming completely changed my personality. For one, it instilled in me the confidence to face the interview panel without getting the jitters.'

Talking about the students whose communication skills have been honed in these training schools, Arun Arora, director of Gopal and Sons Private Limited, said: 'The students coming from these corporate grooming schools possess specific and identifiable personality traits.'

'They have a creative imagination, individuality, a determination to succeed and a strong desire to make money for themselves and their employers. They also have a capacity to work hard and generate new ideas that are profitable for the organisation,' Arora told IANS.