What advice do you have for recent graduates that want to go straight into customer success?

For recent graduates who are interested in entering the field of customer success, there are a few critical pieces of advice to keep in mind:

• Gaining relevant experience: Look for opportunities to gain experience in customer-facing roles, such as internships or entry-level positions in customer service or support. This will help you develop the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in a customer role. Or you could also apply to more junior roles, such as success associate, and learn on the job.

• Develop your soft skills: Strong communication, problem-solving, and customer service skills - some of this can be obtained by shadowing senior Success folks, Support folks.

• Build your industry knowledge - Understand the industry’s products, services, and customers. Talk to Product Management, Product Marketing.

• Gaining technical skills: Acquire technical skills (if required) such as product knowledge, data analysis, and project management.

• Be open to learning and be persistent. This is the hard part. Don’t give up!

Overall, it's essential to be proactive in seeking opportunities to gain experience, develop relevant skills, and network with professionals in the field. You can do it!

1. Learn about the role. I have included some links below that can help with this.
2. Network (don't be afraid, I've found the majority of people are more than willing to offer guidance and advice)
3. Ask for a mentor
4. Look for internships

https://www.csinfocus.com/community

https://www.customersuccess.community/feed

https://gaingrowretain.com/

https://hub.practicalcsm.com/

https://catalyst.io/community/community-home

https://community.gainsight.com/

https://userpilot.com/blog/customer-success-courses/

Breaking into customer success as a recent graduate can be an exciting journey that opens many doors. Here's some advice to help you get started:

1. Understand the Role: Start by thoroughly understanding what a career in customer success involves. Do some research on the role, responsibilities, and the skills required.

2. Acquire Relevant Skills: Focus on building the necessary skills for customer success. These could include problem-solving, communication, empathy, active listening, project management, and product knowledge. Many of these skills can be developed through various aspects of your college experience, like group projects, internships, or part-time jobs.

3. Gain Experience: While you're still in school, try to gain some relevant experience. This could be through internships or part-time jobs in customer service or sales, or even through volunteering roles that involve working with people.

4. Network: Networking is crucial in any job search. Connect with professionals in the industry through platforms like LinkedIn. Attend industry events, webinars, or job fairs to meet professionals in the field.

5. Get Certified: Consider getting a certification in customer success management. While this is not a requirement for all roles, it could give you a leg up in the job market. There are various online platforms that offer courses and certifications in customer success.

6. Show Your Passion for Helping People: Customer success is all about ensuring customer satisfaction and helping them succeed. Show potential employers that you genuinely enjoy helping people and that you're committed to providing excellent customer service.

7. Leverage Your School's Resources: Take advantage of the career resources your college or university offers. They can help you with everything from resume writing to job search strategies, and they may even have connections with employers who are hiring.

8. Tailor Your Resume and Cover Letter: When applying for jobs, tailor your resume and cover letter to each specific role. Highlight any relevant skills and experiences, and clearly express your interest in customer success.

9. Prepare for Interviews: Once you land an interview, prepare thoroughly. Research common interview questions for customer success roles, and be ready to give examples of how you've used relevant skills in the past.

Remember, getting that first job in customer success might take some time, but with perseverance and a commitment to building your skills and gaining relevant experience, you can do it!

Getting straight into Customer Success roles right out of college/university can be very daunting.
On top of that, CS roles are rarely available for freshers. However, with some persistence and strategic effort, freshers can break out into CS roles. Here's my 4-point advice:

1. Apply STAR method or any better framework in problem-solving anything
S: Situation, T: Task, A: Action, R: Result
If you've not learned any problem solving frameworks in school, please learn this ASAP as it will help you to become structured, logical in your problem solving approach.

2. Measure and record your impact and make it a habit
Once you've started using a STAR or equivalent framework, measure results and use data analytics to analyze your impact. Then apply Google's famous X-Y-Z method in recording your impact. This will come in handy when you write resumes for job applications.

3. Master interpersonal communication skills and especially networking
Learn to read verbal and visual cues, body language in all sorts of context. Join CS-related networking events to get to know people in the industry and learn how they communicate and the jargons that comes along with. The Dale Carnegie's book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" is a timeless classic on building relationships. I highly recommend reading it a few times.

4. Reach out to your network and ask for a demo of skills
Once you have a network, reach out to potential hiring managers and ask to do a Value Validation Project. A Value Validation Project is a short-term project for helping potential employers becoming aware of a value you created through an agreed collaboration in turn becoming a job opportunity for you. If you are in desperation of a job, this method would not work. I suggest spending a lot of time researching the people and companies you want to work with deeply in order to make this success.