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Interview Questions for an Entry-Level Customer Service Position

Show that you enjoy helping people solve problems over the phone

By the Monster Career Coach

Overview

Brian Goodman, age 38, lives in Montreal, Quebec. He began his career with summer jobs in fast food restaurants. By virtue of a strong work ethic he was frequently promoted and poached by competitors. Now he is the Director of a Network Management Centre for Datavalet, where he uses his computer and people skills daily.

Our previous article on Brian covered his actual career path. This one focuses on the questions Brian poses to candidates when he hires for entry-level Customer Service positions.

Monster Career Coach: Thanks for returning Brian. Now that you’re a Director for the Network Management Centre, your responsibilities include hiring new people and bringing them into your department. What do you generally look for during your interviews?

Brian Goodman: This may be a little surprising, but at first I look less at the person’s skills in doing the job and more on finding out who genuinely likes working with customers and fits into our company culture.

Monster Career Coach: Do you have a standardized agenda that you run through with each candidate?

Brian Goodman: Personally I don’t have an exact list of questions, though I know that some others in my position do. I prefer to review each person’s resume and identify things like employment history, gaps between working, if anything looks inflated and how honest people are.

Then I ask mostly situational questions such as “How have you dealt with customers?” I’m not so strict on the actual content of their answers. Instead I look closely for an ability to think quickly and reply in a normal conversational way – just like they’ll have to do when they’re speaking with customers.

Monster Career Coach: I realize that you may not ask the exact same questions of every candidate, but what are the five most common ones you pose, and what sort of answers do you tend to prefer? Let’s start with the interview question that you like to open with.

Brian Goodman: It helps the candidate relax if I begin with an upbeat question. So I might ask something like “Describe the most positive customer contact that you’ve had in a previous job.”

Here I’d like to see the person brag and describe themselves in an encouraging way. They should have at least one situation where they connected well with a customer directly, better still if it’s been over the phone. Even if they don’t have an especially happy incident to describe, they should be prepared to talk about why not.

Monster Career Coach: What type of question might you ask to see how a candidate operates when the pressure’s on?

Brian Goodman: Good question. Obviously I don’t just want to hear about the easier stuff. So I might say “Describe a challenging customer contact that you’ve dealt with.”

I’ll tell you what I don’t want to hear from the candidate in this case: negativity about the customer, like “the customer was an idiot.” This is the interviewee’s chance to show how they turn difficult situations into win-win outcomes. And if they can do so while smiling, then I’m pretty sure I’ve got someone who cares about helping people and will adapt to any situation.

Monster Career Coach: You’ve mentioned above that you look less at a person’s specific skills and more at other areas. But do you sometimes ask about a person’s technical abilities?

Brian Goodman: For sure. An example would be “How have you used your employer’s resources properly?”

In this case I’d hope to hear about using the company intranet or training manuals, the Internet, reaching out to mentors, or gaining access to supervisors. The point is that they shouldn’t be too proud to ask for help. So pretty much any reply is O.K. here as long as it’s honest.

Look, no one knows the answer to everything. At Datavalet we want to focus on fixing the issues rather than trying to minimize the time per call or give answers that don’t work. So as long as our Customer Service Representatives can draw on our resources and get back to a caller with a real solution, everything tends to works out.

Monster Career Coach: Any other common questions you might ask?

Brian Goodman: Yes, here’s one. “How does the job you’re interviewing for today compare to similar jobs you’ve seen?”

It’s not exactly a trick question but I would like to know if the candidate has taken the time to read our job description thoroughly and review our website. On top of that, did they ask questions of our Interview Screener when they called?

Ideally I want to hire people who are willing to put in an extra effort, that little bit more. It’s what can make a good candidate great.

Monster Career Coach: We really appreciate your time and input, Brian. Anything else to add that might help our readers prepare for their interviews?

Brian Goodman: While I can’t speak for all employers, my preference is for an interviewee to take their time when answering questions, instead of blurting out a meaningless stream of words. Also show up looking professional. Leave the track pants home. Remember, it’s not just what you say, it’s the impression that you leave behind.

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