Tell Me About Yourself

This is one of the most popular questions asked, and your response will probably set
the tone for the rest of the interview. It is the most challenging question for many
people, as they wonder what the interviewer really wants to know and what
information they should include.

How would you respond? One thing is for sure: the interviewer does not want to
know about your family details or personal background. What he is interested in are
your achievements and the milestones in your career. As you cannot afford to get
your answer wrong, here is how you should start preparing yourself for this
question.

Focus
List five strengths you have that are pertinent to this job (experiences, traits, skills,
etc). What do you want the interviewer to know about you when you leave?

Scripting
Prepare a script that includes the information you want to convey. Begin by talking
about past experiences and proven success: "I have been in the customer service
industry for the past five years. My most recent experience has been handling
incoming calls in the high tech industry. One reason I particularly enjoy this business,
and the challenges that go along with it, is the opportunity to connect with people. In
my last job, I formed some significant customer relationships resulting in a 30
percent increase in sales in a matter of months."

Next, mention your strengths and abilities: "My real strength is my attention to detail.
I pride myself on my reputation for following through and meeting deadlines. When I
commit to doing something, I make sure it gets done, and on time."

Conclude with a statement about your current situation: "What I am looking for now
is a company that values customer relations, where I can join a strong team and
have a positive impact on customer retention and sales."

Practise
Practise with your script until you feel confident about what you want to emphasise in
your statement. Your script should help you stay on track, but you shouldn't
memorise it -- you don't want to sound stiff and rehearsed. It should sound natural
and conversational.

Even if you are not asked this question in the interview, this preparation will help you
focus on what you have to offer. You will also find that you can use the information
here to assist you in answering other questions. The more you can talk about your
product -- you -- the better chance you will have at selling it.
Tell me about yourself
by Sanjeev Sharma

Tell me about yourself is a question that most interviewees expect and it is the
most difficult to answer as well. Though one could answer this open-ended question
in a myriad of ways, the key to answering this question or any other interview
question is to offer a response that supports one’s career objective. This means that
you should not respond with comments about your hobbies, spouse, or extra
curricular activities. Trust me, interviewers are not interested. To start with there is
no correct answer to this interview question. I would lean in the favour of a quick
reference to some personal traits that give a quick view of who you are. From there
one could move to a one sentence of any relevant education/qualification. There
should also be a mention of employment history.

Purpose of the Question:

In one of my write-ups, Across the interview table, I did mention that there is a
purpose to each and every question in the interview. One cannot ask anything and
everything. Again, a set of interview questions varies from industry to industry and
position to position. Interviewers use the interview process as a vehicle to eliminate
your candidacy. Every question they ask is used to differentiate your skills,
experience, and personality with that of other candidates. They want to determine if
what you have to offer will mesh with the organization's mission and goals.

What type of answer is expected?

Try to avoid this type of answer: I am a hard-worker who is good with numbers. After
I worked as a financial analyst for a few years, I decided to go to law school. I just
finished and now am looking for a new challenge.

Say something like this: I began developing skills relevant to financial planning when
I worked as a financial analyst for three years. In that role, I succeeded in multiplying
the wealth of my clients by carefully analyzing the market for trends. The return on
the portfolios I managed was generally 2% more than most of the portfolios
managed by my company. My initiative, planning, and analytic skills were rewarded
by two promotions. As the manager of a team, I successfully led them to develop a
more efficient and profitable strategy for dealing with new accounts. My subsequent
training in the law, including tax law and estate law, gives me an informed view of
what types of investments and charitable gifts would be most advantageous for your
clients.
Preparing for the answer:
Follow the following steps as outlined below to ensure your response will grab the
interviewer’s attention:

 Provide a brief introduction. Introduce attributes that are keys to the open
position.
 Provide a career summary of your most recent work history. Your career
summary is the "meat" of your response, so it must support your job objective
and it must be compelling. Keep your response limited to your current
experience. Don't go back more than 10 years.
 Tie your response to the needs of the hiring organization. Do not assume
that the interviewer will be able to connect all the dots. It is your job as the
interviewee to make sure the interviewer understands how your experiences
are transferable to the position they are seeking to fill.
 Ask an insightful question. By asking a question you gain control of the
interview. Don't ask a question for the sake of asking. Be sure that the
question will engage the interviewer in a conversation. Doing so will alleviate
the stress you may feel to perform.

There you have it: a response that meets the needs of the interviewer AND supports
your agenda.

When broken down into manageable pieces, the question "So, tell me about
yourself?" isn't overwhelming. In fact, answering the question effectively gives you
the opportunity to talk about your strengths, achievements, and qualifications for the
position. So take this golden opportunity and run with it!

When asked by different people?

HR managers or CEOs of the company or the Departmental Heads can ask the
same question and your answer should vary. The expectation of each person is
different.

When asked by the HR Manager your response must be like this: "My career has
been characterized by my ability to work well with diverse teams. I seek out
opportunities to involve others in the decision-making process. This collaboration
and communication is what has enabled me to achieve success in my department.
People are the most valuable resource of any organization."

When asked by the CEO your response must be like this: "I have achieved success
in my career because I have been focused on the bottom line. I have always sought
out innovative solutions to challenging problems to maximize profitability. Regardless
of the task or challenge, I always established benchmarks of performance and
standards of excellence. I have never sought to maintain the "status quo." An
organization that does not change and grow will die. I would enjoy working with you
to help define new market opportunities in order to achieve the organization's
goals."

In each instance, we responded to the "needs of the individual." It is almost

guaranteed that when you respond appropriately to the diverse needs of the different
managers, you will become the standard by which all of the other candidates will be
measured.

Conclusion:
The question is very tricky and being the first question of the interview…one need to
be a bit more careful in answering the same. This question can make or break the
interviewer’s interest in you.

The Top 10 Tips for a Successful Job Interview

by Shale Paul

Job interviews in many organizations are getting sophisticated these days.

Psychological tests, role plays, and challenges to one's "quick intelligence" and
street smarts are often part of the package. While it's impossible to anticipate
everything you may encounter, here are ten tips that will help you negotiate the
interview process successfully.

1. Prepare and over-prepare

It is assumed that you don't go in with egg on your tie, spinach in your teeth,
or without a thorough knowledge of the organization and position for which
you are interviewing. Beyond that, there's an important principle that will
enable you to be much more confident. It's called, "over-preparing." It goes
like this: Plan your strategy--your answers to all the possible questions you
may be asked or the challenges that may be thrown at you--and then practice,
practice, practice. Role play and repeat your best responses until they are
entirely natural, until they simply roll off your tongue with the apparent
spontaneity that comes only with successive repetition.

2. Be particularly clear on what you know and what you want to achieve
If your interview is resume-based (you've had to supply a resume either
before or concurrently), have the facts of your stated objective, relevant
experience, education, etc. thoroughly memorized and mentally supported. As
to your job objective, be clear on what you want, as well as what you don't
want. There's little room in the job market for the applicant who's willing to
take anything; he or she will usually get nothing!
3. Make sure your responses match your claims
If, for example, you've taken extra coursework to qualify for a particular
position, license, or certification, tie it into your narrative, e.g., "When I took
my coursework for my CPA, I learned that ..." Build on your resume, but don't
refer directly to it (assuming the interviewer has it in his or her possession);
make sure the connections are there, but do it subtly.

4. Be clear about your strengths

You're almost certain to be hit with questions pertaining to your strengths and
weaknesses. Know your strengths and emphasize those that relate
specifically to the position for which you're being considered. If, for example,
you're applying for a sales position, you might describe one of your strengths
(if it's true) as follows: "I've made a study of personality types and I've learned
to quickly type people in terms of the kinds of approaches that might best
attract them." Be prepared, in this case, to back up your claim if the
interviewer suddenly asks: "What type would you say I am?"

5. Describe your weaknesses as strengths

This is tricky, so let's think about why the question is asked. The interviewer
probably wants to learn several things about you with this question, such as:
whether or not you are arrogant ("I really don't think I have any weaknesses"),
whether you know yourself ("Well, I've never really thought about that"), and
finally, what you are doing to eliminate your weaknesses. Here are two ways
to answer this question so that you leave a positive impression in the mind of
the interviewer: (a) Show that, in overcoming a weakness, you've learned. If,
for example, there's a period in your chronology that just doesn't fit (say that
you took a job selling cars between jobs as an accountant ... it happens!), you
might tell the interviewer: "One weakness, which it took me some time to
overcome, wasthat I really wasn't sure that I wanted to be an accountant. For
example, in 1988-90, I worked as a car salesman. I did so because I couldn't
decide if I wanted to make accounting my career. That experience taught me
that I really didn't want to sell products, and that I was much more challenged
by the opportunity to solve client problems. (b) Pick a weakness that is really
a strength. If, for example, you're interviewing for a job in an organization you
know is hard-charging and unforgiving of average performance, you might
say, "One of my weaknesses is that I tend to be impatient with people who
aren't willing to pull their full weight and give 110%." In this case, your
"weakness" may help you get the job.
6. If you've been fired, be forthright about it
So many people have been laid off through no fault of their own in the past
ten years that it's no longer a stigma to have been fired--unless it was for
justifiable cause (e.g.,- you socked your boss). Answer directly, but without a
"charge" in your voice. Expressing your bitterness over being let go tells the
interviewer (rightly or wrongly) that you can't accept the realities of modern
free enterprise -- that downsizing is acceptable and often necessary.

7. Be clear where you want to go

A standard question which has all manner of variations is: "Where do you
want to be five years from today?" Only today, the answers are different.
Unless you plan to inherit Dad's company, your answer is apt to be a lot more
general than it might have been a decade ago. Why? Because the economy
and nearly every industry are changing so fast that specificity with respect to
the distant future is extremely difficult. So, instead of responding to the
question with, "I plan to be in a position of senior leadership in this company,"
you might want to say: "I plan to become qualified in every phase of this
industry." The exact response depends upon the specifics of your job hunting
campaign, but the principle is: be specific while allowing yourself the flexibility
which suggests that you understand the complexities of the business you're
applying for.

8. Have clear personal standards

This is a sleeper because, on the face of it, the question doesn't seem to have
much to do with the immediate interview. Today, however, many
organizations are looking for people who DO have standards regarding their
personal and professional lives, who can articulate them clearly and
concisely, and who live by them. In this case, the briefer, the better. "I
delegate my weaknesses." "I don't take on projects unless I can give them
100% dedication." "I respond in specifics and avoid meaningless generalities."
"I am committed to life-long learning and growth."

9. Interview the interviewer

The applicant who will take anything offered is unlikely to win any but the most
temporary of positions. A competent interviewer (there are some) will respect
your efforts to assess the organization and the position in terms of whether or
not it meets YOUR requirements. And you owe it to yourself to have defined
before hand, what you ideally want and what you are willing to settle for,
under certain conditions. For example, you might really want a salary of
$75,000 to begin with, but you'd be willing to take less if the opportunities for
growth are clearly in the picture.
 10. Don't allow yourself to be badgered by the salary issue
Even today, it's still not uncommon to hear the old refrain: "Our policy is not to
pay a new employee more than X% higher than he/she is currently making."
Sorry, that doesn't fly. The real issue, and the only one at stake here, is
whether or not your prospective employer is willing to pay WHAT YOU ARE
WORTH. And, your worth is a function of the job itself and your capability and
willingness to perform it. In most organizations, there are clear parameters for
a given job, a range of salary that is adjustable depending upon the market
and the applicant's experience. In most cases, unless you are very good, you
will have to work within those limits. But, within the limits, what you are worth
is a matter of mutual agreement based on your own knowledge of your worth
and your ability to convince those interviewing you. So, to sum it up: Know the
range of compensation for the job you're seeking, make your own realistic
determination of what you're worth, and then be prepared to stand your
ground.

Managing ‘bad’ interview questions

by Neil Palabrica

Who has not felt nervous during an interview? Sometimes an applicant can
become so anxious about giving the right answer that he does not realise
that he is being asked the wrong question.

Illegal interview questions are queries that a person may refuse to answer
as they violate his rights as an applicant. In fact, in the United States, some
states allow a person to sue an interviewer for asking such questions.

But with jobs scarce to come by on the local market, it may be more
prudent to think of how best to answer brash questions than to reject them
outright. It may be that these ―unethical‖ questions are being asked to
determine if an applicant meets specific requirements for the position.

Illegal questions?
The following are some questions that the employer need not ask but may
do so occasionally:

 Questions about one’s origins. These may include citizenship

issues. They may be applicable if the position will require travel to
different areas. The interviewer may be interested to know if you can
speak a particular dialect.
 Questions concerning one’s marital/family status or relationships.
These include those about your civil status - if you are married with
children, or are a single parent, or have a boyfriend or a girlfriend.
 Normally, questions of this nature are intended to check out the
applicant’s capacity to work long hours or do overtime work.
 Questions concerning one’s personal attributes and background
such as height, weight, likes, etc. Again, such queries need not be
asked unless relevant. Some jobs obviously have special
requirements, such as height for a basketball player. Or you may be
asked your musical preferences if you are applying with an audio
store.
 Questions regarding one’s disabilities. As with personal questions,
these may be asked with tact and only if necessary. Candidates for
pilots, for instance, have to have 20/20 vision.
 Questions regarding one’s social standing including any arrest
record. This information need not be asked as it should already be
included in the requirements requested.
 Questions about one’s religious affiliation or beliefs. To discriminate
against one’s religion is against the law and related questions should
not be asked.
 Questions concerning one’s age. Information on age should be
available in your resume and need not be asked.

Focus on the real issue

If you are thrown such posers, you could opt to give them the benefit of the
doubt: The employer may not be aware that they are inappropriate.
According to HR manager Jig Blanco-Yan: ―These interviewers might not
be aware that they’re asking sensitive questions. Chances are, they want to
hear something and sometimes, they get too carried away to notice the
discomfort of the interviewees.‖

Rather than telling the employer that you are not comfortable with the
questions and that you feel they are irrelevant, try to determine first the
intent of the interviewer, the purpose behind the question, then answer in
relation to the responsibilities of the job.

For example, if you are queried about children, the interviewer may want to
know if you can work long hours away from home if necessary. A good
answer is to say that if there is a need to work extra hours, you would be
available. Misty, an HR applicant, was once asked by an employer if she
had a boyfriend, and she replied with an assurance that she was willing to
do overtime work if needed. ―I simply assumed that there was no malice or
hidden motive behind the question. I didn’t want to react in a negative
manner as I was really keen on getting that position.‖
In some cases, an interviewer may ask this type of questioning believing it
would put the interviewee at ease. Instead of starting the interview on a
serious note, the interviewer may pose light and personal questions first to
break the ice. Again, it is up to the jobseeker to phrase his or her answers
in such a way as to show that he or she is a professional who will be an
asset to the company if hired.

1) tell me bout yourself ape nak cerite???

2) tell me your strengh <<<--- tak reti sgt nak jwb
3) tell me your weaknesses.. <<--- rase xde.. tp boleh ke kite xnak
cerite?? ckp saya rase xde kelemahan
4) iols tak aktif sukan... nak jwb ape??
5) waktu kat uitm xaktif sgt koko... mcm mana nak goreng?? tp iols jd
class rep 3 tahun turut2, jd bendahari PR poject...
6)cara2 nak call customer..

1) perenggan pertama bgtau nama, adik bradik brape, anak ke brape, nama n keje
parents, asal.
perenggan kedua, blaja kat mane amik kos ape.
lastly pengalaman praktikal uols.. bgtau job description ape yang uols buat..
tekankan bahagian communication... uols liase ngan siape... internal staff je ke? or
ngan supplier ke? or ngan customer ke? bgtau uols guna comm skill... tgk google on
comm skill... cara2 nak communicate dgn baik.. musti gud listener dan mempunyai
body language yg baik
2) i can work with all level of employees, fast learner and can work in a team...
elaborate skit... buat ayat panjang2 supaya die lupe nak tanye weaknesses
3) perfectionist... bagi example cerita... uols memula start praktikal, uols diberi task:--
-- when my first assignment need to complete it within tight deadline, as my
commitment is very high, i decided to did it alone... yes, i managed to get it done as
per company expectation but i am stress, exhausted and have no enjoyment to do
my other work... so i did refer this to immediate superior and she taught me on
delegation skills... Thank God now i overcome such situation and still keep practising
on how to work in a team... (contoh ni sbnrnye menunjukkan kelemahan yg
mengakibatkan pd diri u shaja... task completed excellently so in other words..
sbnrnye ia menunjukkan kelebihan sbb uols ade bgtau ia dah di overcome)
4) bgtau je uols xactive masa kat uitm ajer sbb nak concentrate study since degree
holders are everywhere so only my cgpa can diffrentiate me from others n thanks
God for the last 3 semesters, i did score with dean list.. and manage to have result in
second class upper.. but not to say sports are not important.. after i finished my
classes, i have been involved in badminton tournament which organize by my the
community where i stay now... (kencing ajer)..
5) koko la tuh... calss representer... goreng aje yg ni... xpenting sgt pon.
6) received call: Good morning, Fadhli here speaking, how can i help u sir... make
call: Good morning, I am fadhli calling from ABC co, are u free to talk now sir. ans:
yes, u may speak to me now... uols: thank you for ur time sir, actually this call is
regarding bla bla bla...
kalau nak call centre uols bgtau mase nak jwb phone calls, uols kene senyum utk
mendapatkan gud intonasi suara... posture badan kene tegak utk project suara yg
keen to help people...

What are Your Strength and Weaknesses?

by Ngeow Yoke Meng

A to Z about YOU. Describe yourself by giving 1-5 points to each statement listed
below.

5 points – always --> Excellent

4 points – usually --> Good
3 points – sometimes --> Satisfactory
2 points – rarely --> Fair
1 point -- never --> Poor

A. I am intelligent. I grasp instructions accurately and comprehend directions

instantly.
B. I possess initiative. I attempt work beyond that required and work
independently.
C. I am punctual. I complete assignments on time and keep appointments on
time.
D. I am tactful. I say pleasant things and do the right things when dealing with
others.
E. I obey rules. I observe the rules of my organization and obey them at all time.
F. I possess good judgment. I distinguish the important from the unimportant
tasks.
G. I speak well. The way I speak often creates a favorable impression.
H. I am considerate. I am mindful of the effect of my conducts on others.
I. I am healthy. I am practically energetic at all time and never get ill.
J. I am accurate. I am good at details and keep records properly in order.
K. I am honest. I do not possess money, time, supplies or ideas without
permission.
L. I am industrious. I am happy when I am busy and find work to do at all times.
M. I am loyal. I feel strongly about the ties that bind me to people and
organization.
N. I am persistent. I complete assignments and do follow-ups with persistence.
 O. I am confident. I know my goals in life and believe that they can be achieved.
P. I am capable of solving problems. I remain calm under pressure and in crisis.
Q. I am cheerful. I am humorous, flexible and generous. I smile to everybody.
R. I am enthusiastic. I am eager to learn new tasks and to be trained on-the-job.
S. I am career-minded. I do not mind spending more time at work.
T. I am creative. I like to contribute ideas but dislike instruction and routines.
U. I am adaptable. I adjust myself easily to people, place, things and changes.
V. I am open-mined. I accept criticism with gratitude and not hostility.
W. I am helpful. I offer help to others even before they ask for it.
X. I am efficient. I get my work done on time and with minimum resources.
Y. I am polite. I'm well-mannered and never offend persons whom I dislike.
Z. I am dependable. I volunteer contributions and do routine duties without being
told.

Customer service representatives are employed by many different types of

companies throughout the country to serve as a direct point of contact for customers.
They are responsible for ensuring that their company’s customers receive an
adequate level of service or help with their questions and concerns. These
customers may be individual consumers or other companies, and the nature of their
service needs can vary considerably.

All customer service representatives interact with customers to provide information in

response to inquiries about products or services and to handle and resolve
complaints. They communicate with customers through a variety of means—either in
person; by telephone, e-mail or regular mail correspondence, or fax; or even over the
Internet. Some customer service representatives handle general questions and
complaints, whereas others specialize in a particular area.

Many customer inquiries involve routine questions and requests. For example,
customer service representatives may be asked to provide a customer with a bank
account balance, or to check on the status of an order that has been placed.
Obtaining the answers to such questions usually requires simply looking up
information on their computer. Other questions are more involved, and may call for
additional research or further explanation on the part of the customer service
representative. In handling customers’ complaints, customer service representatives
must attempt to resolve the problem according to guidelines established by the
company. These procedures may involve asking questions to determine the validity
of a complaint, offering possible solutions, or providing customers with refunds,
exchanges, or other offers such as discounts or coupons. In some cases, customer
service representatives are required to follow up with an individual customer until a
question is answered or an issue is resolved.
Some customer service representatives help people decide what types of products
or services would best suit their needs. They may even aid customers in completing
purchases or transactions. Although the primary function of customer service
representatives is not sales, some may spend a part of their time with customers
attempting to convince them to purchase additional products or services. (For
information on workers whose primary function is sales, see the statements on sales
and related occupations elsewhere in the Handbook.) Customer service
representatives may also make changes or updates to a customer’s profile or
account information. They may keep records of transactions and update and
maintain databases of information.

Most customer service representatives use computers and telephones extensively in

their work. Customer service representatives frequently enter information into a
computer as they are speaking to customers. Often, companies have large amounts
of data, such as account information, that can be pulled up on a computer screen
while the representative is talking to a customer so that he or she can answer
specific questions relating to the account. Customer service representatives also
may have access to information such as answers to the most common customer
questions, or guidelines for dealing with complaints. In the event that they encounter
a question or situation to which they do not know how to respond, workers consult
with a supervisor to determine the best course of action. Customer service
representatives use multiline telephones systems, which often route calls directly to
the most appropriate representative. However, at times, a customer service
representative will need to transfer a call to someone who may be better able to
respond to the customer’s needs.

In some organizations, customer service representatives spend their entire day on

the telephone. In others, they may spend part of their day answering e-mails and the
remainder of the day taking calls. For some, most of their contact with the customer
is face to face. Customer service representatives need to remain aware of the
amount of time spent with each customer, in order to fairly distribute their time
among the people who require their assistance. This is particularly important for
customer service representatives whose primary activities are answering telephone
calls, and conversations often are required to be kept within set time limits. For
customer service representatives working in call centers, there is usually very little
time between telephone calls; as soon as they have finished with one call they must
immediately move on to another. When working in call centers, customer service
representatives are likely to be under close supervision. Telephone calls may be
taped and reviewed by supervisors to ensure that company policies and procedures
are being followed, or a supervisor may listen in on conversations.
Job responsibilities can differ, depending on the industry in which a customer service
representative is employed. For example, a customer service representative working
in the branch office of a bank may assume the responsibilities of other workers, such
as teller or new account clerk, as needed. In insurance agencies, a customer service
representative interacts with agents, insurance companies, and policyholders. These
workers handle much of the paperwork related to insurance policies, such as policy
applications and changes and renewals to existing policies. They answer questions
regarding issues such as policy coverage, help with reporting claims, and do
anything else that may need to be done. Although they must know as much as
insurance agents about insurance products, and usually must have credentials equal
to those of an agent in order to sell products and make changes to policies, the
duties of a customer service representative differ from those of an agent in that
customer service representatives are not responsible for actively seeking potential
customers. Customer service representatives employed by communications and
utilities companies assist individuals interested in opening accounts for various
utilities such as electricity and gas, or for communication services such as cable
television and telephone. They explain various options and receive orders for
services to be installed, turned on, turned off, or changed. They may also look into
and resolve complaints about billing and service provided by telephone, cable
television, and utility companies.

The Five-Step Process

Have you ever been an upset customer, calling your product or service provider with
a serious problem? If you receive a satisfactory resolution AND you feel listened to,
well taken care of, and valued during your interaction, aren’t you likely to consider
doing business with this company again? The Five-Step Process will help us to
provide our customers with this positive experience. Aside from reaching a win-win
solution, the goal of the Five-Step Process is to leave our customers feeling listened
to, well taken care of, and valued. Let’s examine the specific steps of the Five-Step
Process.

Step 1 – Strategize
How do you develop a strategy?

 Develop your goal for the interaction. What do you want as the end result?
(i.e., save the customer, resolve an issue, etc…)
 Identify your parameters: what can you do or provide the customer
independently or with your supervisor’s approval? What can't you do because
of policy or business reasons?
 Prepare by identifying common problems and win-win solutions.

Your strategy should be to arrive at a solution that will be a win for both your
company and the customer. If you are successful, you will retain the customer,
exceed the customer’s expectations, and provide a very positive customer
experience so that he/she will want to continue doing businesswith your company.
Step 2 – Acknowledge
The acknowledgement is essential to communicating in challenging situations. Use
phrases like, ―I understand how you feel‖, ―I see‖, ―I apologize‖, ―I am sorry‖, ―I can
see how you might feel that way‖ so that customers feel that they have been heard
and that we respect them. It clears the way for us to move forward by helping diffuse
the emotion and placing us on the side of the customer.

Step 3 – Clarify
Sometimes we mistakenly proceed to resolve a problem based on what we THINK
the customer was saying. This third step of the process allows us to clarify and draw
out information to make sure that we understand the customer’s true concern.
Examples of clarifying might include:

 ―What I hear you saying is……is that right?‖

 ―Can you tell me more about…..?‖
 ―How may I help you….?‖
 ―What were you hoping would happen…?‖

Clarifying leads us to the appropriate solution in a more efficient manner.

Step 4 – Present Resolution

The fourth step is to present a resolution. Presenting a resolution is not a challenge if
we’ve done the first three steps properly. As we present the resolution, we want to
state specifically what we are going to do for the customer. We may also offer
alternatives. Note: As we discussed in Step 1: Strategize, it is critical to understand
your parameters – what you CAN do for the customer and what you CAN’T do.

Step 5 – Checkback
The checkback is our opportunity to make sure that the customer is satisfied and
feels good about the resolution. Examples of checkbacks include:

 ―How does that sound?‖

 ―What do you think about x?‖
 ―Are you with me?‖ · ―Does that make sense?‖
 ―Will that meet your needs?‖
 ―Would that be satisfactory?‖
 Handle customer complaints
with L.E.A.R.N.

When you are talking to a complaining customer, you could apply the LEARN-
principle.

You may think that the customer is calling upon you to have his troubles resolved,
but this is not the customers prime drive. First and formost, disgruntled customers
want to be heard. Applying the LEARN principle makes sure they are.

L.E.A.R.N. is an acronym, with 5 easy steps to follow:

 LISTEN - Listen carefully to your customer. Don't interrupt or tell the customer
to calm down, this will only ignite the anger.
 EMPATHIZE - Feel the pain of the customer, and tell her that you can
understand how they feel.
 APOLOGIZE - Apologize to the customer, even if you feel that you have no
part in the problem. Do not blame the customer, but there is no need to take
the blame yourself!
 REACT - Decide what you will do to resolve the problem, and tell this to the
customer.
 NOW! - Do not delay. Take immediate action! The longer you wait, the harder
it is to produce outstanding customer service. - WILLIAM H. DAVIDOW

Bank Officer (Customer Support)

Responsibilities:

 Handle service and enquiries in a professional manner.

 To undertake inbound calls to deliver world class, 24 hour one-stop
customer service.
 Strenghten customer service capabilities by following closely to
required standards.
 To ensure follow-up activity arising from customer's call.

Requirements:

 STPM/Diploma/Degree in any related field.

 Experience working in customer support & telesales environment is
added advantage. Those from the service industry are most
welcome.
 Fresh graduates are encouraged to apply.
 Must able to communicate fluently in English.
 Pleasant personality with focus on customer service and have good
communication and interpersonal skills.
 Willing to work in shift hours environment
 Basic salary RM1850 - RM2500 + shift allowance up to RM350.
 5 day week job with great working environment.