Client-facing skills

Q. When have you worked in a service role?

Q. When have you had to interact professionally with others?

Q. Have you ever worked in a client-facing role? 

Many City roles are client-facing. Whether you’re a lawyer, investment banker, accountant or a consultant, you’re providing a service to a paying client on behalf of your employer, and you therefore need to be able to act professionally when doing so. 

How can you demonstrate client-facing skills?

As mentioned earlier, the word “client” is synonymous with “customer”, so any experience involving you interacting positively with customers can help to demonstrate that you’re able to act professionally when representing a business. For example, you could discuss experiences where you’ve worked in a bar or hotel (your “clients” were the patrons), in a retail store or on supermarket checkouts (your “clients” were the shoppers), as a tutor (your “clients” were the tutees and perhaps their parents), and so on. 

To give context around your role, perhaps mention if you had to deal with, for example, customer complaints, difficult individuals, a broad range of stakeholders, or rude or drunk people. If you haven’t had direct experience interacting with customers, then perhaps draw on an analogous role. For example, if you had a leadership role for a university society or sports team, you could discuss your responsibility for ensuring that the members received adequate support, were effectively engaged, and had a positive experience (as people are expected to do with customers).

When discussing client-facing skills, explain the strategies and mindset you adopted to ensure you interacted positively with clients. For example, did you use your adaptability to ensure you communicated effectively with a broad range of people (young, old, students, professionals, happy, angry etc.)? Were you consciously aware at all times that you were representing the organisation, so acted courteously and professionally at all times in the knowledge that your actions reflected on the brand of that organisation? 

Did you note down facts about regular clients so that you could strike up polite conversations and meet any particular requirements or expectations they had? Did you remain outwardly composed, enthusiastic and empathetic, even when dealing with complaints or difficult situations? Did you dress professionally, show up punctually, work efficiently, and meet all your deadlines?