Financial Blog

Working as a call center agent, customer service representative, or “BetterBanking Specialist” here at Security Bank, will do wonders for your career. You’ll develop a wide range of transferable skills as you take on multiple roles. This will help you succeed in almost any career in any industry.

Given that you’ll be the “voice” of the organization that customers interact with, it’s no surprise that hiring managers are very particular in what they’re looking for. That’s why it pays to make a great first impression during your interview.

Improve your chances of getting the job with these tips:

1. Research about the company.

Learn about their mission & vision, products & services, target audience, and company culture. You can find these on their company website and social media accounts. It’s also important to know how you will fit in the company. The more information you have, the more comfortable and confident you’ll be during the interview.

2. Tailor your resume.

Match your skills and experience to the job requirements when creating your resume. Show that you’re exactly what the company is looking for.

Start with a Career Objective. Talk about how your skills, knowledge, and abilities can help the company achieve its goals. Under Educational Background, talk about your extracurricular activities. Mention any achievements and positions you held in an organization. You can even cite experiences that are relevant to customer service. For Work Experience, include your internship, part-time job, and volunteer work.

You can even highlight soft skills to make your call center resume even stronger. These are the top skills you need:

• Communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• People skills
• Adaptability & flexibility
• Unflappable
• Resilient
• Time management skills
• Effective & efficient
• Proactive
• Leadership skills

Lastly, make sure your resume is readable. You don’t want the hiring manager to skip over your resume just because it was too cluttered.

Read more: Job Hunting 101: What You Should Never Put on a Resume

3. Anticipate customer service-related questions.

Prepare your answers to interview questions about dealing with unsatisfied and emotional customers. This will mainly assess how you respond and handle different situations.

For fresh graduates

• How would you define good customer service?
• Why do you want to work in customer service?
• What do you know about our company, products & services?
• Describe a time when you dealt with a difficult situation with someone. How would you handle that same situation now?

For experienced hires

• How would you assist a customer who’s already worked with multiple agents, but still hasn’t gotten the help they need?
• Let’s say you’re trying to solve a customer’s issue, but there’s no clear policy to use and you have to make a judgment call. What would you do?

4. Practice, practice, practice.

Have mock interviews with a friend or practice in front of a mirror. Be mindful of your body language. Pay attention to the tone of your voice. Choose your words carefully when formulating answers – make sure there’s no room for misinterpretation. But don’t just memorize your answers; you don’t want to sound like a robot either.

The more your practice, the more natural your responses will be during the actual interview. This is important because it shows the interviewer how you’ll talk to customers if hired. Keep it conversational while still demonstrating your expertise.

5. Arrive early.

Prepare your business attire the night before, and aim to arrive at least 15 minutes before your interview. Plan your trip and give yourself enough time allowance so you don’t get rattled in case unexpected incidents happen on the road. Arriving ahead of time helps you remain calm, think clearly, and answer the interview questions well.

6. Let your personality shine.

While it’s important to remain professional during an interview, be sure to express your personality as well. Show the interviewer that you’re a great teammate to have and that you’ll fit right in the company.

Smile and greet everyone you meet on the way to the interview. When answering questions, use examples from your experience to show glimpses of your personality. You can share personal conflict experiences and how you managed them. These will demonstrate how calm and collected you are, which is essential for a customer service representative.