Role: O2 Guru
Company: The Junction Outlet
Track Record:
Give a brief outline of your career to date
I started my career in telecommunications 5 years ago at the tender age of 18 by getting a part-time job in Orange, now EE. This unlocked a passion for technology and allowed me to exhibit that to my colleagues and customers.
A highlight of my time at EE was getting chosen as the Nokia Lumia Elite ambassador, which I was particularly proud of because I was part-time.
I then went on to get a degree in Sociology with Criminology. However, as I loved my time at EE, after graduating, I decided to apply for a job in the Apple Store. During my time at Apple I really honed my customer service skills, especially with it being a store with high footfall. I was challenged to give exceptional customer experience to the very first and very last customer. Apple also taught me that purchasing a new piece of technology, even as mundane as a charger, could be an event.
The O2 Guru post in The Junction was advertised at the start of the year and it was the right time for a new challenge. Since then I haven’t looked back. I enjoy every day in work and every day is different, each coming with its own challenges, dilemmas, laughs and successes. This isn’t the job I thought I would have after graduating, but I can honestly say I am proud to be an O2 Guru.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
I would say experience is more important in my role than qualifications, however, 5 C’s or above (including Maths and English) at GSCE are required. Certain skills such as time management, conflict resolution, rapport building and leadership acumen are skills, I believe, can be garnered only from experience. My experience in both EE and Apple have proven essential in my daily role and although my degree has helped with my interpersonal and communication skills, I feel experience definitely trumps qualifications in this case.
What does a typical day entail?
As I said above there is no typical day as an O2 Guru. One day could be spent in store helping customers fix their products. The next day I could be in a school or community centre giving a presentation on internet safety. The Guru role is very diverse. What I do is important because the Guru is a differentiator for O2 and is key in our goal to be more than a network. It is my belief that anyone who wants to work in this kind of role needs to be adaptable, flexible and a quick learner because the telecommunications industry changes every minute of every day.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
Customer experience is a crucial aspect of this role because I can be someone’s only opportunity to get an issue resolved. Patience and empathy are qualities that I believe make me a great Guru.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
A challenge for me within the role as Guru has definitely been carving myself out as part of the store leadership team. I am a proven team player but I have been working on giving feedback, coaching and inspiring other staff members. The Junction O2 team are helping me to promote and further these skills.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
If you are interested in a role that is fun, challenging and rewarding then this job should be a contender. My opinion, is that the O2 Guru role is whatever you make it. You can take it wherever you want to go and O2 will go with you. There is a freedom to this job where as long as you get the job done you can have fun along the way and that’s refreshing.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
If I was to give myself a piece of advice on my first day it would be to ‘be confident in your ability’. I feel this is important because confidence is the key to being yourself in your workplace, working with new people on a daily basis and is essential when giving presentations to parents in school assembly halls.
Describe your ideal day off.
My ideal day off would be a day spent driving to the North Coast with my wife-to-be; taking in the scenery, going to the beach, getting something great to eat and staying out late enough to watch the sunset. Weather permitting of course!
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
The key to a successful job search is being honest with yourself, don’t reach to high, but be ambitious. I would personally chat to friends and family or even work colleagues about where they can see you going and work from there. Filter jobs down from the get-go so you don’t have to scroll through pages and pages of roles you’re not interested in and make sure to have a CV at the ready because you never know when to right opportunity will come your way.