You’ll also be asked to indicate, on most applications, any previous experiences with mystery shopping. Be sure to list mystery-shopping-company names and not specific clients in describing work experiences. Most mystery shopping companies do not list clients and do not want specifics shared in a competitive industry. Indicate that you’ve worked for Joe’s Mystery Company and not that you’ve shopped Big Bobby’s Burgers and Janet’s Motel of Morgantown. It’s fine to specify the industries examined previously, so you can add restaurant and motel shops as far as descriptions. Just don’t name specific consumer company names. This suggests that you’re not familiar with the mystery-shopping industry and that you might not manage to stay incognito as necessary when serving as a secret shopper.

If you don’t have specific experience in the field, don’t stress it. Everyone must start somewhere. Most applications include fields to indicate why you’d be a good mystery shopper. Build on related experiences and skills to sell yourself as a new member of the mystery-shopping club. If, for example, you teach swimming classes and review stroke forms and give feedback, then this can be type of background can be shaped to show some experience with evaluation.

Indicate that you enjoy shopping and interacting and that you are perceptive and fair in your evaluations of others. Mystery shopping companies do want information about concerns, but they do not want chronic pessimists who see the glass half empty in every situation.

Being rather average in terms of appearance and personality can also be used to sell your usefulness as a mystery shopper. In other words, you need to come off as bright, fair, detail-oriented but not flamboyant enough to be stand out if given an assignment. If employees tag you as the mystery shopper the minute you walk in the door, then you won’t be able to provide the information needed. The whole idea is to see what the average consumer would experience if dropping in to shop.

In all application sections requiring free, essay-style writing, take great care with your general writing, spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Poorly-written reports must be edited by employers before being released to clients, and if you write sloppily during the application process, then you won’t look like a good candidate. There is no reason to take on sloppy writers when there are many around who can and will take the time and effort to do things right the first time.

Also, avoid opinion laden and overly personal styles of writing even in discussing your own background, interests, and perceived strengths. Use concrete and specific examples instead. This type of reporting is what will be expected later as you evaluate employees and services, so match the writing required for the position. Saying an employee “looked bad” is not very helpful when considering adjustments. Noting that an uniform was unpressed and stained and/or that an employee’s fingernails were dirty and hair uncombed is much more meaningful in terms of dealing with improvements.