Example Questions For Competency Based Interviews

On the page before this we introduced competency interviews and promised you some example interview questions. We also gave tips on how to prepare for competency interviews.

Here we turn our attention to how interviewers might assess your Customer Service Skills.

If the job you're applying for doesn't require good customer service, go back to the list of competences and find ones relevant to the job you're going for. We have lots.

What Do Employers Look For?

When assessing your customer service skills, interviewers look for past evidence that you:

• Understand your customer's needs, be this internal or external customers
• Factor customer needs into your decision-making
• Strive to deliver excellent customer service in everything you do and, for managers, encourage the same in others

Example Questions For Competency Based Interviews - Customer Service

Here are some example competency based interview questions assessing customer service skills.

• Tell me about a time when you delivered excellent customer service

- Why was it 'excellent'?

• Describe a time when you had to deal with a customer complaint

- What were your objectives?
- What was the outcome?

• Tell me about a time when a customer put unreasonable demands on you

- Why were they unreasonable?
- What did you do?
- How did you feel?
- What was the end result?

• How do you know what your customers want?

- Where do you get your information?
- What do you do with it?

• Describe a decision you made which improved your customer's situation or position

- What was the decision?
- How did it help the customer?
- How did it benefit the business?

• Describe a time when you had to prioritise work in order to meet customers' needs

- What did you do?
- How did you do it?
- What was the end result?

• How do you encourage a customer-focused culture in your team?

- What do you do exactly?
- What results have you seen?

• Tell me about a time when you have re-organised your team to focus on service excellence

- What actions did you take?
- What worked well?
- What wasn't such a success?

• Tell me about a time when you've had to bend the rules in the interests of customer service

- Why did you have to do this?
- What consequences were there?
- Would you do it again?

Other Questions Asked At Competency Based Interviews

We have other examples of questions asked at competency based interviews, such as questions about Flexibility, Leadership, Decision-making and so on. Just go back to the list of competences and find ones relevant to the job you're applying for. We have many.

There's also tips on how to prepare for competency based interviews which others have found useful.

If you want to up your chances of getting hired even more, check out the Ultimate Guide To Job Interview Answers.

The Guide includes over 99 job interview answers, 11 closing power statements, over 40 questions for you to ask to uncover the interviewer's hidden needs and much more. Click here to read our full review of this Job Interview Answers Guide.

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