Tuesday 30 July 2013

Our First Blog



We are simply delighted at Resumes of Excellence to provide you the latest in accurate information on Resume, Cover Letter and Selection Criteria information.
You will also find interview tips, including answering those difficult questions, and why your shoes can be important!
Over the last few months, we have carefully monitored our success rate from our clients and have been especially pleased that 9 out of 10 executive clients, who used our service, reported that they were offered first round interviews! We are still waiting for the 10th client to provide feedback!
Recently we had amazing success during an Australian Public Service recruitment round across all levels. An entry-level client was offered an interview with little experience and two senior level clients were interviewed for positions.
Feedback indicates that many of our clients are being offered positions. Although we cannot take credit for the actual securing of the position, we can take credit for providing some of our clients with the confidence to step into an interview situation with the attitude “this is my job, and I want it”! We have offered a select few clients interview coaching and found our success rate has been outstanding. At some stage, this year, we will be including interview coaching as part of our service, but until then we are going to provide you with information to assist with interviews through this blog.
Feel free to use the comment box and ask any questions you would like answered. This blog will be updated regularly, and previous blogs will be available through the Blog Archive link on the right hand side of the page.
Our first interview tip is a question you are likely to be asked if you are applying for a client service position. “How would you deal with a difficult or angry client”?
We have read many interesting responses to this question, and the majority of them are wrong! Some professional writers are claiming to advise the client to calm down. This is the worst possible way to deal with a difficult client. Often in interviews, there is no right or wrong answer just better ways to answer the question. However, we have no hesitation in saying telling an angry client to calm down is the wrong answer! Also advising a client that you understand their situation will lead to more conflict, with the client coming back with “How could you possibly understand my situation, you haven’t been in this situation”! Even if you have been, it will not help, to tell the client this.
So you are saying, “How do I deal with this situation”?
Firstly, let the client speak without interrupting, sometimes we all need to let off steam and just want to rant or vent! When the opportunity arises acknowledge how the client is feeling, this affirms the client has the right to feel angry. A statement such as “this must be frustrating for you” or “I can hear that you are upset” are good acknowledgments of the way the client feels. Follow this with a statement that shows you would like to help. “I can hear that you are upset, and I would really like help to you”.
The key here is you have validated the client’s feeling, and you are offering to help, this is what the client wants to hear. It is also a positive statement. All interactions with clients should start with a positive, not a negative. Clients want to hear “I can” not “I can’t”. It is a simple strategy, which will help you avoid a difficult situation.
Okay this is it for our first blog. More to come on interview techniques and other information we hope will assist you to get that dream job.
The Team
Resumes of Excellence