February 16th, 2012 | 
Author: What is the one thing all employers are looking for in a job candidate? Most recruiters will tell you it’s someone who fits in and best reflects the company culture. Who fits in the best?
Those that fit in best are generally positive, upbeat, problem solvers with a can-do attitude. This desired skill hides under a variety of names. Under project management it might be called “stakeholder management,” or perhaps in marketing it might be “client experience,” or it could be just plain “coaching skills.”
Whatever it’s called it’s just plain “customer service.” It’s not just in retail where customer service is prized. It’s the rare job that you don’t have to partner with people in other departments and functions to properly get your job done. Customer service skills are even more important if the job function requires frequent contact and building working relationships with customers and vendors.
Recently, in a large supermarket my basket of groceries cost $46.30 and after pulling all my bills and change all I could come up with was $46.05. Rather than spend the time going to the ATM machine and the additional cost, I started to take something out of the bag. Before I could the checker smiled and said, “It happens to me all the time, here I’ll cover the quarter, no need to put something back.” The checker had a small dish next to her register, took out a quarter and covered the difference in my bill. An example of great customer service.
Hiring managers are constantly on the look out for job applicants with “customer service,” skills. The owner of a popular local restaurant has a group of employees who are positive, smile at everyone, are friendly, easy to laugh, and make you feel at home. How does he do it? As he is out in the community whenever he comes across someone who would fit in with his customer service orientated group he recruits them.
If you lack some measure of customer service skills there are things you can do to improve these skills. One may be to read and study, but the best method by far is to observe others deliver superior customer service. On the other side of the coin, also be on alert for poor customer service, and work hard to refrain for this negative customer service activity.
Superior customer service is also the core to successful job hunting. In writing your resume do you consider the needs of the recruiter? Is the resume easy to read, well laid out?
Are your accomplishments written to match the job requirements? Did you include one or more customer related skills in your accomplishments? All are important to show the prospective employer that you have the required customer service skills.
At the job interview put your customer skills to good use. Smile; think of what you can do for the employer. Express yourself in a positive up-beat manner when you answer questions. When you come across as a person the recruiter would enjoy working with you move to the head of the line and increase you chance to get the desired job offer.
By: John Goth
Posted in Uncategorized