Get a job at Harris Teeter!
It's a grocery store, right? How hard can it be to get a job there? Too many people bring that attitude into an interview for a job with Harris Teeter. People with such ideas usually are not hired.
Harris Teeter, the company's website explains, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ruddick Corp. The food market chain operates in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Maryland and Delaware.
In many of the 203 communities in which Harris Teeter has stores as of September 2011, its presence is considered something of a prize. One reason for that is that employees must clearly demonstrate above-average customer service skills.
Instructions
1. Go to the store's customer service desk, ask for an application and make sure you're dressed respectably. You may take the application home to complete it, but if you complete it in the store, you increase your chance of being noticed. Use black ink, make your writing legible and provide all requested information. Return to the customer service desk and ask for the customer service manager. Do this even if you are applying for a job in a department other than customer service as in many stores the customer service manager does the hiring. Ask for the assistant customer service manager if the manager is not available. Note the name of the person who accepts your application so you may check on the status of the application by contacting the same person.
2. Call the store and ask to speak to the customer service manager after waiting two or three days. Reiterate your interest in being a part of the Harris Teeter team.
3. Prepare for an interview as you would for any other. Try to learn about the company and the individual store. Become familiar with the layout and the order of the store. Select a safe outfit for the interview. Business casual is fine. Stick with simple grooming: no offensive perfume, make-up, hairstyle or facial piercings. Wear clothing that covers tattoos.
4. Arrive for the interview between five and 10 minutes early. Speak clearly during the interview and demonstrate a positive attitude and a desire to help customers. Make eye contact often and ask questions. If the interview goes well, the customer service manager will schedule a test, which will be completed by telephone in one of the offices in the store. Basically, it is a personality test consisting of 70 to 100 questions that you will answer by pushing 1 for yes and 2 for no.
5. Get ready for a few more tests if you pass the first one. Subsequent tests include a basic mathematics test, a background check and a drug test. If those come back OK, your chance of being hired is strong.
Tags: customer service, Harris Teeter, customer service manager, service manager, chance being, customer service desk