Is a customer service job right for you?

What is a customer service job all about?

You guessed it: great customer service. Whether it’s via web sites, social media, on the phone or in brick-and-mortar stores, there are a variety of customer service jobs.  

As a customer service representative, you need to know about the products and services you’ll be supporting. Take time to review the web site of the business to gain a better understanding of the industry and potential customer issues.

You’ll need strong communication skills to respond quickly to customer questions and complaints. Your problem-solving skills along with patience and confidence will be key to handling stressful situations with customers. 

During the interview process, you may be asked behavioral questions to see how you’ve responded to situations in the past that would be similar to what you might have at the new job. Here are a few examples of behavioral interview questions:

• Tell me about a time you had to deal with an angry customer.

• Describe a time you had to deal with a difficult customer and how you handled the situation.

• How do you handle difficult customers? Share a recent example.

Even if a prospective employer doesn’t ask about your experience in resolving conflict with customers, you might want to talk about it anyway, especially if they ask a more general interview question about difficult situations you’ve faced at work. 

Don’t have a lot of experience handling conflict at work?  No problem. You can always share an experience you’ve had in dealing with conflict whether it was with a friend, a classmate, or even a sibling.

Bottom line, you likely already have transferable skills for customer service.

So if you enjoy helping people or solving problems, a customer service job may be a good fit for you!