Barlow's Seeking Talented Guest Services People
Barlow's is hiring crew members! Email inquiries or resumes to nena@barlowjeeprentals.com
Short description:
Exceptional customer service, communication and multi-tasking skills to handle contracts, reservations, phones, and Jeep washing & prep. Very active indoor/outdoor on-your-feet job. Strong guest services background and love of outdoors required. 4-day work week, with holidays and weekends required. Get dirty and have fun. Email inquiries or resumes to nena@barlowjeeprentals.com or drop application in person to 3009 W Hwy 89A, Sedona.PLEASE note: this is NOT a mechanical position—this is a front office guest services position which does NOT require mechanical skills!
Long description:
To many people, working at Barlow’s might seem like a dream
job: work with Jeeps, in a fun and casual atmosphere, in one of the most
beautiful locations on the planet. Yes, it is all that, but first and foremost,
it is actually WORK. In a nutshell, the job requires exceptional customer
service skills combined with unflagging physical and mental energy.
The main facets of the job are handling rental contracts,
instructing guests in trail driving and Jeep operation, managing reservations,
and prepping Jeeps for rental. New hires start in the following order, and
progress as skill mastery allows: first, Jeep washing; second, phones and
reservations; third, rental contracts; fourth, preparing guests for trail and
Jeep usage. We will train the right candidate for all of that—you don’t have to
come in knowing all about the Axle Lock button, or how to strip the frame off a
Jeep soft top, or even how to get to Soldier Pass—what you DO need is to be:
highly self-motivated, but with a strong teamwork ethic; smart, without being
arrogant; humble without being sheepish; both mentally and physically energetic
and capable; all this with the amazing ability to mother the timid customers,
tame the rowdy ones, and have them all eating out of your hand.
In the past, we have screened a lot of applicants who had a
misconception of what the job is really like. It’s not glamorous most of the
time. Let’s expose the “dirt” about working at Barlow’s…
First, we wash Jeeps. We wash Jeeps A LOT. And we wash Jeeps
day in and day out in all kinds of weather. It’s like the Karate Kid workout:
Your shoulders will be sore from the constant circular motion of washing and
drying Jeeps, and your back will be sore from leaning over vacuuming interiors,
and wiping out various unidentified sticky things that you really don’t want to
know what they are. Your hair will get messed up and your coworkers will spray
you with the pressure washer, usually by accident. Your legs will be covered in
red dirt, and most likely you will develop calluses on your knees from kneeling
down to spray mud out or inspecting the undercarriage. Your feet will get
soaked—great when it’s 106 degrees out, but miserable when it’s 41 degrees.
Bring a change of shoes and socks. And,
sometimes, we even clean Jeeps with toothbrushes. I’m not kidding.
You will be on your feet most of the day. You will be standing, walking
and running while answering phones, washing Jeeps, taking reservations, filling
out contracts, talking guests through maps, demonstrating the features of the
Jeeps, washing Jeeps, directing people to the bathroom, loading a cooler with
ice into the Jeep, removing t-tops or soft tops from Jeeps, scraping up your
fingers zipping windows into Jeeps, smiling while answering the phone while you
are sucking on your sore finger, washing Jeeps, inspecting Jeeps, parking
Jeeps, and washing more Jeeps.
You will be talking a lot, and you have to be charming the
whole time you are doing it. You have to
make people feel loved and warm and fuzzy from the moment they drive onto the
property or the moment you answer the phone, even if your cat puked in your
shoes and you bent your rear axle (again). You will answer tons of questions
about Jeep rentals: what trails can we
use, what time can we pick up the Jeep, how much does it cost, why is it so
much more than Avis, how many people can we fit in a Jeep, do I have to make a
reservation, do you have automatic Jeeps, do I have to be 25, do I have to have
insurance, can I use someone else’s credit card, can I take your Jeep to
Timbuktu, where are we located because the GPS sent us to the wrong county…You
will also be answering tons of questions about Sedona in general: where to
stay, where to eat, why aren’t the Hertz guys there, what are vortexes, where
to shop, where to park an RV, what the weather will be like in 38 days, where
is the nearest major airport, and how do I get to Sedona from there. After a
busy day, you are tired of the sound of your own voice.
Then there are the times when we are not busy. That’s when
we wash Jeeps—REALLY wash Jeeps—scrub upholstery, wax and polish paint, clean
engine compartments, scrub tires and soft tops, and spray mud out of places you
never knew Jeeps had. And when that’s done, we clean the shop. There is always
dirt. ALWAYS. Shelves, carpet, countertops, bathroom, and all over the garage.
There are usually dirty, broken and/or greasy Jeep parts laying around, too.
Some days the time just flies by, and you go home dirty and
smelly and collapse on the couch. Other days drag by and you have to take a
deep breath, look around and see what needs doing, even though playing
Farmville sounds much better.
There are always list of projects that need doing. You will
most often be working with one or two other crewmembers, but sometimes it’s
just you, so you must be highly self-motivated. Your coworkers are highly
self-motivated and expect the same of you. Anyone who is perceived to be
slacking or not holding up their end is not tolerated for long. If there are
dirty Jeeps sitting outside, a pile of dirty dishes, and dirty towels and
coolers spread all over the shop, and you are sitting on the couch reading a
magazine, expect some rather direct remarks.
Still reading? Okay, then here’s the good stuff…
Our Jeeps are awesome and you will get to know each one by
name and personality. They also want to go out and play with you from time to
time. Your coworkers are enthusiastic Jeepers and outdoors-people. They are
smart, compassionate, supportive, and watch your back. Even though most of our
crew members are college-educated, with business management backgrounds, and
could run any of a number of different businesses, they have chosen, as you
have, to take a job that allows one to go to work in a t-shirt, shorts, and
flip-flops (or jeans and hiking boots, depending on the weather). While washing
Jeeps or doing Jeep demos, you are outside, soaking up the gorgeous Sedona
climate, which is great 99% of the year. You get to meet people from all over
the world, with diverse backgrounds, and all looking to you to help them have
fun. Just in the course of the job, you will learn more about 4-wheeling and
Jeeps than most people can imagine. There is the opportunity to travel to
different 4-wheeling destinations and events and meet and work with people
throughout the industry. You get to live in the Sedona area, and Jeep, hike,
bike, and/or ride whatever to your heart’s content. There are very few days a
year that are unpleasant enough to keep you indoors all day, and you are within
1-hour of high-country pines for cooler weather, or 1.5-hours of the lower
desert for warmer weather.
Most importantly, you have to be comfortable in your own
skin AND have an innate love of people to be able to deal with all of the
different personalities that you will encounter at the counter. You must have
the attitude that there is always more to learn, you must have the inner
strength to wash that one last Jeep at the end of a long day, and you must
possess the self-confidence to know when to say “It’s okay—I got this!”
Happy trails!
