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Wanted: A Federal Job The Importance of Excellent Customer Service Skills

By Holly Bates

WARNING! The following is a vent concerning a particular incident that occurred this week at the civilian personnel office at my current duty station. It is one I’m sure others can relate to. 

I entered the local CPAC office with a copy of my résumé, SF50, transcripts, and DD214, signed in and waited to be seen by the woman talking on the phone behind the desk. I was dressed business casual and eager to finally submit my paperwork for a federal job!

As I waited, I overheard the woman speaking in a rude, patronizing tone to the individual on the other end of the phone. She was telling him/her how to apply for a job they saw on USAJOBS. I could tell she was not happy about this conversation and didn’t want to be bothered by the caller.  When she finished the call, the woman looked at me and asked what I needed. 

I explained that I wanted to submit my paperwork for spousal preference. She said the person who handled that wasn’t in and wouldn’t be in “until 0800 tomorrow.” With an attitude, she asked to look at my paperwork. Before she even had my résumé packet in hand, she said she wanted my USAJOBS résumé with “USAJOBS” clearly printed on top. 

Then, she proceeded to tell me she didn’t need my supplemental docs, that they needed to be uploaded. Duh! Already done. I could tell she was obviously not in the mood for customers.  Besides, I really didn’t want to deal with this person, who didn’t know how to turn off the attitude from her previous telephone encounter. So, I told her I’d be back in the morning.

Of course, I left with a pounding headache. It can be very frustrating and stressful to go into an office thinking you have all the paperwork you need, only to be told to come back. And, when this happens again and again, I don’t blame applicants when they have difficulty containing their tempers. After my experience in that office my own blood pressure shot up to headache-inducing levels.

When I left the office, I called my hubby to vent my frustrations. He suggested I just keep my mouth shut and do what they ask just to get past this particular hurdle, to come back the following day and see the other clerk who handles spousal preference applicants. Besides, it may be a case of good cop/bad cop—and I just encountered the bad cop. 

By the way, my hubby was right. When I returned with the “appropriate” USAJOBS résumé printed from the website, I was greeted with a somewhat friendlier co-worker of the clerk I encountered the day before. She still pointed out I didn’t include my salary for each job on the USAJOBS résumé, but took my paperwork and said a specialist would call me in five business days to go over my résumé and tell me the jobs for which I may qualify and apply.

So, what went wrong in this situation?

Well, first off, I firmly believe you can say anything to anyone - it’s just a matter of how you say it. Frankly, I know I’m not always the most tactful person, but a friendly smile and demeanor go a long way. 

But, holy cow! If this individual is any example of how job applicants are treated by current government employees in the personnel office, I know I’d feel really discouraged and might possibly run far, far away. It’s no wonder many people have developed a stereotypical image of government employee with a bad attitude.

I want to talk about the importance of good customer service personnel in a federal job information center, especially within the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center (CPAC) on military installations. Usually, these offices are staffed by lower-level (aka, underpaid) clerical employees.

More importantly, with the application process increasingly less personal and all online at USAJOBS, these individuals are often a military spouse’s first interaction with locating a federal job. Therefore, a cheerful demeanor is important. Applicants are often confused by the online process and need some delicate handholding. 

Now, this is not to say lower-level clerical employees are bad people with bad attitudes. In my past, I was one of these lower-paid people staffing a busy job information center for the Office of Personnel Management in Miami. Regardless of the situation, I maintained my professionalism and cheerful demeanor with my incoming customers, aka, job applicants. My responsibilities were the same as the individual I encountered this week, but on a wider scale as we were responsible for assisting customers looking for jobs with all federal agencies and not just the Army. And this was before the Internet became the go-to source for jobs.  We were old-school with a list we printed weekly and with which we papered the walls of our office. Yes, some customers were very difficult and required a lot of handholding, but I did not let them see my frustrations or take these frustrations out on the next customer.

So, remember to keep your cool no matter how hard it may be if you encounter a similar situation. 

And don’t give up because the perfect job may be waiting for you on the other side of this hurdle. 

While the person behind the desk may be having a bad day, which they need to keep to themselves, don’t lower yourself to their level. Grin and bear it, then go home, pour a nice glass of wine and vent to your hubby. Just do what’s necessary to get past the gatekeeper so you can let your skills shine for the person who really counts - the hiring manager!

P.S. So, what was my recourse? Well, I submitted an Interactive Customer Evaluation, better known as an ICE comment!  This is an Army-wide customer service satisfaction survey program. It is utilized to enhance and improve services at a variety of offices throughout the Army, including medical services, MWR facilities, and military/civilian personnel offices.  Having been an ICE Manager, I know that if you ask to be contacted, they must respond to you within 72 hours and these comments are tracked by senior leadership. 

Check it out at http://ice.disa.mil/

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