Job Interview: Success?

I got an interview today for the vacancy of Temporary Customer Service Representive at NS Enterprises. I knew about this company when I was in secondary school. Some one (I don’t remember who) sold my mum some skin care products from this company.

Anyway, I went for the interview today and I didn’t expect it to be a group interview. So there are 3 others with me. Oh boy….

The interview started out by asking about ourselves and then about Customer services. The exact questions he asked are:

1) Tell me more about ourselves.

2) Describe how your friends view you.

3) In your opinion, what defines Customers Services?

4) What are the characteristics, physical and otherwise, do you think a Customer Services Representive should have?

5) Imagine this situation: There are 2 cashiers and a long line of customer. Cashier B is handling the line because cashier A is busy answering the questions and talking to a customer A (think: Ah soh). Then another customer, B, joined the line, but he is impatient and is becoming increasingly frustrated with the long queue. He shouted at Customer A and they started quarreling. As the customer Services Rep, how are you going to handle this situation?

6) Imagine you’re cashier A. And you have to serve the customer B who starts scolding you about talking too much with the Customer A. How are you going to handle this situation?

I didn’t know one have to answer such questions…. Gods, I think I died there. He literally grilled us for more than an hour. Gosh, 1 hr for a customer services rep. What about the post of head of HR? 5 hours? I knew all of us stuttered through the interview at one point. But nevertheless, I managed to stumble through the questions…

… And I got the job!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Anyway, I heard that this kind of interview is the combination of Group Interview and Situational Interview. The interviewer provides some situations and assesses you based on your ability to solve it.

Even if I hadn’t gotten the job, the experience of going through such an interview process real life would have been invaluable.

I also remembered the interviewer mentioning that he has a few more batches to interview and he also has to look through our application forms. Hence, the earliest he could confirm back with us is this Friday.

Imagine my surprise and shock when he called me today at 5pm, just a mere 4 hrs after the interview. What can I say? I’m GOOD~! XD

That vanished as soon as I heard my pay rate though. It sucks!

Ah well, better than nothing. At least I can learn about customer services and how to be tactful and handle difficult customers.

Yeah, Better than nothing.

P.S: This is my 100th Blog entry. Ladies and gentlemen, bring out the confetti and the fireworks! Whoo Hoo!