Manny Mahajan

Statement of Qualifications

Q*: Under many situations, a solution to any problem requires a fixed sequence of actions. In general, it could be a branching strategy that recommends different actions depending on the desired end result. We had a year when a large order was required for our annual fair that was held up at customs. The game plan changed as I had to figure out how to get the uniforms to the fairgrounds in a timely manner without spending extraordinary amount of money in shipping. I contacted the vendor on a daily basis on the timeliness of the order, developing a solution that would appease all parties. I made a recommendation to our general manager that we should take a district vehicle and drive up to LA to load the merchandise ourselves and save additional labor and shipping costs from the vendor. By coming up with various solutions, we were able to work with the vendor and pick up the merchandise that enabled us to have the items in time and passed out before opening day. Sometimes orders do not happen as planned and you have to recognize the problem and come up with a solution before it turns into a disaster.

Q2: I have gained higher-level customer services skills at my position as a Customer Service Representative with my present job. My daily duties included extensive mediation with disgruntled consumers and businesses. I provide courteous and professional assistance either over the telephone or via email to ensure customer satisfaction. It’s important that the customers understand that you know what their issue is and are there to help resolve it for them in a way that satisfies them by giving them solutions. Following up phone calls with emails allows me to put their concerns in writing to make sure that both parties are in agreement and that there is no confusion of facts. This allows me to be accurate and efficient in my assistance.

Q3: Every year for various events, it’s my responsibility to work with vendors to find the right products to purchase. I am given a specific budget and always make sure that I stay within those guidelines. Setting up and meeting with department heads and event coordinators allows me to understand their desires for the event to find the right merchandise. Finding examples and coordinating merchandise and timeliness of delivery with the internal customers (other departments) and the external (vendors) allows us to find the best deals and be able to receive items in a timely manner.

Q4: I am big on cross-training staff so when you are short-handed in one area, you can fill in the needs with someone else effectively. If need be, I will jump in and be a part of the working team so we can finish whatever job is at hand effectively as to no stress out other members of the team. I also believe in involving the employees in helping make decisions as they are the ones working in the trenches and have a better understanding of some of the day to day processes and what could be more efficient. It’s important to understand the big picture and made sure everyone understands their role, even if it means doing additional training. Reviewing work in a timely manner allows me to see where weaknesses are and be able to either fill in the void by moving staff around or make changes to processes as needed.

Q5: One thing I like to do is make a to-do list at the beginning of the week to help keep me organized. This list changes as the days go by but starting the week with a plan helps sets goals and prioritize what needs to be done and make sure you achieve current deadlines. As the week or even month progresses, I constantly review not only my workload, but the workload of my staff to make sure we are not falling behind schedule. At times you need to make shift adjustments in order to achieve goals and/or find the reasons why it’s not going as planned. With knowledge and experience, I can see immediately when something is falling behind so I can remedy the issue to a positive resolution.

Q6: Working with human resources to makes sure you have a full understanding of policies and procedures has always worked well for me. I find it’s not only important to know the policies, procedures, and practices of the agency you work for but confirming with HR is best practice as changes can come from the state at any time. Working with the contracts and finance department has always helped me to stay on task with various rules in bids and budget. Each year I would put together by budget and work with finance in ensuring that we are on the same page. Creating new policies in regards to purchasing for other agencies allowed me to write a policy on accounting for sales and inventory with the finance manager. From there we worked with the purchasing department and the staff accountant on use tax that allowed compliance from all parties. As contracting rules can change, working directly with the contracts department when renewing a contract or going out to bid made sure that my scope of work requirements was up to date and in state contracting compliance.