2/17/2015

25moretoughinterviewquestionswithanswers

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25moretoughinterviewquestionswithanswers
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FiledunderCallCentreLife,career,interview,jobs

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Hereare25morequestionsandanswerstohelpyouthriveinyournext
interview.
26.Pleasetellmeaboutanoccasionwhenyouhadtoanalysealarge
amountofcomplexinformationwhichledtoyouidentifyingan
improvementinservicedeliveryorcost.
Hereyourintervieweristestingyourabilitytoanalysedata.Anidealanswer
willclearlyoutlinetheproblemyouwerefacedwith,theinformationyou
extractedfromthedataandthechangesyousubsequentlymadetoimprove.
Forexample:
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Problem:TheappliancedeliverycompanyIworkforwasgettingconsistently
lowratingsonitsdeliveryservice.
Action:Ilookedatalloftheonlinefeedbackformsandpersonallyphoned
customerswhohadratedourservice0.
Findings:Ifoundthatthemajorityofourunhappycustomershatedwaitingin
alldayfortheiritemstobedelivered.
Solution:Ipilotedanewsystemwherethedeliverydriverphonedthe
customeranhourbeforetheiritemwasduetobedelivered.Thisstoppedour
customersfromhavingtohangaroundthehousealldaywaitingfortheir
delivery.
Outcome:Duringthetrialperiod,wesawamarkedincreaseinourcustomer
satisfactionratingsandthenewsystemsoonbecamestandardpractice.
27.PleaseoutlineanddescribeyourcurrenttargetsandKPIsHow
doyouensureyouachievethese?
Hereyourinterviewerischeckingthatyouarecapableofworking
consistentlytowardsyourtargets.
Inanidealansweryouwilloutlinewhatyourcurrenttargetsare,thenfollow
thisupwithadiscussionabouthowyoubreakthesetargetsdownintoweekly
objectivestoensurethatyouareconsistentlyworkingtowardsyourannual
goals.
28.Howdoyouensurethatyourdepartmentsgoalsareinlinewith
theoverallcompanygoals?
Thisquestionhelpsyourinterviewertogauge
whetheryouunderstandyourroleinyourcurrent
job,andhowyoureffortscontributetothegoals
oftheorganisation.
Forexample:
ThecompanyIcurrentlyworkforpublishesan
annualreportofKPIsrelatingtothegoalsthey
hopetoachievethatyear.Iextractthecompanygoalsthatarerelevanttomy
departmentandbreakthemdownintoweeklyobjectives.Ithenusethese
objectivestoensurethatmyteamisconstantlycontributingtotheoverall
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goalsoftheorganisation.
29.Describeasituationinwhichyouinspiredtrustandrespectin
yourteam.
Itsimportanttothinkofandtalkaboutasituationthatsrelevantforthe
positionyoureinterviewingfor.Ideallythiswillhavehadapositiveoutcome.
Bydoingthisyouwillhelptheinterviewerstounderstandwhyyouareagreat
fitfortheirteam.
WiththankstoCapitasInternalRecruitmentTeam
30.Howdidyourecognisetheleveloftrustorrespectyourteamheld
foryouandhowdidyouensurethiscontinued?
Onlyyouwillknowifyourteamreallytrustsandrespectsyou.Respectful
employeeswillusuallymakeyoucoffee,holdadooropenforyou,properly
carryouttasksassignedtothemandrarelyundermineyourjudgement.
Tomaintainthislevelofrespect,youshouldmaketimetorecogniseyour
employeesefforts,occasionallyexplainhowyoureachedasolutiontoa
problem(thiscanhelpwithbuyinforlargerchangesorprojects)anddoyour
besttobeconsistentlylevelheadedandsuccessfulinyourjudgementasit
onlytakesoneslipuptoundermineyourcredibility.
31.Discussyourcurrentroleandyourreasonsforapplyingtothe
organisation.
Beforeyourinterview,youshouldhaveresearchedthecompanyandseena
fulljobdescription.Thisinformationwillbekeytohowyouanswerthis
questionandshowthatyouhavemadeaconsideredapplication.
Youneedtotryandaligntheexperiencegainedfromyourcurrentroleto
someofthechallengesorresponsibilitiesoftheroleyouareapplyingfor.
Keepittoafewclearbulletpointswhereyoucan.
Alsothinkaboutwhereyouareatyourhappiestorbest.Theroleyouare
applyingformaybeinanewfieldorindustry,butyoumayalreadyhave
manyofthetransferableskillsrequired.
Youthenneedtobeabletoconciselyexplainwhatyoucanbringtotherole
anddemonstratehowsomeoftheskillsyouhave(makingpassingreference
tosomeoftheexperienceyouhavejustmentioned)wouldmakeyouagood
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fitforthisrole.
WiththankstoMichelleAnsell,DouglasJackson
32.Whatisyourgreatestsuccessandachievementtodate?
Hereyourinterviewerwantstoseethatyouwill
bringsomethingtotheircompanyandnotjust
fadeintothebackground.
Whilstthisquestiondoesopenthefloorforyouto
recitehowyouoncedoubledyourteamssales
figures,employersareequallyinterestedin
hearingabouthowyouhavedevelopedandmaintainedastrongprofessional
network,orhowyouprideyourselfonyourreputationforbeingreliableand
hardworking.
Whateveryouenduptalkingabout,trytokeepitshort.Youdontwantyour
egotogetinthewayofyoubeingofferedthejob.
33.Howwouldyoumeasurethesuccessofyouandyourteamovera
3,6and12monthperiod?
ThisquestionrequiresyoutounderstandthebenefitsofsettingSMART
(Specific,Measurable,Achievable,RealisticandTimebound)objectivesand
developingactionplans.
Forexample:
Inlinewiththeoverarchinggoalsofthecompany,Iwouldsetpersonalgoals
formyselfandmyteamwhichIwouldsubsequentlybreakdownintoweekly
SMARTobjectives.Iwouldmonitorthesecloselythroughgeneralinoffice
communicationandaseriesofteammeetings,aswellasthroughscheduling
individualappraisalmeetingsat3,6and12monthintervals.
34.Ifsuccessfulinjoiningtheorganisation,whatdoyouenvisage
yourbiggestchallengewillbeinjoiningitasasalesteamleader?
Theanswertothisreallydependsonthejob/companyyoureinterviewingfor.
However,itsagoodideatodiscussyourunderstandingofthecompany,
processes,products,clientsandthemarketplace.Asasalesteamleader,
youllalsobeexpectedtodeliverstrongresultsagainstyourpersonalsales
andteamtargets.
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WiththankstoCapitasInternalRecruitmentTeam
35.Howwouldyoumanageyourtimeandobjectivesinyourrole?
Thisisyouropportunitytoassureyourpotential
employerthatyouarecapableofworkinginline
withyourobjectivesandgettingthejobdoneon
time.
Forexample:
Inmycurrentrole,Ibreakdownmyobjectives
intodailytargetsandoutlineperiodsoftheday
whenIamgoingtofocusonachievingthem.Ifindthissystemworkswellfor
meandIexpecttocarryitintomynextjob.
36.Howdoyoukeepyourselfmotivated?
Thisisyouropportunitytotellyourpotentialemployerwhatkeepsyou
focused.Possibleanswersinclude:
Breakingyourworkloadupintodailyorhourlytargetstoensurethatthe
nextsmallsuccessisnevertoofaraway.
Livingahealthylifestyle.Eatingtherightfoodsanddrinkinglotsofwater
intheofficecanhaveabigimpactonyourconcentrationlevels.
Motivatingothersandpromotingapositiveatmosphereintheoffice.
37.Whatkeyfactorsdriveyou?
Treadcarefullywiththisquestion.Whilstthetruthmaybethatyouonlyget
outofbedeverymorninginordertopayyourrent,thisisnotwhatyour
potentialemployerwantstohear.
Thisquestiongivesyouanopportunitytodiscusswhathasattractedyouto
thislineofworkandwhatinspiresyoutoperseverethroughthetoughtimes.
Inasalesrole,thiscouldbetheadrenalinerushofmeetingdailytargets,
whilstinacustomerservicerole,thiscouldbethepersonalsatisfactionyou
gainthroughhelpingpeople.
38.Whatattractsyoutotheposition?
Thisisanopportunityforyoutoshowoffyourresearchontheroleand
company.
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Talkaboutthebenefitsthecompanyhastoofferandhowtheysuityouatthis
pointinyourcareer.Forexample,ifyouarejoiningthecompanyasa
graduate,discusshowyouplantoutilisetheirhighlystructuredtraining
scheme.
Alsocommentonthecompanysreputationandtrytomakereferencetoa
recentsuccessyouhaveseenontheirwebsite.
39.Howoftendoyouchallengethewayyourcurrentcompanydoes
thingsorchallengesomethingthatyoufeelneedstochange?
Thisisabitofatrickyquestiontoanswer,ashow
youanswercandeterminewhetheryour
interviewerthinksyouaretoostrongmindedor,
worse,toosheeplikeinyourapproachtowork.
Anidealanswerwillshowadegreeofbalance.
Forexample:
Throughoutmytermofemployment,Ikeepaconstantnoteofanyareasthat
Ifeelcanbeimproved.ButIonlypresenttheseconcernstomybosswhenI
havedevelopedindepthandrealisticsolutions.
Thefrequencyofthesemeetingsisdeterminedbyhowstablethecompany
is.Ifthecompanyimplementsseveralchangesthroughoutthecourseofthe
year,Iammoreinclinedtoprovideregularfeedbacktomyboss.
40.Howcreativeareyouincomparisontoyourcolleagues,i.e.in
managing,developing,encouragingandmotivatingyourteam?
Thisquestionisaskedtodeterminewhetherornotyouaregoingtobring
somethingtotheteam.
Inanidealansweryouwillconfirmthatyouarecreativeinyourjobrole,and
markedlysocomparedtosomeofyourcolleagues.Youshouldthenproceed
togiveexampleswhichdemonstratethis.
Thisquestiongivesyoutheopportunitytotelltheinterviewerabouthowyou
developedaMondaymorningprizegivingincentivetogetyourteamfiredup
fortheweek.Orhowyouintroduceddailystaffmeetingstokeepyourteam
engagedwiththegoalsoftheorganisation.Orimplementedabuddyup
trainingprogrammetohelpyournewrecruitssettleinfaster.

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41.Howdoyoumeasurethesuccessofyourincentives?
Anidealanswertothisquestionwilldemonstratethatyouarecapableof
monitoringasituationasitevolves.
Forexample:
Whilstworkinginacallcentreasasupervisor,IintroducedSugarFridays
givingmyteamsweetsandtreatstogetthemthroughtheFridayslog.
Priortointroducingtheincentive,Icompiledabacklogofsalesfiguresfrom
previousFridays.Ithenintroducedtheincentiveonatrialperiod,continued
collectingdataandcrosscomparedtheresults.Therewasanobviouspeak
insalesfiguresandsotheincentivebecamepermanent.
42.Howhaveyouutilisedcustomerfeedbacktoensurebusiness
excellence?
Thisquestionissettotestyourabilitytoidentify
andanalysecustomerinsight,trendsanddata,
anddrivecontinuousimprovement,byidentifying
andunderstandingtherootcause.
Theinterviewerwillbelookingforanexampleof
whereyouhavetakenthisinsightand
subsequentlydeveloped,implementedandimprovedyoursales
process.Thiscouldbethroughtheintroductionoftraining,postsale
procedures,achangeinmarketingcommunications,orotherprocess
improvements,toensurethatthecauseofanyfuturecomplaintiseradicated.
WiththankstoMichelleAnsell,DouglasJackson
43.Howhaveyouutilisedcustomercomplaintfeedbacktoimprove
howyourteamareselling?
Thisquestionisespeciallyimportantifyouareapplyingforamanagement
position.
Anidealanswerwilldemonstratethatyouarecapableofassessinga
situationandimplementingimprovements.
Forexample:
Istartedtonoticethatalotofcustomerswerecomplainingaboutfeeling
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patronisedbymyagents.Inresponsetothis,Ilistenedtothecallsthese
complaintsstemmedfromandrealisedthatwordssuchaswonderfulwere
beingoverused.
Ithenhadameetingwiththeworstoffendersinmyteamandsuggested
changesthattheycouldmaketocorrectthisbehaviour.Afterthismeeting,
customercomplaintsreducedandsalesincreased.
44.Whatisyourexperienceofthewholeendtoendfeedbackprocess
(talkthroughthisprocess)andhowdoyouensurethisfeedback
improvestheservicetocustomers?
Theanswertothiswilldependonthejobyoureinterviewingforandyour
experience.
Iwouldrecommendthinkingaboutaspecificinstanceandthendiscussing
thisindetail.Outlinetheprocessstagebystageand,ifthereareareasthat
needimprovement,focusyouranswersonthesolutionsinsteadofthe
problems.
WiththankstoCapitasInternalRecruitmentTeam
45.Howhaveyoueducatedyourfrontlineagentstoensureexcellent
customerfeedback?
Asaleaderormanagerchargedwithdeliveringexcellentcustomerfeedback,
youwillknowhowimportantitisthatcustomerfeedbackandinsightare
monitored,measuredandactedupon,wheneverappropriateornecessary.
Buthowaboutyouragents?Thisquestionisverymuchalignedtoyour
engagement,coachinganddevelopmentskills.Youneedtothinkaboutthe
culture,communicationandinteractionsyouhavewithyouragents.
Discusshowyouimpartyourknowledgeandexperiencetoyouragentsand
howyouensurethattheycancontinuetodeveloptheconfidence,skills,
knowledgeandhabitsthatwilldriveexcellentcustomerfeedbackwithevery
interaction.
WiththankstoMichelleAnsell,DouglasJackson
46.Giveanexampleofwhenyouhavebeenreallystretchedfora
deadline,andhowyoumadesureyoucompletedyourworkontime.

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Inaskingthisquestion,yourpotentialemployerislookingtoseethatyouare
preparedtogoaboveandbeyondthecallofdutywhenthecompanyneeds
you.
Butyouhavetobecarefulwhenanswering,asitiseasytofallintothetrapof
slaggingoffyourcurrentemployerorseemingdisorganised.Yourinterviewer
doesnotwanttohearhowyourcurrentbossfailedtoprovideyouwith
resourcesorthatyouoncepulledanallnightertomeetauniversitydeadline.
Anidealanswerwillcentreroundthebusiesttimeofyourcompanysyear
(i.e.theChristmasrushinretail).Inyourexampleyoushouldoutlinethe
reasonforyourstretcheddeadlineandsaywhatyoudidtoensurethatyou
metit.
Forexample:
WhilstworkinginretailovertheChristmasperiod,therewasdramatic
increaseinstockwhichneededprocessing.ToensurethatIcontinuedto
completemydailytasksoverthistimeperiod,Ifrequentlystartedworkat
5amratherthan7am.
47.Howdoyoumanagetimeandpriorities?
Hereyourpotentialemployerwantstoknowthat
youarecapableoforganisingyourselfproperly
andensuringthatnothinggetsforgotten.
Doyoukeepadiary?UseGoogleCalender?
Writedailytodolists?Usewallplannerstokeep
trackofoutofofficeappointments?Whatever
youdo,nowisyouropportunitytotellthem!
48.Giveanexampleofanoccasionwhereyouhavegiven
constructivecriticismtoamemberofyourpeergroup.
Nomatterwhatlevelweoperateat,weareallabletolendourexperienceof
successtoourpeerswejusthavetobecarefulnottopatroniseor
underminethemintheprocess.
Whenansweringthisquestion,makesurethatyougiveanexamplethatis
trulyconstructiveandhadapositiveoutcome.Thiswillshowyourinterviewer
thatyouunderstandhowtohelpimproveyourcolleaguesperformance
withouthurtingtheirfeelings.
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49.Giveanexampleofatimewhenthingshappenedinworkto
dampenyourenthusiasm.Howdidyoumotivateyourselfandyour
team?
Thisquestionisatestofcharacterandisespeciallyimportantifyouare
beinginterviewedforamanagementrole.
Anidealanswerwilldemonstratethatyouareabletosupportyourteam,
evenwhenthingsdontgoaccordingtoplan.
Forexample:
WhilstIwasworkinginafastfoodrestaurant,anunexpectedcoachloadof
footballsupporterscamethroughthedoor.Whatfollowedwasahectichalf
hourasthefewstaffwehadonstruggledtoservethehighinfluxof
customers.
Tomotivatemyteam,Icameoutofthebackofficeandsignedontoatillin
themiddleofthecounter.Fromthatposition,Icouldsupportmyteameither
sideofmewithphraseslikeyouredoingwell,Kellywhilsthelpingtooffset
theworkload.
Whentherushwasover,Icongratulatedeveryoneontheireffortsand
broughtchocolatesinformyteamthenextday.
50.Howdoyoudealwithworkissues?Wouldanyoneknowyouwere
havingabaddayorwouldyoukeepittoyourself?
Moraleisinfectiouswhetherpositiveornegativeand,whenworkingina
teamorientatedenvironmentlikeacallcentre,itsimportantthatthereis
alwaysanairofpositivityaround.
Itsthereforevitallyimportanttoensurethatifyourehavingabadday,you
containthisanddontletitinfluencethemoralelevelsoftheteam,andinturn
theproductivityandefficiencyoftheoveralloperation.
WiththankstoMarkConway,ContactCentrePartners
ClickheretoreadthepreviousTop25interviewquestions.
Doyouhavebetteranswerstoanyofthesequestions?Haveyoubeen
askedanytoughinterviewquestions?
Pleaseleaveyourcommentsintheboxbelow.
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25moretoughinterviewquestionswithanswers

Visitourjobspagetofindyournextopportunity.
6Sep2013FiledunderCallCentreLife,career,interview,jobs
Views183,697

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Commentson:25moretoughinterviewquestions
withanswers
Howdoyoudealwithbeingaskedtosellacompanyproductwhichyoudone
believein?
PostedbyAlice14Nov@7:28am

TellmeaJoke?
Iwouldthrowthisinstraightafteracomplicatedanswertheydjustgivenin
ordertoseehowtheythinkquicklyunderpressureandiftheycankeeptheir
composure.
Ihadoneguytellmehedidntdojokesbutusuallyfindshumourinsituations.
Irespectedtheanswer.Thequestionreallyputsthecatamongthepigeons.I
actuallyhiredtheguy.
PostedbyJamesRobson17Dec@6:17pm

Howyouhandlemultitask
PostedbyRaj7Feb@4:01am

Ifaninterviewerrandomlytoldmetotellthemajokeinthemiddleofan
interviewafterIhadjustansweredacomplexquestionIwouldconcludethey
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