The holiday season brings plenty of family time, gift-giving, high-calorie dinners and — a big burst of seasonal hiring. American employers are expected to add more than 700,000 seasonal workers this year, according to a report from staffing firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, Inc.
When it comes to doing a retail or customer service type job, what job references say about candidates can reveal a lot about what works and what doesn’t. Whether you’re looking for a seasonal position, a full-time job or even a role in an entirely different industry, you can learn from these insights — because after all, no matter what job you do, everyone is serving some kind of customer on the other end.
[See: 10 Job Resolutions to Revitalize Your Career in 2016.]
At SkillSurvey, we recently took a look at what references reveal when it comes to these kinds of roles. We conducted a study of feedback from nearly 17,000 job references on approximately 4,500 job candidates for customer service or sales positions.
The study revealed that “nearly one-third (31 percent) of customer service and sales job candidates could improve their ability to encourage customers to upgrade or buy new products or services by offering them more options.”
The study also noted that “more than one in four (27 percent) need to work on their ability to give customers specific recommendations about company products and services, based on information about the customer.”
Both of these points speak directly to how important good communication skills, listening, problem-solving and empathy can be. So what does this all mean for you as a job candidate — whether you’re looking for a seasonal role at a retailer or a permanent position in any industry?
[See: How to Follow Up on a Job Application Without Being Annoying.]
Know which skills to emphasize in your application and throughout the hiring process. The data indicates that employers want to sniff out candidates who have shown they can use creativity and strategic thinking to create smart solutions to customer problems. You’ll be well-served by demonstrating these attributes as much as you can. Come up with several examples in advance of your interview and practice telling those stories in a clear, conversational way.
Get ready to answer questions about your communication style. Employers are increasingly focused on what some might call ” soft skills” like verbal communication and listening. The most successful retailers consistently find employees who are great listeners and who can engage thoughtfully with customers. (And the most successful employers in general are doing the same things.)
As you head into the interview process, think carefully about how you are going to present yourself — and be ready with concrete examples of how you’ve been able to communicate clearly to deliver results, especially in challenging or high-pressure situations.
[See: 8 Things That Are More Productive Than Staring at a Job Board.]
Never forget that communication skills are more important than ever. In the retail world, the traditional brick and mortar players are losing ground to e-commerce competitors. This makes communication in the real-world context more critical than ever before. After all, why would someone walk into the local mall if they could get the exact same experiences online?
The same trends apply in any workplace. With so many people using email, text and workplace apps like Slack to talk with each other, the value of face-to-face interaction is heightened. Employers want to know they’re hiring people who can actually speak with colleagues and customers, not just type at them.
Empathy matters. So much of what people consider to be “great customer service” or an “excellent in-store experience” comes down to the very basic idea of human empathy. If a salesperson or customer service rep seems to be able to put themselves in your shoes and really listen closely to what you’ve got to say, you’ll feel taken care of. This lesson applies to essentially any job. So find ways to demonstrate empathy and to tell stories about how embracing someone else’s perspective has allowed you to be a more effective employee. Being empathetic isn’t just the right thing to do — it also leads to better on-the-job results, and employers know it.
Gather your references for that next great job. For seasonal employees, a limited-time position is a great way to impress managers and colleagues who can be helpful as job references in the future. If you’re in a role like this, keep in touch with anyone who may have been impressed with your work. Talk to them about potentially serving as a job reference and make sure they’re open to it (and likely to provide useful, positive input). Of course, this is no different, really, from working at any job. You want to cultivate a strong cadre of references over time — adding to the list as you move from position to position.
In the end, no matter what kind of job you’re looking for or what industry it’s in, don’t hesitate to take a few pages from the holiday hiring playbook. The results might be very merry, indeed.
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5 Holiday Hiring Lessons Everyone Can Learn From originally appeared on usnews.com
