Hiring the Right Type of Employee for Your Customer-Focused Culture

Today's Labor Day and if I was smart, I'd be resting. I have a five day offsite meeting this week that will run from 8 am until at least 10 pm. But I am loving doing this blog. Honestly, for years I have wondered why High School and Colleges don't have classes on customers, like "Understanding Customers 101". I am so passionate about this topic that I could easily write a book, which maybe someday I will. ;-)

In yesterday's blog I talked about how to create a Customer-focused culture and one of the areas I suggested is hiring the right people for your organization. As I was writing it, I realized right away that I needed to spend more time on this topic. So here are my three suggestions on what you should look for when you are hiring for your company to ensure you hire the right kind of employee that will help you build a more customer-focused company.

1. Teamwork - The first trait I suggest you look for someone who is a team player. For the eight years I managed in call centers, I learned a lot about who makes the best employees. I found out quickly that it's better to hire someone who is a team player than someone who only cares about his/her success. Here are some questions you can ask to help you find that teamwork type of individual that you want at your company:
- Tell me about the best team you ever worked on and what made it such a great team?
- Same question as above but this time tell me about a team that wasn't your favorite and what made it such a challenge?
- On a scale of one to ten with ten being high, how much of a team player would you say you are and why?

2. Passion for Customers - Next you want to find people who truly and sincerely care about customers and are willing to go the extra mile for customer.
- What is your favorite thing about working with customers?
- Tell me about a time when you had an upset customer and how you handled it?

3. Positive Attitude - Wow, honestly I am thinking that maybe I should have put this one first because a person with a genuine positive attitude can make such a difference for a team, department and company. These types of people are such an awesome asset to have at a company. Here are some of my favorite questions to ask around this trait:
- What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced in a job and how did you resolve it?
- At certain times everyone has to work with a person where there is a serious clash of personalities. Have you had this problem before and how did you handle it?
- Tell me about a time when you knew a project of yours wasn't going to be done by the deadline. How did you handle this pressure, how did you communicate it to your management and how did it turn out?