5 Tips for Teens Starting a First Job in Customer Service

For young people, a first step toward a rewarding career is getting a first job. A first job helps teens gain valuable work experience, establish healthy financial management practices, and build confidence in their professional abilities. Most importantly, first-time employment provides the opportunity for teens to develop and master essential skills they’ll be able to apply throughout their careers. When it comes to providing such opportunities, the retail industry has surpassed all others as it has accounted for at least 55 percent of the country’s teenage workforce since 2008.¹

Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Old Navy know the importance of core customer service skills—such as communication, attentive listening, patience, creative problem-solving, adaptability and positivity—that teens can practice in retail environments, and have partnered to engage more teens with first job experiences through Old Navy’s This Way ONward program. Boys & Girls Club teens age 16 and older can join This Way ONward to get a job at Old Navy and receive job readiness coaching, on-the-job skill building, and on-the-job mentorship.

We recently caught up with two Boys & Girls Club alumni who participated in This Way ONward to learn more about their first job experiences and how the customer service skills they gained as Old Navy employees is helping them today.

Bailee Hatmaker, alumna of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley says, “Customer service skills are transferable. You learn how to talk to people, what to say and what not to say, and appropriate mannerisms. You also learn leadership skills and teamwork.”

Unforgettable First Experiences on a First Job

A Club member since 6th grade, Bailee Hatmaker participated in her Club’s teen workforce readiness program where she learned how to compose a resume and cover letter and practice soft skills such as teamwork and communication with a manager and peers. She noticed the impact of this training right away when she embarked upon her first day of work as an associate with Old Navy.

“At my group interview, I was the only person dressed up,” says Bailee. “I wore heels and everyone else had on tennis shoes.” She was proud to have made such a great impression but she did experience her ups and downs in “standing out” during her first month at the retailer.

“My second or third week, I was running late and had forgotten my work clothes to change into after school,” Bailee says. “I threw on some multicolored leggings and my manager suggested I should change. It was stressful.” Though it felt like a major mistake to overcome in the moment, she received lots of reassurance from her Old Navy on-the-job mentor and she ultimately saw it as another learning opportunity.

Bailee says, “My mentor always cracked jokes and made me laugh and feel more comfortable. I handle stress a lot better now. I try not to let simple things I cannot control stress me out.” She also credits her Old Navy experience with helping her find a job when she needed income during her post-secondary education.

“Because of the interview skills I learned at the Club and with Old Navy, I was able to find a job on campus. If I didn’t have that experience, I wouldn’t have known questions to ask, how to remain calm, or be able to communicate everything I needed to come across,” says Bailee.

Gio Gonzalez, a fellow Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley alumnus, can also attest to the nerves he felt on his first day working at Old Navy. 

“I was unsure of being in a new environment,” says Gio. “It felt like walking on eggshells to make a good impression and not make any mistakes. But no one is going to be perfect from the get-go and I would be able to grow from my mistakes.” There was a lot to learn and get used to at his new job but Gio asked questions and leaned on his mentors to show him the way.

Gio says, “I remember asking how lunch break worked. Do I just chill in the back? Can I stay or leave? I’ve never done this before! Also, the cash register was so foreign to me. I wanted someone to watch me so that I tapped every button correctly and gave everyone the correct change.” Like Bailee, it wasn’t long before Gio found his footing and became more assured in his customer service strengths.

“Within the next few weeks, I started feeling very comfortable and things became second nature. I was proud of myself for taking initiative,” Gio says.

Earning his first paycheck was also a major highlight for Gio. “I took a picture of it. That was a stepping stone because I was able to get a bank account. It’s a good feeling to know that I earned that by clocking in and clocking out,” he says.

“Breathe. Stay calm. You will receive a lot of information in training. You won’t learn it all on the first day. Listen and ask questions,” says Gio. 

Applying Customer Service Skills for Life

In their teen years, both Bailee and Gio remained at Old Navy for more than two years and not only gained new skills along the way but also built relationships and connections with their team at Old Navy who supported their development journey. “I loved the people I worked with,” says Bailee. “Management was big on communication and trust. I learned how to interact with my fellow coworkers and build relationships with them.”

Gio adds, “Before Old Navy, I was a very quiet person. Today, it’s a lot easier for me to talk to and network with people. Also being able to work with coworkers, different work styles, ability to compromise— I was there so long and exposed to so many situations.”

These Club alumni also received a huge life lesson in applying patience at the workplace. Sometimes, Gio and Bailee said they had to troubleshoot challenging situations when customers reached out for assistance. They learned to take a deep breath, listen to the customer, seek to understand, and remain objective.

“It also took patience to build my income,” Gio says. “I had to practice self-control to not spend immediately on things like basketball shoes or video equipment.”

Both Club alumni have since applied these skills and more in their individual endeavors. Gio, who currently works as a bank teller, is studying video production at Pellissippi State Community College.

“In video production, I have to work with people and clients and communicate processes, outcomes, and what I can offer them,” Gio says. “It’s maintaining communication, taking initiative to speak to someone, becoming more comfortable with one-on-one conversation, expressing my concerns and hearing their concerns.”

Bailee, who is currently studying criminal justice and psychology at East Tennessee State University says, “After speaking with my managers at Old Navy about my criminal justice path, they intentionally set me up with loss prevention training and I became a loss prevention lead. In that role, I was focused on customer service and training others on what to do if there’s a theft in the store or an emergency as well as how to de-escalate these situations.”   

5 Tips for Success for First-Time Customer Service Jobseekers and Jobholders

Success in a customer service job relies heavily on developing and leveraging such soft skills as positivity, patience, and communication to work more efficiently and effectively with your colleagues and customers. Here are five major strategies to follow in your customer service role: 

On your first day at work, embrace enthusiasm and positivity. 
No, you won’t know everything right away and you will make mistakes. That is okay. What matters most is keeping an upbeat attitude and remaining open to learning and growing.

When in doubt, ask questions. 
Whether learning more about a customer or gaining clarity from a supervisor on how to perform a task, ask as many questions as you can to get all the information you need to be successful.

Communication is key to delivering good customer service. 
Don’t be afraid to have conversations with your customers so that you can learn more on how to fulfill their unique product or service needs. Be sure to listen attentively and communicate clearly.

Exercising patience at work is critical. 
You’re going to encounter new and unfamiliar challenges in which you’ll need to juggle competing tasks or resolve an issue with a customer. Remaining patient helps to better evaluate any arising situation and find the best solutions to help you and your team move forward.

Teamwork truly does make the dream work. 
Your positivity, curiosity, communication, and patience at work will all contribute to helping you build a stronger and more cohesive team on the job. Joining forces with your coworkers to get the job done will ultimately make every task and responsibility easier to handle. 

Building Life Skills Through Customer Service Starts Here

At Boys & Girls Clubs, programs like This Way ONward provide teens with a springboard for mastering how to seek out, secure and thrive in jobs that will support their ongoing career growth and development. Discover how young people are gaining extraordinary hands-on career experiences they can leverage throughout life.

As a partner of Boys & Girls Clubs of America for more than 20 years, Old Navy has helped youth work toward and achieve successful and fulfilling futures in whatever occupations they seek. Parents can help teens find their local Club and ask how to join This Way ONward.

1 https://nrf.com/blog/employment-trends-teens-retail
2 https://issuu.com/bgca/docs/2022_nyoi_national_outcomes_report_web