Help with job application- quick reply would be really useful!

[amj]

I'm applying for what would be my first job (if successful). All is going fine on the app. form, mentioning key skills and all that bollocks and then I come to this line


Give an example of when you provided good customer service.

Shit. Does anyone have any ideas for bullshit examples I could use that'd still look good?

[Hooty Mcboob]

make up some crap about doing volunteer work at some place.. that usually makes employers happy.. like st vinnes or something

[ShinymetalASS]

Think of every job you've ever had with customer service. If you havent had a job think of any time you have had to consistently deal with other people/public. If you aint got shit, well then you aint got shit and you should be honest. Seriously, the interview will reveal what your people skills are like. I've had to interview lots of people over time and some people might look good on paper but they cant string a sentence together.

Meanwhile, Im back to work :0

[muppet]

.. and this one time.. at band camp..


Actually, I agree with ShinymetalASS.

[amj]

Thanks for suggestions. I decided on the old "i aint got proof but i'm wiked init" line. But phrased better. Hopefully i'll get a reply within 14 days, or i'm not in :(

[EvilMuppet]

making shit up would have been a better idea :s

[oggy]

not worth getting caught out if you are making up shit...better off with honesty when it comes to interviews.
smart employers can see right thru bullshit...

oh yeh, customer service aint all that its cracked up to be!

whats the position you are applying for?

[BlueBoy]

Speedily moved to Careers forum.

[ShinymetalASS]

making shit up would have been a better idea :s


See?? That's why you're the EVIL muppet :mdr:

[EvilMuppet]

not worth getting caught out if you are making up shit...better off with honesty when it comes to interviews.
smart employers can see right thru bullshit...

oh yeh, customer service aint all that its cracked up to be!

whats the position you are applying for?
If you do it right and don't forget what you have said you ca't be caught out. I never have been, Job apps, Rental apps, essays lying my ass off. Just dont go overboard and dont put anything they can verify.

[muppet]

See?? That's why you're the EVIL muppet :mdr:
Not really, I would've said much the same, only worded it differently.

Look at what experiences you have had in the past, even the smallest ones, and pad them out, believably of course, until they fit the criteria required for the job app. Most employers expect a bit of BS on resumes and stuff. This is why they interview you :) Have you ever been offered a job solely based on your resume?

[Farnk]

Details of past experiences, types of job, different employers, industries, etc are meaningful to an employer to show them the sort of overall background you have. It also goes to show something of the sort of personality you are.

Techie skills are commodities now. sorry, that may upset some people because it takes effort to attain accreditations, but just because someone has CCNP / MCSE, etc don't mean anything to an employer as a point of difference to the 4000 others after the job.

Having the accreditations will just get you past the first cut, usually by a HR person or by a pimp agent. The actual person hiring will only get to see the applications / resumes that meet the specific criteria that they are looking for in a candidate.

Pimp agents are a pack of bastards, but believe me they are even worse for a person hiring to deal with, let alone the poor bugger out to try and get a job.

Once you get to an interview, it's a matter of personality, potential fit with the team and potential for further development.

I recently hired a IT security guy, it took over 6 months to find the right person. What made the person the right candidate wasn't past record, or past training, but whether or not they could do the work and were able to integrate with the team.

[Sanura]

As far as the customer service thing goes, there are so many examples you can use, even if you have not had any job experience. Have you ever helped a friend out on a market stall for a day? Or assisted someone in a shop that you weren't actually working at (eg, lady comes up to you thinking that you work there, but despite the fact that you don't, you still know the answer to her problem)? Or perhaps you have manned one of the club stands at uni/school/whatever. Maybe you did one of the doorknock appeals? Or even fund-raising for your school, where you had to sell items/get donations? If there is any way that you can relate it back to the job you are going for at all, so much the better.

All you need to let them know, is that you are not experienced in professional customer service, however because of how you have dealt with < insert examples > situations in the past you feel that you have good potential in the area and would love the opportunity to persue it further in a professional atmosphere.

I personally don't go for lying yer ass off trying to glorify yourself - its true, I think that a lot of employers can see right through a lot of that (uhhh, thats the reason they ask the 'if you won the lottery' question... if you give a completely bullshit answer 'oh, I'd give half of it away to charity, and put the rest away only to incrue interest, and I wouldn't splurge at all' then they know you are full of it). Especially when you have no on-paper experience. I think that going for something like "I helped out at St Vinnies" is trapping you if you haven't, because anything like that is documented, and they sometimes do want to check up on that sort of stuff. With any school/uni/charity related stuff, it is a cool idea to have one of the organisers involved as being a reference, so that they can verify what you say, and of course, sing your praises.

Well, this is all my non-professional advice.. hope it helps (even though it looks as if you have already put in your application ;) )