Kevin Downey

For most of my management career, I worked for a chain of neighborhood grocery stores. Their brand was partly defined by the generic goods they carried, packaged under their company name, many of which, through their distribution contracts, were available nowhere else. Their number one core value was to deliver a wow customer experience. They considered the experience at the register as the grand finale, which would serve as the most memorable experience for each customer and a make-it-or-break-it moment.

One of the most desirable traits I looked for when I recruited new members to our team was whether they were a foodie. Were they passionate about our brand, the casual dress code, and the fun hipster vibe of our stores? Would they have fun on the job, never get bored, and be adaptable and willing to help anywhere? Everyone’s duties rotated hour by hour because no one had one job. Each day’s schedule was written based on the needs of the store, and everyone did everything. We were a team. Most of us had leadership potential, and every one of us embodied the brand. No one got bored, and most days everyone was having fun. We all became friends and spent time together on and off the job. Happy employees make for a wow customer experience.

As a manager, I worked on a register for a few hours every day. Honestly, it was fun. I got to ring up groceries, show off my bagging skills, and ask people what they were cooking for dinner. Often, we exchanged recipes, and for five minutes, we were friends. I provided sincere and genuine interactions, connecting with my customers whenever I could.

If a customer came in a little hangry or unhappy about something that had nothing to do with me, I’d try to turn their experience around, but I would never internalize their emotions and confuse them with my own. All I had control over was my attitude, and it typically centered around my gratitude to be working somewhere I enjoyed being. I am a foodie and a crazy good cook, and my time working there was rewarding, which led to great things in my life, the benefits of which I am still reaping today. In many ways, working for United is likely a very similar experience.

Most lifestyle industries can be categorized as a service industry. Whether it is health, fitness, food, travel, or entertainment, most of them, in one way or another, embody some kind of experience. Travel is a lifestyle industry, and those working in that industry should have a passion for travel and adventure. United expects its employees to embody their brand. Their ideal recruits are those who’ll be happy to be there, grateful for the opportunity, and can take the good with the bad while focusing on the good. Being in a rewarding industry that aligns with one’s priorities offers the opportunity for tremendous growth, personally and professionally. The benefits are obvious, and you have an opportunity to share that passion with the people who will share that journey with you, whether to a single destination or well into the future.

So, it is important, going into your interview, to align your goals with the interviewer’s. They aren’t looking for any semi-skilled professional to fit a position just because it needs to be filled. They’re looking for someone who is happy to be there and fits their mold. You are looking for a job that feels like the right fit for you because being happy at work is a quality-of-life issue. So, the surest way to position yourself as their ideal candidate and to get you to stand apart from the rest of their “talent community” is to inform them that you already embody their brand, just as their brand represents you.

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