Page 132 - 301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview, Second Edition

QUESTIONS FOR HIRING MANAGERS

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Could you tell me about a time when the team/company went out of its
way to provide knock-your-socks-off service?
People love showing off if they are coaxed. Listen carefully to the
story, and be prepared to offer a similar story where you were the
hero.

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The best companies rely on rich customer data to fuel personalized
content and services. How is the company doing in personalizing its
offerings?
The question demonstrates your understanding of how the Internet
has changed marketing and customer service. Be prepared to dem-
onstrate how you can advance the company in its personalization
objectives.

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Customers are expecting companies to protect their data. Does the
company have a privacy policy for its Web initiatives, and how does the
company balance the momentum for ever-increasing personalization
with rising concerns for privacy?
If you ask this question, be sure you have some concrete experience
in this area.

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How empowered are employees? How much of the company’s money
can your people (including the ones with single-digit pay grades) spend
on their own recognizance to satisfy a customer or address a work-
process issue?
You are asking for evidence that the organization pays more than lip
service to employee empowerment.

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How often would I come into direct contact with real, living, breathing,
paying customers?
This question goes to how much the organization trusts its employ-
ees. Exposing customers to employees can be risky, but without sig-
nificant customer contact, no employee can appreciate what it really
means to be successful.

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