Interview questions

[skittlebox]

I just had a phone interview where I was asked a question about "a time I went above and beyond my duties to assist a customer" and I had no idea what to say and I think I bombed the interview by coming up with some really stupid answer

Comments

[fishwithfeet]

Generally, the best way to answer any interview question is to present it as a situation, action, result format. You want to keep things positive and show how you helped a customer and they appreciated that gesture.

For a customer service job it could be something along the lines of "A customer was having difficulty carrying all of their items to their vehicle and even though I was assigned to this other duty at the time, I stopped and offered to help them out. They thanked me for making their trip to the car easier."

I hope that helps, the Situation, Action, Result answers were suggested to me by a professional career counselor and I used them in an interview recently and got the job.

[skittlebox]

Well, I know how to answer it, I just don't know what to answer it WITH because I can't think of anything that I have specifically done that has had me "go above and beyond my duties". I don't go 'above and beyond' my duties, at least not in obvious ways, perhaps I'm underselling myself?!

Carrying a customers things to their car isn't anything I've done, it was just something I thought of that could be included, however i would never do this anyway as we have instore support to help this to be done and I can't leave my department to go wandering outside anyway. I don't really class our regular store thing to be going 'above and beyond' when it's something regular we offer for customers.

Maybe I'm looking at the question wrong, but I read it as doing something out of the ordinary for a customer - something you don't normally do. I can't think of instances where I've done that :/

[skittlebox]

I'm starting to think that I'm just underselling myself and I'm thinking too big :/ something might not be a big deal to me because it's all part of my job anyway, but is probably "above and beyond" in the customer's eyes. Of course it would help if customer's sent praise to the store to be passed on to know that I'm doing good things, ha.

[sageincave]

How about a time that you were just very patient with a customer (old ladies who want to give you exact change, and then drop it)? Or when you answered a customer's question about something unrelated to your work (nearest ATM location, gas station, etc.)? Or when you helped out an "internal customer" (AKA, coworker) with training, procedures, taking an extra shift for them (or for management)?

[skittlebox]

The last few days I've been thinking of some better answers (of course).

Or when you answered a customer's question about something unrelated to your work (nearest ATM location, gas station, etc.)

When I answered the question I was trying to get at something like this, but it came out SO WRONG. I was basically trying to answer that if we don't have something in stock, or something that we don't sell at all, and it's a very specific thing that we can't offer substitues for, that I can tell the customer of other stores that stock similar things rather than just saying "NO" to a customer, and nothing more, and then it shows I am aware of products and have good knowledge of what's around me etc etc. But it came out like I send all customers away and don't make sales D:

[sageincave]

Hey, at least you're better prepared for the next time around - that's good.

[hellototheworld]

You're overthinking it, don't worry. Was there ever a time you helped someone find something in the store? I've had experiences where a salesperson will blithely point in the direction of the item and others where they led me to the item, made sure it was the product I needed, and found out the price if it wasn't labeled. The latter experience may just be someone doing their job, but the degree of proficiency was above and beyond.

[skittlebox]

See, I would just consider that as doing my job which is why I don't think about it as "going above and beyond" since I'm expected to do that kind of thing anyway :/

The last few days I have been thinking of some answers that worked WAY BETTER than what I had actually said which sucks :( hopefully I'll remember them the next time I ever get that question lol.

[gradeafan]

See, in my mind the first thing I thought of is this employer wants to know if they can take advantage of the employee. Something like your example of making a delivery to a customer's home. Or I know I've been asked to work late to help someone else get caught up on something or even to come in early to meet a deadline. All these examples leave a bad taste in my mouth because I frequently was not paid/reimbursed for this "extra" time. It was a bonus to the company and it's customers. I seem to be having a cranky time about this right now tho...since my recent part-time check was docked 15 minutes for my participation in an office "birthday function" that the boss scheduled during the day and emailed we were required to attend.

f

[skittlebox]

That's kind of how I've been looking at it too. I mean there's a reason my job has "duties" because that's what I DO. If I were supposed to do special things like making deliveries, wouldn't that then become 'my duties'?? There's only one person that I know who has gone to a customers house to help out, and that's one of the ladies working with furniture. A customer had had some delivered and complained it wasn't right (and you obviously can't bring it back to the store yourself).