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Zendesk, a popular customer service tool, featured 10 interview questions for hiring great customer service reps.  I’ve included the list below; stay tuned for example answers in an upcoming blog post.  Our question to you: what customer service interview questions would you like to see examples for?  Respond in our comments section.

1. Who have you spoken with so far in the interview process and what did you talk about? [This demonstrates if can they retain knowledge of names and other details]
2. Tell me about your last or current position — what did you love and what didn’t you like?
3. Tell me about problems with the products or services you previously supported?
4. What things on your resume are you really an expert on? [Ask to provide a really tough issue they resolved that involved those items.]
5. How do you respond when you don’t know the answer to a question?
6. The customer is saying you’re taking too long to solve the issue, what do you do?
7. The customer is pointing out a big known problem with your product, what do you do? [This indicates if they can show empathy and/or have the ability to apologize.]
8. Give an example of a customer that you turned around from a position of unhappiness to sheer joy.
9. Define really great support. What experiences have you had personally that are great examples?
10. Have you tried our product/service and what do you know about it?

Today we’re lucky to spend time with Vicky Oliver, author of 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions.  We’ll discuss her book as well as interview tips for job seekers.

Thanks for taking the time for doing the interview! Can you tell us a little bit more about your background?

I’ve written five career development books. “301” was the first, but I have also written: Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers & Other Office Idiots (Sourcebooks, 2008); Power Sales Words: How to Write It, Say It, and Sell It with Sizzle (Sourcebooks, 2006); 301 Smart Answers to Tough Business Etiquette Questions (Skyhorse, 2010) and The Millionaire’s Handbook: How to Look and Act Like a Millionaire Even If You’re Not (Skyhorse, 2011). All seek to give working professionals some of the tools they need to succeed and thrive in this economy.

Why did you decide to write 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions?

I felt that many of the books out there on a similar topic were too theoretical and not practical enough. I was in the advertising business, had had many interviews myself, had interviewed many people coming into the field, and had written articles about job-hunting, which in turn allowed me to meet job hunters in all different fields. I looked at the project as a real guide to job interviewing.

When it comes to interview preparation, what’s your #1 tip for job seekers?

Treat the task of looking for a job as a job. Develop a “family tree” of all your contacts. Ask each of them for five contacts. Reach out to those people. Blend old-fashioned networking like this with social media networking. Every minute of your day should be filled with job-hunting tasks. You have to get through the “No, sorry I can’t help you before you find that person who has a live job. So be diligent about it. If you do a good job of looking for a job. you’ll succeed that much faster.

What’s your favorite success story from a job seeker who read 301 Smart Answers?

Every week I receive letters from folks who say that my book helped them land the job. It’s so gratifying and I am so happy for them! I also receive letters where candidates ask me “one free question,” because that’s what I promised readers in the book. The “one free questions” are often very specific… a candidate has an interview coming up and has a specific, targeted question around that interview.

Some hiring managers are concerned that interviewers simply memorize the responses you provide in your book. What’s your opinion on this?

I have never heard this before. The book specifically tells candidates to take the answers and modify them for their own unique situation. It also often gives multiple answers to the same question and tells candidates how to improve on their answers. In this sense, it’s pretty customized.

We have a guest post from Erik Larson.  Erik is a Career Management Practitioner (CMP) by the Institute for Career Certification International. He is also a National Certified Counselor (NCC) through the National Board for certified Counselors.

As a job seeker, you may have heard of several rules for job searches that must always be followed. These rules have remained unchanged for generations, even though everything else about job hunts has changed in the meantime.

Some of these include keeping a resume size limited to a page, not calling back to check on a resume application, and many more. For some people, following these rules work out well. However, for most people out there looking for success, breaking some of these rules may prove to be more effective than following them.

Given below are some rules that can be broken by those who want to do something different and unique:

The ‘no calls’ rule

This rule states that no calls must be made by applicants to check on the status of their resume. This rule works for recruiters who do not have the time to answer calls from every applicant. Today, however, there are other options available for applicants to ‘call’ recruiters. For example, they can use LinkedIn to find anyone you know within the company. You can then call and request them instead of the HR personnel.

Emails can still get ignored and accidentally deleted, even if they include an application from a promising candidate. You can use other resources as well to directly or indirectly contact the HR staff to find out what has happened with your application.

The ‘move on’ rule

This rule dictates that you should move on to the next job once you have been passed over for a current job offer. However, the modern version of this rule needs some changes. You must first avoid taking the company off your list once and for all.

Check back about the job with your contacts after a month to see if everything worked out fine. Sometimes situations can arise where your application can be reconsidered, but you need to be there to remind them about your application for that to happen. Maintain relationships within the company and do not lose all hope of finding an opportunity there.

The ‘apply for as many jobs as possible’ rule

This rule is more dangerous than useful in the current environment of targeted and focused resumes. As such, this rule is meant to be ignored completely rather than bent or broken. Instead of applying for the maximum number of jobs as you can, you should think up a clear strategy to help you target a smaller number of positions for which you are really qualified.

Make 2-3 customized resumes for each position, and lower your options to a few select companies and industries only. One of the biggest advantages of this kind of targeted and limited job search approach is that you get to know about advertised jobs as well as non-posted ones.

The recruiter rule

According to this rule, job applicants can stand a better chance at getting selected for a job if they go through recruiters. In reality, however, moving to an open position through a recruiter is just an indirect approach since the recruiters often work for the employer. The better way to improve the efficiency of your job search is to define a strategy, focus on certain industries, functions, and jobs, and refine your pitch and improve your network.

SEE ALSO: Brand Management Interview Questions and Answers

Whether you’re interview with Procter & Gamble, Kraft, or Clorox, the top brand management companies have similar interview processes and questions. To help you get prepared, here’s a list of 127 brand management interview questions. We also have a course on preparing for brand management interviews.

Most Frequently Asked Questions

• What are your goals (short, medium, and long term)? How does our firm fit in with those goals?
• Why did you choose to attend your school? What are your concentrations? Why did you choose them? What have you learned so far?
• Why are you interested in marketing? What do you know about marketing? How are you currently preparing for a career in marketing? How do you know you will excel at it?
• Why are you interested in our organization? What do you know about our organization?
• What would you contribute to our organization? What unique skills and experiences can you bring to us? Why should we hire you?
• What personal or professional qualities are you proudest of? How have they helped you achieve your goals?
• Discuss your career progress to date. How do you feel about it?
• In your most recent position, what were your most significant accomplishments? What skills did you employ to arrive at those goals?
• Describe one or two of your most important personal accomplishments. Discuss the hurdles that made them challenging.
• How do your co-workers describe you? Members of your study groups at school? Your friends?
• How would you add to the diversity of our organization?
• Tell me about a time when you were most satisfied in your work. What were you doing? What was the most satisfying?

Communication and Persuasion

• Discuss examples of situations when you had to persuade a person of a different point of view to agree with you on an issue.
• What are some of the best ideas you ever sold to a superior or peer? What were your approaches?
• Describe a time when you had to use several approaches because your initial approach failed to persuade others.
• Describe your most satisfying experience in attempting to gain upper management’s support of an idea or proposal. What was the situation, and how did that turn out?
• What oral presentations have you made? What were the most successful? Why?
• Have you ever done any public speaking? Tell me about one of these events.
• Give an example of when you made a presentation to an uninterested or hostile audience.
• What are examples of the most difficult writing assignments you’ve ever had? Why?
• Describe a time when you had to convince someone, who didn’t directly report to you, to do something they didn’t want to do.
• Please compare your verbal communication skills to your writing skills. Which skill has most strongly enhanced your career progress? Why? What are specific strengths and weaknesses of your verbal and written skills?

Source: SC Johnson Brand Management Interview Guide

At a recent interview, a client thought he did poorly on the “How do you keep up with your industry?” question.  He wanted to get my thoughts on this question.

From the interviewer’s perspective, they want to know that you are passionate about the industry.  Someone who loves their job is willing to put in extra effort.  Furthermore, staying abreast of industry trends is helpful in assessing new customer and market opportunities.  In short, it makes you a better employee!  And the interviewer themselves may be struggling to keep track of the industry.  Impress them with a new tool or process that makes it easier for them to get industry knowledge.

As the job candidate, convince the interviewer that you do keep with the industry.  In other words, be credible.

I’d recommend that job candidates respond using the rule of 3.  That is, cite three different ways that you keep up with the industry.  In case it helps, I’ve offered a list of ideas below.  Then to make your answer even more credible, explain why each tool or process is effective for you.  Here’s an example:

“I keep up with my industry in 3 main ways: 1) subscribing to industry newsletters, 2) attending monthly meetups, and 3) following thought leaders on Twitter.  SmartBrief is an excellent industry newsletter that summarizes news, stats and trends in my industry every morning.  Monthly meetups not only opens up new ideas, but also creates opportunities to forge new connections.  Lastly, my Twitter feed is a real-time view on what top thought leaders are currently reading.”

10 ways to keep up with your industry

• Twitter
• Content discovery tools such as LinkedIn Today or Google Alerts
• Online discussion groups such as LinkedIn Groups
• Newsletters such as SmartBrief
• Websites
• Books, magazines, publications
• Webinars
• Conferences
• Monthly Meetups

Mary Prefontaine is the president and CEO for the Institute of Career Advancement Needs. Ms. Prefontaine is a noted leader in executive management and coaching. We had an opportunity to interview Ms. Prefontaine and get her opinions on how emotions play a role in the marketplace.

How did you decide to get involved with ICAN?

There are some things in life that come along exactly when you need them – and for me the opportunity to lead ICAN was one of those things. I had recognized my passion for evoking transformation in people, organizations and community – and really wanted to explore what that meant. My values around evolving human consciousness for the betterment of humanity and the planet mirrored the core values and mission of ICAN – and the people engaged around the work of ICAN reflected what both my heart and intellect was longing for.

Why are emotions important in the marketplace?

We are emotional creatures – it is in our emotions that we feel the depth of being alive. And when we feel deeply alive – when we connect to the things that bring us joy or sorrow or shifts in our consciousness – we are into our emotions. Emotions are energy and it is our emotional energy that makes us move into action and make things happen. Those emotions bring resonance, inspiration, innovation and genius. And it is in that place that we evolve our humanity.

In Anne Kreamer’s book, you recommend that employees use an emotional journal to document what they are feeling, a few times a day. Why is this important, and what kind of results do you see?

We are consumed by the “doing” – and by intellectual demands – so much so that we are often oblivious to our emotional state. Our emotions take a back seat in our life experience.

Journaling is a path to enabling consciousness – to providing a level of self-awareness of what is happening to us on an emotional level – to our level of stress, happiness, or pain. That knowledge can be instrumental to the choices we make and to our quality of life in every moment.

Do you recommend that employees manage their emotions in the workplace? If so, what are your favorite tactics?

Yes. However I view this as “self-management” and that take emotional intelligence. Self-management is critical to how we navigate successfully in our careers, our parenting and in all of our relationships. It is a honed skill, and one that I am still working on! And I don’t mean that we need to hide or fake what we are feeling – it is about having the capability to identify what I am feeling and then express myself in a manner that is honest, clear and without harm to others. My favorite tactic is to practice the art of letting go – letting go of my ego, my need to be right, my desire to be respected or loved.

Do you have any other tips on how employees can have a happier, more fulfilling career?

So glad you asked:)

There is often tension between what we long to do – and what we get paid to do. Some of us are fortunate enough to get paid to do what we love. I have learned that always have as much of what you LOVE to do in your work as possible – so that you can truly be happy every day.

Be clear about who you are and take an interest in others. We follow leaders who care about not only the mission, but also about us. Show you care in ways that connect with the heart of those around you.

Do things that might put you in a bit of a scary place…and volunteer…give to those who are in need.

Know what you uniquely bring to the table or the job – and be sure to let others know what talents and passions you possess that will bring value to the work.

Know what is important to you and set an intentional direction towards what you really really care about. Margaret Wheatley describes it this way – follow the energy of yes!

The book
It’s Always Personal: Emotion in the New Workplace by Anne Kreamer, Random House

The backstory
Kreamer begins the book with her own experience at Viacom, where she was a senior executive at MTV Networks.  She recalls a heated encounter with Sumner Redstone, Viacom’s then CEO.  The ensuing tears leads her to investigate and subsequently write a book about emotions in the workplace.

Why it’s relevant to you
Challenging projects, difficult bosses, and stubborn co-workers can lead one to strong emotions.  Whether it’s fear, anger, or anxiety, it’s important to manage them appropriately — not only to improve personal happiness but also workplace performance.

Key takeaways
The author cites a powerful tip from Mary Prefontaine, President and CEO of the ICAN.  Mary recommends that employees create an emotional journal to document what they are feeling, a few times a day.  Once you’ve documented what you are feeling, use Kraemer’s tips on how to manage fear, anger, and anxiety (see below).

Why this is better than other books about workplace emotions
Kreamer makes her points with detailed research and brings them to life with personal anecodotes.  You’ll be hard pressed to find other authors that care about this topic as deeply as Kreamer.

This morning I re-read Dale Carnegie’s bestselling book, How to Win Friends & Influence People.  Written in 1936, this timeless book is the king of self-improvement books.  Thinking about what makes his book so memorable, it’s his technique of using a large number of stories to convey a single self-improvement message.

It’s a great reminder to job seekers: if you want to convey a message, tell a story.  Here’s why stories work well during the interview.

Stories are fun and engaging.
Most interview responses are boring and lack excitement.  By sharing vivid stories, you appear to be an interesting, well-liked person.

Stories are memorable.
Most interview responses are undifferentiated.  However, stories are personal, and personal stories make you stick out in the interviewer’s mind.  When there’s a large number of job candidates, sticking out is certainly better than blending in.

Good stories deliver a single message.
The best storytellers have one main message behind a single story.  Excellent storytellers, like Carnegie, use multiple stories to reinforce a single message. If there’s anything to be learned from a good marketer or politician, it’s that listeners want simple, focused messages.  A single, well-crafted message makes more impact than multiple, undeveloped messages.

Stories offer evidence.
Let’s say an interviewer asks you, “How would you handle a stressful situation?” If you answer with a hypothetical response, it shows you know what needs to be done.  But if you answer with a story, it shows that you’ve actually done it before — and most likely can do it again.

Stories convey emotion.
Stories typically share emotion: anxiety, fear, or joy.  Emotions make us human.  Oprah Winfrey is a great example of someone who freely shares her emotions.  And whether she shares joy or anxiety, it reminds us that she’s just like the rest of us — which makes her more likable.

R. William Holland is the author of a new book, Cracking the New Job Market. Holland is also founder of R. William Holland Consulting, LLC, specializing in HR and career management. I had a chance to catch up with Holland and discuss his new book.

How did you decide to devote your career to HR & career management?
I am like many people who got to their current career quite by accident.  I was on the faculty at the University of California, Riverside and after 6 years of professorial life decided to move into private industry.  Human resource management was the path of least resistance.  Once I got started, it was clear the profession could use some new ideas.  Years later, here I am combining my academic training and practical experience to publish on subjects of interest to everyday people.  As luck would have it, the way in which employees survive and prosper in this chaotic and stressful environment is also of considerable interest to the institutions that employ them.  I now have a new career—consulting with employers and employees.

What inspired you to write this book?
As the Chief Human Resources Officer for the Business Process Outsourcing division of Andersen Consulting, I could see the impact that globalization and technology was having on the lives of individuals.  In the world of outsourcing, employees have to transfer from one company to another—something few ever thought they would have to do.  This process may sound easy, but it is very stressful and only the tip of the iceberg.  Because of globalization and rapid advances in technology we are in the midst of a worldwide redeployment of the workforce.   The idea of “jobs for life” has quickly morphed into jobs for only as long as you are needed by your employer—and far too often, that’s not very long. The implications of this change began to touch every aspect of our lives; and the world of work, as we knew it, changed.
It was clear that individual workers could use some help in coming to grips with what was happening as well as with understanding its implications.  My first two books on the subject were written with that in mind and are appropriately titled:   Are There Any Good Jobs Left? Career Management in The Age of the Disposable Worker (Praeger, 2006) and Cracking The New Job Market: The 7 Rules for Getting Hired in Any Economy (AMACON, 2011).

Your book emphasizes the importance of using “vale-added key words” for their resume.  What’s the biggest mistake people make when identifying these value-added key words?
The biggest mistake comes as a result of not knowing about the exercise in the first place.  Trying to use a generic resume to gain the attention of hiring managers puts you behind the 8-ball in your competition with others applying for the same jobs but who understand how to use their resumes as more customized instruments.  But even those who know about the keyword exercise make the mistake of viewing the process too narrowly.  That is they see it only as a tool for resume customization.  The truth is that moving from one job to another (as the instability of jobs may dictate) requires more than a customized resume.    It requires an entire shift in mindset about the job market and how it relates to your career.

How does someone know when they have made the transition to a new mindset?
That’s a great question and I am glad you asked it.  “Process” oriented applicants tend to be more interested in responding to the specific challenges posed in the position description.  For example, if the position calls for someone with 5 years of project management experience, they will make sure they mention that credential in their resume.  Though that is a step forward as compared with more generic resumes, it is far from sufficient.  More experienced applicants (those with a more developed mindset) will go further to understand the value the hiring organization wants created when they ask for specific qualifications.  That’s why it is important to not only mention that you have 5+ years of project management, but also demonstrate what you were able to accomplish as those skills were deployed especially as it relates to what the employer needs you to accomplish if you are the successful candidate.

You will have a sense of having crossed the mindset threshold when the first question you ask about a new job opportunity is: “What do they need me to accomplish?”–rather than “Will my resume get through their screening process.” The two questions bring different mindsets to the same situation.

Many job seekers struggle with writing accomplishment statements.  What are your best tips for overcoming that hurdle?
Good accomplishment statements are difficult to write and are best completed in stages rather than in one fell swoop. Here is a five stage process to follow that should help.

1. Carefully review the position description of the job in which you are interested and identify the “keywords” the employers uses to describe the value they want creation in filling the job.
2. List your various professional experiences   Reverse chronological order is usually best.  At this point, do not worry about polishing the verbiage.  Just put the accomplishments in writing.
3. Qualify and quantify each experience by specifically stating what was accomplished with each accomplishment.
4. Where possible, insert the exact same language used in the position description the company used to describe the value they want created once the position is filled.
5. Add qualifiers that demonstrate managerial ability—i.e., qualifiers that demonstrate sensitivity, complexity and unusual circumstances.

For more detail, consult chapter 2 of my new book, Cracking the New Job Market.

Your book mentions that job seekers should coach their job references.  Do you have any examples of the best way of doing so?
First, make sure each reference will give you a “strong” recommendation.  Ask them directly, “Are you in a position to give me a strong recommendation?”  If you sense hesitation but they say yes, accept but hesitate to add them to your final list.  Anything but the strongest of recommendations from your hand-picked references will be a red light to hiring managers.

Second, coach your references in areas that are of particular interest to interviewers.  You know what those are from the position description you used to customize your resume. For example, if the position description calls for someone with project management skills and political savvy, you might say the following to a reference:  “I hear they are interested in someone with project management and leadership skills—you know–someone one who has the political savvy to get things done. Any comments you could make about these would be helpful.  Also, let me know if you need additional information about what I have accomplished in these areas.“   If they want more information, give them a carefully scripted set of accomplishment statements.

What are your best tips in using LinkedIn for the job search?
LinkedIn is a wonderful social networking tool specifically designed for white collar professionals.  As such there are numerous ways to use it for purposes of advancing your job search including: letting all your contacts know you are looking for employment; engaging your network for job leads; getting introductions to people you do not know but who are connected to others in your network; contacting people you and your network are otherwise not connected to, including hiring managers; making your on-line resume available and attractive for employers; and many other ways.
For additional tips, pay attention to how others use it for networking and job search purposes.   There are more ways to use LinkedIn than can possibly be included here.

It is a difficult job market– Any other pieces of advice for aspiring job seekers?
It’s a new day out here and the rules continue to evolve day by day.  Do all you can to find out what the new rules are and apply them to your situation. Until you are re-employed and perhaps even after, stay tethered to the job market by keeping your skills current.  This may mean taking a class or two; doing volunteer work that allows you to use, develop and demonstrate your professional skills; or taking on project assignments.   As you do these things make sure they are more than just activities.  That is, accomplish something of which you can be proud and can be used to enhance your credentials.

The book
I’m Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59 by Douglas Edwards; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

The backstory
Edwards is Google’s first director of consumer marketing and brand management. In this memoir, he shares a first-person inside view of the iconic high-tech company, Google.  Edwards chronicles his journey and personal growth during Google’s early years.  Throughout the book, he peppers in colorful anecdotes and details.  He also pauses to reflect on relevant milestones from the 1999-2005 time frame, featuring cameos from the most influential and critical Google employees.

Why it’s relevant to Google job seekers
It’s quite possibly the most insightful and authentic perspective on what it’s like to work at Google.  Edwards reveals, dissects, and evaluates all aspects of Google’s corporate culture — including Google’s values and decision making.

Other Google books observe the corporate culture from an arm’s length, using third-party reports.  Edwards shares his own personal experiences and supplements his analysis from interviews with key ex-coworkers.

Key takeaways
I thought Edwards accurately describing Google’s marketing principles, which vexed both internal and external observers.

Marketing principles

• PR and word of mouth work better than ads.
• Paid ads work against our brand. Focus on the “joy of discovery.”
• We’ll grow faster getting current users to search more than by mass marketing.
• All our promotions must include a way to measure success.
• Product interaction is, and must remain, the primary branding experience.
• User retention efforts should center on improving UI and user support.

Edwards also did an excellent job describing Page’s work style.

Larry’s Rules of Order

• Don’t delegate: Do everything you can yourself to make things go faster.
• Don’t get in the way if you’re not adding value. Let the people actually doing the work talk to each other while you go do something else. Don’t be a bureaucrat.
• Ideas are more important than age. Just because someone is junior doesn’t mean they don’t desere respect and cooperation.
• The worst thing you can do is stop something from doing something by saying, “No. Period.” If you say no, you have to help them find a better way to get it done.

Why this is better than other Google books
Details.   When other Google books merely scratch the surface, Edwards book penetrate into the details.  Google’s food menus are shared in detail, and Edwards’ reveals that Google’s #1 marketing expense was Google t-shirts for employees.  We find that getting a “C” on your OKRs (Google’s goal setting system) is ok.  And best of all, we get a first-person narrative on key decisions and discussions with Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Urs Hölzle, Jeff Dean, Salar Kamangar — among others.