customer host

[Yogz]

Been trying for customer host for 3 years now had assessment this morning ,not successful , not a fan of assessments I don't think they show the true personality of a person if your nervous it can override everything , I have lots of experience in CS have lots of training and qualifications not really sure what they are actually looking for maybe people they can mould & no I'm not bitter just disappointed won't be trying again , come back old style interviewing where you have a chance to talk to someone .

 

[Emmsie]

Been trying for customer host for 3 years now had assessment this morning ,not successful , not a fan of assessments I don't think they show the true personality of a person if your nervous it can override everything , I have lots of experience in CS have lots of training and qualifications not really sure what they are actually looking for maybe people they can mould & no I'm not bitter just disappointed won't be trying again , come back old style interviewing where you have a chance to talk to someone .

I sympathise, I'm not much good at competency based interviews. Maybe join a job club where they can give you help in the techniques because thats pretty much all it is, just a technique rather than a real idea of what you are capable of etc

 

[Yogz]

Thank you for your comment ,I've been in CS for over 40 years on & off and still am but this experience has made me feel that I have been wrong for years & to be assessed by very young people who maybe have a university degree in business management is to me a bit of an insult . Hey ho not to worry !!

 

[Deafdoggie]

I understand where you are coming from. The idea is to see how well you cope in situations with people. You could be nervous or unsure in real life scenarios, so part of the test is how you deal with that too. Above all else, they want you to be you. It doesn't mean you are unsuitable for customer service per se, just this particular role. Or, even more likely, there were others even better than you at the assessment.

 

[Intermodal]

I understand your position and frustration Yogz. I should hope a person of your experience would rightly realise it is no reflection upon your ability within customer service but rather how you perform on the assessment day itself. All the best and good luck in the future.

 

[kevconnor]

If you’ve not been successful make sure you ask for feedback. See where it was they felt you could have done better then reflect on if/how you could.

 

[Emmsie]

I understand where you are coming from. The idea is to see how well you cope in situations with people. You could be nervous or unsure in real life scenarios, so part of the test is how you deal with that too. Above all else, they want you to be you. It doesn't mean you are unsuitable for customer service per se, just this particular role. Or, even more likely, there were others even better than you at the assessment.

Somebody with 40 years of CS experience is highly unlikely to be unsure in real life scenarios. All interviews should start with the opportunity to tell the interviewer a little about yourself and what you have done in your life and then move into the competencey side of the interview. In most interviews these days there is no opportunity to show any personality. The best interview I had was with Southern Rail when they were hiring 100 OBS and changed their hiring practice, not sure whether it was better or worse for the company but it certanly suited me better.

 

[Deafdoggie]

Somebody with 40 years of CS experience is highly unlikely to be unsure in real life scenarios. All interviews should start with the opportunity to tell the interviewer a little about yourself and what you have done in your life and then move into the competencey side of the interview. In most interviews these days there is no opportunity to show any personality. The best interview I had was with Southern Rail when they were hiring 100 OBS and changed their hiring practice, not sure whether it was better or worse for the company but it certanly suited me better.

But it wasn't am interview, it was an assessment, and the OP said they were nervous.

 

[NoOnesFool]

Been trying for customer host for 3 years now had assessment this morning ,not successful , not a fan of assessments I don't think they show the true personality of a person if your nervous it can override everything , I have lots of experience in CS have lots of training and qualifications not really sure what they are actually looking for maybe people they can mould & no I'm not bitter just disappointed won't be trying again , come back old style interviewing where you have a chance to talk to someone .

Please don't let being unsuccessful put you off. I'm a Customer Host and I applied for the same job four years ago, was unsuccessful. I applied again this year and got the job. It's really disheartening being turned down, especially if you gave 100% in the interview.
What I would say is that a key part of the role is stock management, if you can demonstrate the skills to do that and also gain relevant experience in doing it, that will give you an advantage. Also, upselling to customers is another quality that is absolutely necessary. If you can combine that with safety awareness and being polite, hospitable and attentive to customers, then you have a fighting chance.

It could just be that someone had more experience than you on this occasion (frustrating I know), but don't give up.

 

[Emmsie]

But it wasn't am interview, it was an assessment, and the OP said they were nervous.

That depends on how far through the process they got. Usually there are a couple of group exercises and if you get through those then there is a competency based interview at the end, os if you are asked to leave after the group exercises then yes it has been an assessment but if you make it to the end then there should be an opportunity to hav a quick chat about what someone has achieved, what they like doing etc as it does form a part of your ability to do a customer facing role.

 

[traingirl101]

Slagging off the assessors isn't going to get you far either, I wouldn't be surprised if they kept an eye on these forums.

In my company it's the OBS Managers and current Customer Hosts that are the assessors and they know what they are looking for. The person running the assessment day will also have an assessing qualification.

As said previously, ask for feedback then take that on board and try again!

 

[Yksj]

That depends on how far through the process they got. Usually there are a couple of group exercises and if you get through those then there is a competency based interview at the end, os if you are asked to leave after the group exercises then yes it has been an assessment but if you make it to the end then there should be an opportunity to hav a quick chat about what someone has achieved, what they like doing etc as it does form a part of your ability to do a customer facing role.

Hey Emmsie I have a interview with gtr southern just wonder if you could give me any tips or advice.

 

[Emmsie]

Hey Emmsie I have a interview with gtr southern just wonder if you could give me any tips or advice.

I haven't done the Southern one, when I was hired as an OBS they changed the process and it was just a very brief competency interview. The GWR one is pretty standard as I have had similar assessments with the airlines, you get given a problem solving task that doesn't have a right or wrong answer so don't worry about that, just make sure that you add something to the discussion without overpowering it and taking over. If I notice someone not really talking I'll make an effort to include them in some way. With the competency interview which I'm rubbish at apparently there is the STAR system so discuss the situation, then the task, then the Activity and finally the result.
https://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/star-technique-competency-based-interview