I was blown away by the quality of ABC's job advertisement. Most ads give a brief description of the position's responsibilities but don't get specific and don't cover what the company is really about. I really value transparency so when I read the ad, saw that everything about the company environment and the job was laid out and open for discussion, and the position itself was right for my personality and skill set, I knew I had to work here.
I spent at least an hour writing a cover letter and checking over my resume to make sure every detail was grammatically correct. It turns out that being a decent writer is something everyone on the management team appreciates because every position in the company requires note taking, and the more detailed a technician can be, the easier it is for the office to figure out what's going on with an account, and vice versa.
I got a call from the hiring director who asked a few questions about why I liked the ad, why I was looking for new work, why I chose customer service, and what I value in a workplace. She invited me in for an in-person interview. I filled out some paperwork, then met with her. We talked a little bit more and just got to know each other - she asked about my likes and dislikes in a workplace and what I thought I could bring to this team. It was a very casual conversation, which put me at ease and made the conversation flow a little better.
The hiring director offered me a 'preview' day to come in and sit with a CSR in the office, listen to a few phone calls, and see the CRM software they use in action. This was back when there were only a few people scheduled in the office each day. We've grown A LOT since then and have even moved locations to a much bigger office space. At one point, I was the only one in the call center (everyone was on lunch, bathroom break, finding a manager, etc.) The phone rang, I picked it up, and put the client on hold. One of the CSR's came back in and said, "Wow! You didn't have to do that!" Tip: Showing a little initiative during your real job preview goes a really long way.
The last step was meeting with the office manager and the managing director. She asked more in-depth questions that focused on my resume. I think she appreciated that I had questions for her, too. I was a little concerned when I did not get an offer during the final interview, however, the managing director called me later on and invited me to join her team (and I'm so happy she did!)
