Page 141 - You're Hired! Interview Answers

PeoPLe-BaSed QueStionS examPLe inteRview anSweRS the interviewer’s job to give you the benefit of the doubt. Back to our mantra –
a ‘people’ question needs a people-based answer, not a procedural or tasked-
based response.

3 Better answer:

“Well obviously we work hard to avoid this kind of situation arising but

occasionally we do have to sort out a customer problem. There was an issue
on the Leeds project when it became clear that we were not going to meet the
delivery deadline for the new phone system – not our fault, our suppliers had
made a mistake. I took the decision to call the customer myself to apologise
and explain – much better than waiting for them to call, and anyway it was the
courteous thing to do. At first I was surprised at how upset she was, but when
I explored the problem with her a bit it turned out that she had been hoping
to bring the occupation deadline forward – it was going to embarrass her with
her boss. I asked her if there was anything we could do to help – for example
there was a system with a different spec that we could have made available
sooner. We talked about putting this offer on the table with her boss so as to
help manage her expectations. In the end we agreed to wait for the original
equipment. The important thing was to keep the relationship on a good footing,

rather than leaving the customer with a sense of having been let down by us.”

Why is this a better answer? Apart from its being much fuller and richer, look
at the words and the language being used: explain, apologise, courteous,
upset, hoping, embarrass, help, expectations, relationship. ‘People’ words for a
‘people’ answer!

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