Essential Call Center

Interview Guide
Anticipate and prepare for the likely call center interview questions you will be asked in
your call center job interview. The call center guide applies to both outbound and inbound
call center positions.
Review the knowledge and core workplace competencies (skills and abilities) commonly
required for success in call center or contact center jobs and plan your interview answers
around these.
Call center consultant knowledge requirements will vary depending on the company,
product and scope of the job. However typical knowledge requirements for call center work
include:
Typing/keyboard
basic computer and call center technology knowledge
knowledge of relevant software applications
numeric, oral and written language applications
administrative procedures and information processing
customer relationship principles and practices
Questions around the knowledge requirements can be answered by reviewing your resume
as it refers directly to your qualifications, training and work experience. Prepare for call
center interview questions that explore your relevant training and work task experiences
relating to the specific knowledge requirements listed.
Examples include:
"What are your computer skills and what software applications have you used?"
"What size was the customer database you dealt with?"
"How many calls did you take/make in an average day?"
"What was the average length of each call?"
The interviewer will focus on questions that look for evidence of call center-related
competencies. You will be asked to give specific examples of when you have shown the
required competency in your previous jobs.
Reflect on your past experiences, select appropriate examples and plan your response using
the following structure:
O escribe the specific situation or task you were involved in
O etail the action and steps ou took in the situation
O utline the results and outcome of your actions. What happened, what was
accomplished, what did you learn?
$croll through the call center interview questions that explore each core competency. Use
the answer guidelines to help you prepare your own excellent answers.
%eam Work
Call centers all involve some degree of team work so expect call center interview questions
that explore your ability to function as part of a team.
"Tell me about one of the toughest groups you have had to work with in order to achieve a
task or objective."
"Tell me about a time when you were able to help out a team member."
"Describe a situation when you felt a team member was not contributing enough. What
steps did you take?"
nswer Guidelines : $how how you are able to work effectively with other people towards
task and goal accomplishment, how you interact with others to establish and build efficient
working relationships that contribute to team and organizational success. Indicate your
value, respect and encouragement of colleagues, your enjoyment of working as part of a
team and how you put the team first.
Customer Service
Key to success in a call center position are your customer service skills and orientation.
nswer Guidelines : $how how you proactively develop the relationship with the
customer, make the extra effort to listen and understand the customer and give high
priority to meting the customer's needs. escribe your ability to handle negative customers
in the call or contact center without being intimidated or getting upset.
How to answer other common customer service interview questions such as "What does
excellent customer service mean to you?" is covered right here.
Problem-solving and Judgment
An essential call center consultant competency for dealing successfully with customers in
the call center.
"Describe a tough problem you recently had to sort out for a customer."
"Give me an example of a decision you had to make quickly while dealing with a customer
recently."
"What steps did you take when you found out that a problem was a result of inefficient
service by your company or colleagues?"
nswer Guidelines : iscuss your ability to take an appropriate course of action after
considering all the relevant facts. How you are willing to analyze and resolve issues
promptly, use your troubleshooting skills and follow a logical path to a positive outcome.
earning Skills
Call center positions often require the successful candidate to undergo both product and
technical training. In the call center interview you will be asked questions that explore your
ability to learn and apply new information quickly and willingly. Call center technology is
constantly changing.
"Tell me about a time you were able to learn something complex in a short time period."
"Describe the last time that you volunteered to gain new knowledge at work or in your own
time, without being asked to."
"How have you gone about getting answers to questions you have about your work?"
nswer Guidelines : etail how you are able to learn and apply new job-related
information in a timely manner. escribe your activities towards self-development and
ongoing learning.
Stress tolerance
A call center is usually a very pressurized environment to work in, your ability to deal with
stress is core to your success.
"Describe a situation when a customer really upset you but you had to remain composed."
"Tell me about a stressful interaction you had with a team member, how did you handle it?"
"How have you handled conflicting demands in the past?"
nswer Guidelines : escribe your ability to maintain work performance under pressure
or provocation. etail how you reduce your stress levels and what coping techniques you
have developed. Give examples of how you have dealt appropriately with demanding tasks,
customers and colleagues.
Persuasiveness
A call center interview will explore the candidate's ability to persuade and influence
customers.
"Describe a situation when you had to change your approach because your first attempts to
persuade a customer failed."
"Tell me about your approach when calling a brand new prospect."
"How have you managed to overcome a customer's objections in a recent call?"
nswer guidelines $how how you are able to select the right approach according to the
situation, determine customer needs and convince them of the benefits of your product or
service. escribe how you overcome objectives to gain commitment from customers.
Highlight your successes.
Your competency in communicating effectively and your listening skillswill be assessed
as you interact with the interviewer. Make sure you speak clearly and concisely, choosing
your words with care and using correct grammar. Listen carefully to questions during the
call center interview and ask for further clarification if you do not properly understand a
question. For comprehensive advice on how to communicate effectively in the job interview
go to the expert interview communication strategies.
uring the call center interview expect questions that explore yourmotivation to work in
the call center and your commitment to staying in the job, such as:
"What do you enjoy about working in a call center?"
"Why have you chosen a career in this industry?"
View the call center job description which details both the inbound and outbound call center
function.
Call Center Resumes
For a comprehensive guide to answering competency based or behavioral questions go
to the Behavioral Interview and review the sample questions and answers.This will help you
in preparing for call center interview questions.
Call center job performance centers around excellent customer service skills. You will be
asked a number of interview questions that explore your customer service skills. Find out
how to prepare for these interview questions at Customer $ervice Job Interview Questions.
Recommended Reading
Help esk Job Interview Questions
$ales Job Interview Questions
You will be asked common job interview questions such as Tell me about yourself and Why
should we hire you? Find sample answers to these and other standard interview questions
at Common Job Interview Questions & Answers
Whatever position you are applying for, interviewers use some general interview questions
to assess the candidate. Review these Typical Interview Questions with sample answers to
help prepare for your call center interview.
Know which Job Interview Questions to ask in your interview and get all the information you
need to make the right decision about this call center opportunity.
First impressions count! Know how to dress appropriately for your call center interview.
Working as a customer service representative requires the employee to effectively deal with
customers who have very different personalities and temperaments. What experiences have you had
that demonstrate your skills in dealing with different types of people?
Employees occasionally have to deal with angry and verbally abusive customers. Assume an angry
customer begins yelling at you about some problem she's having with your company. However, you
are not personally responsible for the problem this customer is having. How would you deal with this
customer?
Assume the following: A customer calls and tells you that because of some unusual circumstances,
he's going to need some extra time to make his payment. Assuming you have the power to make the
decision, what other kinds of information would you want to have before making a decision about his
request?
From time to time, you may receive requests from customers that are not in line with standard
policies or procedures. In some cases, we're able to make exceptions to our policies and procedures,
but in other cases, we're just not able to do what the customer requests. If a customer asked you to
do something that clearly could not be done, what would you say and do?
ealing with a high volume of customers is a requirement of the job. Tell me about a time when you
had to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment. How were you able to perform successfully
in this environment?
Taking calls while typing is a requirement of the job. escribe your talk and type skills, when have you
used this skill in your work history? What is your typing speed?
How do you calm down an angry customer?
How many languages do you speak and/or write? escribe your fluency level.
escribe a time when you had to deal with an irate customer who was abusive? How did you handle
it?
1- Be your self
2- Talk business
3- Add a value to the interview
1. Is customer always right? why?
2. What are the main attributes a call center agent should have? do you have them?
3. What is a call center?
4. What are the different departments in a call center?
5. Why should a call center hire you?
6. What is the customer service for you?
What are the main skills a call center agent should have?
How to handle an upset customer?
Is customer always right ? and why?
Why should we hire you?
Call Center knowledge requirements will vary depending on the company, product and scope of the
position. However typical knowledge requirements for a call center position include:
*Typing/keyboard (usually over 30 wpm)
*basic computer and technological knowledge
*knowledge of relevant software applications
*numeric, oral and written language applications
*administrative procedures and information processing
*customer relationship principles and practices
Questions around the knowledge requirements can be answered by reviewing your CV or resume as
they refer directly to your qualifications, training and work experience. Prepare for call center
interview questions that explore your relevant training and work task experiences relating to the
specific knowledge requirements listed.
Examples include:
What are your computer skills and what software applications have your used?"
"What size was the customer database you dealt with?"
"How many calls did you take/make in an average day?"
"What was the average length of each call?"
nswer
You definitely want to emphasize good customer service skills and problem solving. Think of an
example or two for each. $taying calm under stress. Also, if you're experienced in this type of work,
call volume -- the number of calls per hour.
Call center interview Questions and answers
1- Attitude
2- Team work
3- Patience
4- Computer skills
5- Communications
These are the main attributes you need to focus in.
call center is a firm that takes upon itself the responsibility of handling telephone calls of a big
company that has a huge customer database but doesn't want to invest in the staff required to handle
customer calls. For example, when you call up for airline reservations, directory assistance or PC
breakdown help, the calls will most likely be handled by a call center.
Here are the top 5 call center interview questions and how you must prepare for them:
Question: %ell us about our previous call center work experience and describe the
manner in which ou serviced the customers?

This question may be thrown at you in the middle of the interview and you must be prepared for it.
Before heading for any call center job interview, you must always review your past work experience
and note down the highlights.

Also, call centers look for team players, so focus on the successes you achieved with a team and talk
about the achievements as being part of a team effort, not as your personal achievements. As far as
the customer service part goes, you have to lay it down straight - tell your prospective employers
about how you handled customers without any fiction thrown in.

2 Question: re ou proficient in using different software? What are our computer skills?

All call centers use net telephony because it is cheaper than using land lines. Next, all call centers
have a customer database and you must figure out what software is used for maintaining a customer
database across different call centers.

Then there are the log files, which have to be created after every call is answered. Finally, there are
the usual applications such as M$ Word, Excel, etc. Figure out all these software before you go for the
interview.

3 Question: %his is not reall a question, but the interviewer/s will be judging ou b our
communication skills, the wa ou deliver our lines and b our grammar

$o, when you are speaking in the interview, remember to speak in a clear and concise way and pick
and choose your words. Use short sentences and deliver them in a slow, patient manner.

Question: What does a call center mean to ou?

This question may seem harmless, but its connotations are huge. The interviewer is trying to gauge
your seriousness and commitment to the job and this question is a standard call center interview
question.

Remember, you have to reply to this question in all seriousness and earnestness - never ever give the
impression to the interviewer that you are taking the job just until you get a better one or for fun and
profit. Be serious and say in a formal voice that you want to make a career out of working in a call
center.

5 Question: Describe the importance of teamwork and team spirit?

All call centers thrive on team spirit and if they get a whiff that you are a loner and will turn hostile
while working in a team, they won't hire you. $o, go ahead and pick up some management books that
expound the virtues of teamwork and lay it on thick during the interview.

These are the top 5 call center interview questions you can expect to be asked. If you have applied for
a technical job, then expect the questions to focus on the technical subject with all the others
questions being mainly fluff.

A call center manager's interview questions will mostly focus on team building, team spirit and man-
management skills. $o, whatever job it is that you have applied for: prepare in the manner we have
advised you and you will come up trumps.
nswer
Honest , and be confident..
nswer
How do you negotiate with clients,telephonically to achieve a win-win situation?

Prepure Ior u CuII CenLer InLervIew
TIIs posL noL onIy prepures you Ior u cuII cenLer(cenLre) InLervIew buL uIso LIese poInLs menLIoned beIow
IeIp you In LruInIng In u cuII cenLer uILer LIe InLervIew us weII.
Know more uboot the compuny - Do u smuII reseurcI und know LIe dIIIerenL Lypes oI processes LIey
Iuve. or exumpIe, one oI LIe compuny's LIuL worked Ior Iud onIy Inbound UK processes, und LIese
processes were nsurunce, CoIIecLIons, SP processes.
Know the interview roonds - beIore you uLLend LIe InLervIew, us dIIIerenL compunIes wIII Iuve
dIIIerenL InLervIew rounds.
Know the busic technicul qoestions II you're uLLendIng un InLervIew Ior u LecInIcuI process.
O Prepure u good resume, wILI noL more LIun Lwo puges.
O eL dressed weII, Iuve u cIeun sIuve.
O e LIere beIore 1 mIns, you wIII IeeI comIorLubIe. Speuk Lo peopIe uround you, do noL be un
InLroverL, specIuIIy In u cuII cenLer or uny oLIer IndusLry wIere InLerpersonuI reIuLIonsIIp Is
ImporLunL.
O uve u good meuI beIore you uLLend un InLervIew, IL IeIps you sound energeLIc. DrInk wuLer buL
donL drInk Loo mucI, you donL wunL Lo vIsIL LIe resLroom quILe oILen und mIss ouL u Iew LIIngs In
LIe InLervIew wuILIng room.
O eurn Lo smile wIen you meeL peopIe, uguIn very very ImporLunL In u cuII cenLer. Ive u IIrm
Iund-sIuke, donL over do IL und IurL LIe oLIer person.
O Do noL Iuke un uccenL, speuk In u neuLruI uccenL. Speuk sIowIy, us ruLe oI speecI Is one oI LIe
purumeLers LIey ussess you on.
O ou muy be usked Lo reud u pussuge, so beIore uLLendIng un InLervIew prucLIce reudIng ouL uIoud.
Remember Lo puuse Ior u second wIen you see u commu, more LIun u second wIen LIere Is u IuII
sLop. SLress on LIe udjecLIves.
nLervIew rounds In u cuII cenLer
TIese ure LIe common InLervIew rounds In u cuII cenLer InLervIew. SomeLImes LIere muy be uddILIonuI
LesLs IIke LypIng LesLs, IIsLenIng LesL eLc.
IrsL round: SeII InLroducLIon.
ere LIe InLervIewer wIII usk you Lo InLroduce yourseII (wIII be IookIng Ior MT - moLIer Longue InIIuence,
senLence conLrucLIon eLc.,) eep it briej. ou muy wunL Lo IoIIow LIIs order.
O TIe pIuce you ure Irom.
O our educuLIonuI quuIIIIcuLIon.
O PersonuI InIormuLIon - your IumIIy, your InLeresLs und IobbIes.
Second round: WrILLen LesL.
O rummer LesL.
O nuIyLIcuI LesL.
O TecInIcuI LesL. (I you're uLLendIng InLervIew Ior u LecInIcuI process)
TIIrd round: OperuLIons(Ops) round.
OperuLIons round Is LIe mosL crILIcuI round, usuuIIy conducLed by u Leum-Ieuder Irom LIe operuLIons or
LIe operuLIon munuger. ou cun expecL quesLIons IIke -
O nLroduce yourseII.
O WIy you wunL Lo joIn u cuII-cenLer ? (I you ure u IresIer)
O WIy LIIs compuny ?
O Muy usk you Lo reud u pussuge.
ere LIe InLervIewer wIII Lry Lo know more ubouL you, Iow weII you unswer LIe quesLIons (remember
unswer LIe quesLIons In Iuvour oI LIe compuny). Is Iooks muy be InLImIduLIng buL donL worry Ie Is us
nervous us you ure (probubIy LIInkIng oI LIe nexL quesLIon Lo usk).
ourLI round: R round.
Once you cIeur LIe Ops round, R round Is very eusy. TIe R muy usk you u Iew quesLIons IIke - wIuLs
your suIury expecLuLIon, wIII you sIgn u bond Ior u yeur eLc., nd LIen gIve LIe oIIer IeLLer Lo sIgn und wIII
expIuIn LIe suIury sLrucLure
TeII he SomethIng About YourseIf.
Try to Introduce some of your most Important empIoyment-orIented skIIIs as well as your
educatIon and accomplIshments to the IntervIewer. Answer to thIs questIon Is very Important
-ecause It posItIons you for the rest of the IntervIew. That's why thIs statement Is often called
the " PosItIonIng Statement".


Dne should take the opportunIty to show hIs/her communIcatIon skIlls -y speakIng clearly and
concIsely In an organIzed manner. SInce there Is no rIght or wrong answer for thIs questIon
hence It Is Important to appear frIendIy.


Your answers can be:


1) am a person wIth strong Interpersonal skIlls and have the abIIIty to get aIong weII wIth
peopIe. enjoy challenges and lookIng for creatIve solutIons to pro-lems.


2) 8esIdes the detaIls gIven In my resume, I beIIeve In character vaIues, vIsIon and actIon. am
quIck In learnIng from mIstakes. am confIdent that the varIous tests that you have conducted wIll
corro-orate my competencIes aptItude and rIght attItude for the job.


J) attended C.I.E.T where majored In ElectronIcs and CommunIcatIon EngIneerIng. |y ho--Ies
Include -asket-all, readIng novels and hIkIng.I'm an easy goIng person that works weII wIth
everyone. enjoy -eIng around dIfferent types of people and always lIke to challenge myself to
Improve at everythIng do.


4) went to CIET, Cunupur where majored In ElectronIcs E CommunIcatIon EngIneerIng.
Afterwards, started my career at |um-aI as a software engIneer In LnT Infotech. 've -een
there for J years now. Iove soIvIng rIddIes and puzzIes and I aIso enjoy joggIng, readIng and
watchIng movIes.
What Is (Are) Your Strength(Strengths)!
ThIs Is a sImple and popuIar IntervIew questIon. Cenerally peopleanswer It In two ways. There
are people who sImply state theIr strength lIke " am Young, 0ynamIc, ntellIgent, Smart and so
on.". Such answer Is neIther rIght nor wrong -ut does not help u In any way also.


Secondly there are peoples who state theIr strengths and expIaIn them how he can use hIs
strength for the job and Industry.


0o not sImply state your strength. Everyone has some strength, aII you need Is to convert them
Into benefIts. n short, try to advertIse yourself -y convertIng your features Into strengths.

"EVERY0NE CLAlM THEY ARE H0NEST, HAR0W0RKlNC, SMART AN0 S0 0N... UT
WlTH AN EXAMPLE lT lS MUCH M0RE ELlEVALE."


Your answers can be :


1) am a hard worker and -ecause of thIs a-IlIty can work for addItIonal hours to accomplIsh my
tasks. am commItment orIented and hence I aIways enjoy the trust and confIdence of my team
mates whIch enabIes me to perform my dutIes very easIIy.


2) am adapta-le, so can handle any type of people and sItuatIons and also -rIng out the -est
from them In spIte of conflIctIng sItuatIons or opInIons. I am a quIck Iearner, so I can any subject
quIckIy and anaIyze my job and add vaIue to It as well as can IdentIfy the pro-lem and solve
them faster and -etter.


J) |y strength Is that I have very strong vaIues and ethIcs and a very good eye for detaII.
-elIeve In strong relatIonshIps and have a very supportIve famIly and very good frIends.


4) 've always -een a great team player and therefore I can work effIcIentIy to produce quaIIty
work In a team envIronment. can accomplIsh a large amount of work wIthIn a short perIod of
tIme hence get thIngs done on tIme.


IF YDU APE INTEPVIEWE0 FDP A hANACEPIAL PDSITIDN DP FDP AN A0hISSIDN IN A hA
CDLLECE.......

Your answer can be:

"Well, -elIeve am good at pIannIng and executIon, and workIng wIth peopIe. 've always
-een good at detaIlIng all the steps too. Even In college, used to spend tIme organIzIng my week
and plannIng a strategy to tackle each class and assIgnment. love workIng In a team envIronment
where I try to use strengths of each IndIvIduaI In a teamand hence produce the -est results."


: WHAT IS THE 0IFFEPENCE ETWEEN A ShAPT WDPKEP A HAP0 WDPKEP!

A hard worker clwcys do ryht thnys but c smart workerclwcys put thnys ryht.

: TELL hE DN THE ASIS DF WHICH STPENCTH SHDUL0 WE SELECT YDU!

As an IndIvIdual, am a package of aII my strengths that have stated to you and strongly
-elIeve that If you have to select me, you have to do so for aII my strengths put together and not
for one strength In IsolatIon. However If you stIll InsIst that you would lIke to select me for
a specIfIc strength than the prerogatIve Is yours sIr.
What Is (Are) Your Weakness (Weaknesses)!
There's a sayIng -
owever smcll the thorn mcybe t hcs the cblty to perce."


Never say you are a WorkahoIIc, a PerfectIonIst, etc. -ecause It soundsnegatIve. Try to convert
these negatIve bIased quaIItIes Into posItIve ones.


For exampIe,

n place of WorkahoIIc you can say you are a hard worker and always wIllIng to work for extra
hours.

n place of PerfectIonIst, you can say you are detaII orIented and lIke to set hIgh standard for
work.

"Try to secjy your weakness as your strenyth and also hyhlyht t as a benejt."


Your answers can be:


1) Dne of my weaknesses as perceIve Is occasIonaI compromIse on tIme for quaIIty and
perfectIon.


2) feel am not very detaII-orIented. 'm a person that wants accomplIsh as much as possI-le.
realIzed thIs hurts qualIty and therefore 'm tryIng hard to fInd a -alance -etween qualIty and
quantIty.


J) At tImes even when need help, try to solve my own pro-lems Instead of askIng a coworker
who mIght know the answer. ThIs would save me more tIme and would -e more effIcIent. I'm
workIng on knowIng when It wouId be benefIcIaI to ask for heIp.


4) 've -een told a few tImes I'm too much detaII orIented. do make It a practIce of checkIng my
work at least once or twIce to make sure that It's a-solutely accurate.


5) -elIeve one of my weaknesses Is my ImpatIence. Whenever work In a team and any of the
team mem-ers don't perform up to the expectatIon, get ImpatIent and annoyed. understand If
they are workIng hard and If theIr portIon Is dIffIcult, -ut sometImes a person can't do the
assIgnment due to Incompetence and lazIness. know can help out -y explaInIng thIngs to some
people and encouragIng lazy people -y remIndIng them of deadlInes. I know It's bad to be
ImpatIent, but I'm defInIteIy workIng on It.



: ASE0 DN WHICH WEAKNESS SHDUL0 WE PEJECT YDU!


SInce have IdentIfIed my own weaknesses, you may -e assured that am constantly workIng on
them to get them reduced day -y day. And I am confIdent In the near future most of my
weaknesses may not -e there at all. So I strongIy beIIeve that you shouIdn't reject me for any
of my weakness.
Can You Work WeII Under 0eadIInes Dr Pressure!
The -est answer to thIs questIon Is "Yes". WorkIng weII under pressure Is a good strength to
have. 8ut sayIng yes Is not enough; you need to expIaIn how you can handIe pressure
sItuatIon to -rIng the -est out of It. Tell the IntervIewer that you work the same wIth pressure
and wIthout pressure.


Your answers can be:


1) SIr, can handIe pressure of work. Whenever there Is pressure of work, we need to tackle It
from the mental and physIcal standpoInt.hentaI stand-poInt would mean -eIng In a state of
relaxatIon and composure so that do not feel stressed out durIng the course of my work and
from physIcaI stand-poInt; always prIorItIze my job In theIr exact order of merIt and
Importance so that can dIspose them off quIckly and effectIvely.


2) I work weII under pressure -ecause don't panIc. I use the pressure to heIp me work more
effIcIentIy. maIntaIn self control and work as effIcIently as possI-le. At tImes, try to prIorItIze
and plan as much as can.


J) WorkIng under pressure has always -een a learnIng experIence for me -ecause It helps me
grow. have always worked well durIng deadlIne, and always learned how to work more
effIcIently afterward.


4) Well -elIeve work the same If there's pressure or not. try and take the emotIonal factors
and work hard regardless of down tIme. always prIorItIze and organIze my work and hence that
gIves me a PsychologIcal advantage over pressure. At tImes whenever tIme -ecomes a constraInt
put extra effort and tIme to meet the deadIIne.So pressure has nothIng to do wIth my work.

What are your Short Term Career CoaIs!
"Never smly state your Short term yoal but move a ste jurther by statny the stes you
are takny to acheve them."

Short term goaI depends upon where you stand rIght now. A person wIth 5 years of experIence
wIll have dIfferent short term goaIs than a person wIth no work experIence.
An dealst beleves the short run doesn't count,
A cync beleves the lony run doesn't matter
A realst beleves that what s done or lejt undone
n the short run determnes the lony run.

Your answer can be:

1) |y short term goaI Is to fInd a posItIon where can use the knowIedge and strength I have.
want to partIcIpate In the growth and success of the company work for.


2) want to see myself as a software deveIoper In your esteemed organIzatIon where -y wIth all
my skIlls and enhanced learnIng shall -e a-le to make valua-le and meanIngful contrI-utIon to
your organIzatIon.


J) |y short term goaI Is to Iearn everythIng I can about marketIng. want to -e In a posItIon
where can contrI-ute what 've learned through educatIon to gaIn some practIcal and real lIfe
ExperIence. Hence my ImmedIate goal Is to learn and -ecome skIlled In all aspects of marketIng.


4) |y short term goaI Is to -ecome a marketIng analyst. 've learned the -asIcs of marketIng
durIng my fIrst two years and hence am rarIng to take on chaIIengIng projects.


5) |y short term goaI Is to get Into a management posItIon. The last fIve years of my career
have concentrated on learnIng and acquIrIng all the managerIal skIlls. Fecently 've taken more
responsI-IlItIes In management -ecause eventually want to -ecome productIon manager. feel
'm doIng a dIlIgent jo- -y volunteerIng for extra work to gaIn more experIence and hope to -e In
a management posItIon wIthIn a year or two.

What are your Long Term Career CoaIs!
Cenerally such questIons are asked -y the IntervIewer to check how serIous the candIdate Is
about hIs career. AvoId answers as "becomIng rIch and retIrIng earIy". These are Incorrect
answers.

Try to gIve an ambItIous answer that shows you really love your career. 8e descrIptIve and try to
convInce them that you are a hard worker and not just a medIocre one.


Your answers can be:


1) |y Iong term goaI Is to -e an Instructor. have always loved to teach and hence would lIke to
grow newer employees and help coworkers where ever can.


2) After a successful career, look forward to wrIte a book on ProgrammIng Language. thInk
workIng smart Is Important and have many Ideas. So after gaInIng more experIence, am goIng to
wrIte a -ook.


J) |y Iong term goaI Is to become partner for a consuItIng fIrm. know a lot of hard work
determInatIon and patIence Is requIred to -ecome a partner. |any people faIl to -ecome a
partner. 8ut that's not goIng to stop me anyway from workIng hard and learnIng everythIng can.
know It's goIng to -e tough -ut -ecomIng a partner Is a long term goal of mIne and I am goIng to
work towards thIs goaI throughout my career.


4) |y Iong term goaI Is to become dIrector of a company. know It sounds a lIttle too am-ItIous
-ut 'm smart and wIllIng to work hard a lot.
Well thIs Is a sImIIar questIon to the short term goaIs questIon -ut you need to answer them
dIfferently.


Your answer can be:


1) see myself as a SenIor Software EngIneer In your esteemed organIzatIon where -y wIth all
my enhanced learnIng and skIll, shall -e a-le to make up a valua-le and meanIngful contrI-utIon
to your organIzatIon.


2) In fIve years, want to -e a senIor analyst (SenIor Software EngIneer/|anager/Lead). I want to
expertIse to dIrectIy Impact the company In a posItIve way.


J) Although really enjoy workIng as a Software EngIneer, I want to eventuaIIy become a
manager. want to contInue gaInIng experIence, and after learnIng many dIfferent aspects, see
myself In management.

Why shouId we hIre you!
The IntervIewer asks thIs questIon just to fInd out how your skIIIs, experIence and knowIedge
can add vaIue to the job.Well to answer thIs questIon you need to learn what they are lookIng for
and then tIe them wIth your strengths. ThIs ensures that you are a vIa-le fIt for the posItIon.


The more detaIl you gIve the stronger your answers wIll -e. Try to summarIze aII your
accompIIshments and reIate what makes you unIque.


Your answers can be:


1) You shouId hIre me -ecause I'm the best person for the job. realIze that there are IIkeIy
other candIdates who also have the a-IlIty to do thIs jo-. Yet -rIng an addItIonal qualIty that
makes me the -est person for the jo- my passIon for exceIIence. am passIonately commItted
to producIng truly class results.


2) -elIeve 'm the perfect fIt for thIs posItIon. 'm very detaIl orIented, and organIze my work
and tIme very effIcIently. 8ut what makes me unIque: f were In your posItIon I wouId hIre
myseIf -ecause of the passIon for thIs Industry and my optImIstIc personalIty. want to make
more of an Impact than just doIng my jo-. I don't want to bIend In wIth the company; I wouId
rather want my addItIon to Improve It.


J) There are two reasons I shouId be hIred. FIrstly, my quaIIfIcatIons match your needs
perfectIy. Secondly 'm excIted and passIonate a-out thIs Industry and the posItIon and wIll
always gIve my 100.


4) You shouId defInIteIy hIre me. have a proven track record of success throughout my
educatIon. |y educatIon graph always kept roarIng wIth tIme. ThIs posItIon requIres someone who
has the a-IlIty to solve pro-lems quIckly and who can logIcally add value to the jo-. -elIeve my
skIlls and a-IlItIes matches perfectly wIth the requIrement and what makes me the unIque
candIdate Is my passIon towards my work and Industry. So 'm confIdent 'll -e the -est
candIdate for thIs posItIon.


5) 'm a perfect fIt for thIs posItIon. I have three years of experIence In thIs technoIogy and my
skIIIs enabIe me to deveIop better products In Iess tIme. Dn top of that 'm a great team player
that gets a long wIth everyone.


6) ThIs posItIon seeks a QualIty Assurance |anager, 'm confIdent I'm the best person for thIs
job. have earlIer worked wIth xyz Software Company and was In charge of a team that was
responsI-le for the qualIty of three dIfferent applIcatIons. I have adept knowIedge In uaIIty
assurance, Product support and even some creatIve processes that wIII benefIt a quaIIty
assurance team. love mentorIng junIor employees sInce -elIeve In sharIng knowledge to
everyone In the company who work wIth me. So strongly -elIeve that 'll -e the best candIdate
due to the combInatIon of my experIence, my management skIlls, a-IlItIes and my desIre to
provIde growth In employees.
What kInd of saIary are you IookIng for!
Never -rIng up the salary topIc. Always allow the IntervIewer to do It fIrst. 0o not gIve a fIgure
rIght away. f you state a fIgure you rIsk statIng somethIng that Is too hIgh or somethIng that Is
too low. n eIther case the loss Is yours. |any a tImes peoples and frIends around us suggest sayIng
somethIng as "I'm sure whatever I am offered wIII be a faIr prIce". No dou-t It's a safe answer
-ut would recommend answerIng thIs questIon wIth a range.



The thum- rule of any negotIatIons Is: The sIde wIth more InformatIon wIns. Try to learn what
the employer Is wIllIng to pay -efore you reveal what you're wIllIng to accept.


- Hence when asked about saIary, you can say:

"'m sure the company has already esta-lIshed a salary range for thIs posItIon. Can you tell me
what that Is:"
Dr
" want an Income commensurate wIth my a-IlIty and qualIfIcatIons. trust you'll -e faIr wIth me.
What does thIs posItIon pay:"




If you have some Idea regardIng the pay for the posItIon, then just state somethIng a IIttIe
hIgher wIth a smaII range IncIuded as-

"8ased on the InformatIon have a-out the posItIon, a salary In the range 15000 - 18000 would
reflect the experIence and expertIse that would -rIng to the role."

Dr

" know the average pay for thIs posItIon Is roughly around 15000. 8ut -ecause have two years of
experIence, would lIke somethIng around 15000 - 18000."





- If the saIary range Is aIready stated In the job descrIptIon, then you can answer that you are
wIIIIng to consIder any offer stated In the job descrIptIon as:

"The jo- descrIptIon says that the salary wIll -e around 15000 - 18000. thInk It's a faIr range."


If you want to pIay safe, you can answer as:

" would expect to -e paId competItIvely and commensurate wIth the level of skIll, experIence
and responsI-IlIty that thIs partIcular jo- requIres"
Why do you want to Ieave your current
joblorganIzatIonlcompany!
ThIs questIon looks very sImple -ut It's not that easy to answer It. What ever
may -e the reason always -e truthful. Never bad-mouth your prevIous
company, superIors and co-workers because It wIII defInIteIy sound negatIve
on your part. f you do so, the IntervIewer may thInk you may talk -ad a-out
hIs company the next tIme you're lookIng for another jo-.


Also never speak a IIe If you were fIred. A -ackground check wIll easIly reveal
everythIng. Try to deflect the reason from you personally. f yourfIrIng was the
resuIt of a takeover, merger, dIvIsIon wIde Iayoff, etc. tell them you were
fIred not for your mIstakes or non performance -ut for the a-ove reasons. f
you were fIred for not adherIng to a company polIcy, tell the IntervIewer
that you were asked to Ieave for vIoIatIng a company poIIcy whIch you feIt
was not communIcated to you properIy.
"SayIng the truth wIII never Iet you down but wIII create a good ImpressIon
on the IntervIewer."



There are many wrong answers to thIs questIon such as:

hate my jo-, my company and my -oss.

'm sIck of workIng there.

need more money.

|y coworkers never supported me and were jealous for my work.

was workIng wIth a small company and now lookIng forward to work wIth a
-Igger one.

|y company makes me work for more addItIonal hours and was payIng on a
low scale.
"At the end of the day, It's hIghIy recommended to gIve a good answer that
Ieaves a posItIve ImpressIon whIIe dIspIayIng good traIts."


Your answers can be:

1) was lookIng for a posItIon lIke thIs whIch Is an exceIIent match for my
skIIIs and experIence and am not a-le to fully utIlIze them In my present jo-
as there Is very lImIted scope of growth. am Interested In a new challenge and
an opportunIty to use my technIcal skIlls and experIence In a dIfferent capacIty
than have In the past.


2) The company where was workIng Is a very large company and hence It's
dIffIcult to do and learn dIfferent tasks. We had routIne work that never
changed. So am IookIng for a work In an envIronment where I can utIIIze
more of my skIIIs.



J) am lookIng forward to work In a company where there are more
opportunItIes. |y prevIous organIzatIon was very small and dIdn't have
opportunItIes for growth. 'm IookIng for a bIgger chaIIenge and to grow my
career. After learnIng the work envIronment here, felt thIs Is exactly the type
of place want to work.


4) was lookIng for a posItIon lIke thIs whIch Is an exceIIent match for my
skIIIs and experIence and am not a-le to fully utIlIze them In my present jo-
as there Is very lImIted scope for growth.


5) Fecently my famIly relocated to thIs area to provIde -etter educatIon to my
-rothers and small sIsters. So I am IookIng forward to work for a company
cIoser to my new home. |y prevIous jo- was far too away to commute.


6) really enjoyed what was doIng -ut felt was followIng a routIne. looked
around for more opportunItIes to grow, -ut -ecause the company Is small,
was very lImIted. I want to work In an envIronment that wIII heIp me to
reaIIze my fuII potentIaI and a pIace I can contrIbute everythIng I'm capabIe
of doIng. |y current posItIon doesn't provIde these thIngs for me; therefore
want to work here. know thIs company has a lot of opportunItIes for growth
and encourages employees to take on challengIng projects to learn more.
That's what 'm lookIng for.


Three PuIes for expIaInIng a Iay off are:

0on't -lame or sound angry wIth the company.

0on't -lame yourself.

Try to end the answer to thIs questIon on a posItIve note -y sayIng that you
are lookIng forward to a new posItIon wIth new responsI-IlItIes.


1) 0ue to a mass reorganIzatIon of the company, my entIre department was
eIImInated. Now 'm lookIng forward to explorIng new optIons for employment.


2) |y company reduced Its la-or force to accommodate a major shIft In
-usIness. hy functIon In the company was moved to a sIte 2000 kIIometers
away where I chose not to reIocate. 'm eager to pursue other posItIons In the
local area.



The onIy InformatIon an empIoyer can IegaIIy reveaI about an ex- empIoyee
are:


- 0ate of JoInIng.
TItle of the employee at the tIme of leavIng the company.
Last date wIth the company.




I am |ook|ng for a [ob as a ca|| center agent and Id ||ke to prepare for the
|nterv|ew process What type of quest|ons w||| be asked and what sk|||s
w||| the |nterv|ewer be |ook|ng for? Any adv|ce you can share wou|d be
apprec|ated
1he call cenLer ls a dynamlc and fasLpaced deparLmenL lLs a hlghly
sLrucLured operaLlng envlronmenL where consLanL change ls Lhe norm
Pavlng sald LhaL a Lyplcal call cenLer agenL candldaLe proflle lncludes Lhe
followlng sklll seL requlremenLs
O cellenL oral and wrlLLen communlcaLlon and lnLerpersonal skllls
O 9rofesslonal and courLeous demeanor
O lllLy Lo mulLlLask ln a fasLpaced hlghvolume envlronmenL
O cellenL prolemresoluLlon skllls
O Lrong sysLems skllls
O lllLy Lo learn reLaln and apply large amounLs of producL procedure
pollcy and sysLem lnformaLlon
O lllLy Lo meeL esLallshed producLlvlLy effecLlveness Lralnlng sales (lf
appllcale) and quallLy goals
O lllLy Lo work ln a hlghlysLrucLured envlronmenL Lake scheduled
lunches and reaks
O lllLy Lo accepL and lncorporaLe consLrucLlve feedack Lo lmprove
performance
O lellllLy ln respondlng Lo change or uslness needs
O lllLy Lo accommodaLe nonLradlLlonal work schedules
O 9aLlence
O Jllllngness Lo help peers
O cellenL aLLendance and puncLuallLy
O ood Leam player
O elfsLarLer
Jhlle lLs noL a requlremenL lLs also an asseL for a candldaLe Lo llke
people and en[oy helplng Lhem
1he lnLervlew process wlll e focused on evaluaLlng how closely and Lo
whaL eLenL you or any [o appllcanL meeL Lhe sklll seL of Lhe candldaLe
proflle Pow Lhls ls accompllshed can vary greaLly among organlzaLlons
ome organlzaLlons use a compeLencyased assessmenL Lool as parL of
Lhe hlrlng process Lo evaluaLe call cenLer agenL candldaLes 1hese onllne
Lools assess skllls as well as personallLy LralLs LhaL are crlLlcal Lo elng a
successful happy and saLlsfled call cenLer agenL lmulaLlon Lools
onllne appllcaLlons LhaL slmulaLe Lhe acLual cusLomer servlce
envlronmenL are anoLher way LhaL organlzaLlons can assess your
alllLy Lo perform as a call cenLer agenL Llll oLhers may use ehavlor
ased lnLervlew quesLlons 1hese quesLlons are deslgned Lo ellclL
speclflc eamples from candldaLes prevlous [o(s) where Lhey
successfully handled slLuaLlons LhaL Lhey are llkely Lo encounLer as a call
cenLer agenL or eample a ehavlorased quesLlon mlghL e 9lease
Lell me aouL a speclflc Llme when you had Lo deal wlLh a dlfflculL or
unreasonale requesL from a cusLomer
or addlLlonal lnformaLlon aouL sLarLlng a [o as a call cenLer agenL l
suggesL LhaL you read an arLlcle y my consulLancy uM ConsulLlng
enLlLled commoo Mlstokes tbot lltst1lme coll ceotet Aqeots Moke