Remuneración variable.

1. Usted mencionó tener buenas habilidades de servicio al cliente. Hábleme de un momento en que esas habilidades le ayudaron en una situación difícil.

1. I’ve always been a person who believed in good customer service whatever the Company or industry, so when I had the chance to get a certification in customer relationship management, I took advantage of the opportunity. I have an ability to work with people and the training certification I went through in CR; only increased my knowledge and ability. Anyone who works with me would tell you that I can smooth out the most difficult situations and have the customers calling to thank me for working with them. I truly think that good customer service sis the name of the game. That goes for internal as well as external customers.
2. I resolved a customer problem that involved one of our sales representatives and another company. I worked as a liaison between our representative and the corporate office. The representative was very upset that we were not standing behind our warranty on a product he sold to the company. The first thing I did was pull the appropriate paperwork, and then I made a recommendation to our corporate office based on my findings. I laid out the facts, and we had a negotiation. In the end everything turned out well for the representative and the customer. The representative couldn’t thank me enough. He told me that I had saved the account.
3. In my nine years working with a variety of customers I have had many compliments on my customer service skills. Sometimes I work directly with the customer, sometimes I work with the salespeople, and sometimes I work as a connection between the sales people and the customer. Because I am a person who is very thorough, I can track several cases at the same time. I make sure that each person feels as though someone is on top of the situation and working on his or her behalf.

1. B
2. C
3. A

1. Give me an example of your working in a fast-paced environment.

1. That would be when I worked in a law firm. We were short-staffed, and I took on the responsibility of coordinating several of the cases and the reports that went along with them. The first thing I did was to sit down with each of the attorneys and discuss priorities. I then put together a spreadsheet to manage my time and the deadlines. I had to work until midnight a couple of nights, but I worked closely with the attorneys to make sure that they had what they needed on time. I really thrived on the experience. It was very challenging. Everyone was surprised by how smoothly it went. I am happy to say that I received a nice bonus as a reward for taking the initiative and keeping things running smoothly.
2. I thrive in a fast-paced environment. I like a good challenge, and meeting tight deadlines is always a challenge. There have been times when I have been involved in as many as 10 projects at the same time and have still been able to respond to the pressure and deliver results. One thing I’ve noticed is that I always learn from every project I work on. I just keep getting more adept at juggling projects. I’ve never had an assignment on which I haven’t been able to meet the deadline. I think very quickly and make fast decisions with good judgment. Those skills, plus my computer ability, really make me a top performer under pressure.
3. I work on a lot of projects that have tight deadlines, and this means working under pressure. I remember one especially stressful project that seemed to be working out really well and then everything started to go wrong. We had a tight deadline, and we all had to work extra hours. There was a great deal of tension in the office, and at one point I just felt like sitting down and crying, but I didn’t. I just kept working through the anxiety and tension. I knew if we didn’t pull this together, we would have an angry customer who cancel his order. We all worked that weekend and a few late nights, but we were able to get the project done on time.

1. A
2. C
3. B

1. Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond what the job required.

1. "I have always been taught that ‘time is money’ and to value it as such. I plan my day so that I know how much time each task will require. Because my time is so well organized, sometimes I have extra time in a day and will ask coworkers if they need help, or I work on something proactive. I know how to use my time so that I am not caught off guard. I go out of my way to do whatever it takes to get the job done. My last boss was a last-minute type of person, and there were many times when I had to get him out of tough situations.”
2. "I am a person who believes in planning ahead. I always have a good handle on my work and my priorities. I go out of my way if coworkers need assistance. In fact, I think I go above and beyond almost every day. I am very responsive to customer’s needs and problems and make sure that I have satisfied their expectations. I always get excellent performance reviews. I think I am a very dedicated support person who can be depended on to do the job and give it my all.”
3. “When I worked for an insurance company I had to process claims. This was a fairly routine job that was more time consuming than anything else. One day I decided to think of a way to use the Internet to process the claims, thereby cutting out hours of moving paper around. I took the time to organize a system that could he used as a prototype. I showed it to my boss, and she thought it was a great idea. She immediately showed it to her boss and he encouraged me to take it to the next step. This turned out to save the company hundreds of dollars and the processors, like myself, about two hours each day. I was rewarded for my original thinking and efforts above and beyond my normal job.”

1. C
2. B
3. A

1. Give me an example of a time when you helped motivate or develop a coworker or subordinate.

1. "I helped a coworker who was struggling with his workload. I asked him if I could give him help with his back orders. As we started to talk, I found out that he was going through a divorce and that he hadn’t attended the training program on the new computer system. He was trying to work it out on his own. I asked if he would agree to work through a few lunch hours so that I could help him catch up. We agreed on a plan, and for the next few weeks we met during our lunch hours to bring him up to speed. His productivity improved, and he was my friend for life after that situation."
2. “As the manager of the customer service team, I have found that competition motivates employees and they have fun competing. I have tried this various times, and it works like a charm every time. I always have a cash reward for those who reach certain goals or plateaus. The morale in the department improves, and the camaraderie improves. It's a great motivator.”
3. "My coaching skills are my strength. I have coached several people inside and outside my department. One rule I have is that they must try to help themselves first by making an extra effort. I can sense when someone is frustrated beyond the point of self-help, and I will try to work with him or her at that point. I don’t believe in holding someone’s hand, but I will help if someone is willing to try. Employees know that they can come to me for answers, and as a result they seek me out.”

1. A
2. B
3. C

1. Changes seem to be a way of life in our industry. Give me an example of how you keep abreast of the latest news and trends.

1. "I do a great deal of reading, especially magazine articles. Part of strategic planning is to envision what is next. My major job has been product enhancement and extensions of the business. I have to admit that I left a big part of new technology research to my team members. I believe it is impossible to be an expert in all areas, and I rely on others to fill me in. I see my job as the bottom line accountability that will create significant new and profitable business.”
2. "I embrace technology and am an advocate of how it is changing our world and the way we do business. I use all the standard applications available and have a solid understanding of the basics of technology for this industry. I attend meetings and conferences on a regular basis to hear what is happening in other companies. I also belong to the industry association and attend monthly meetings, and I network with other executives. In addition I read four newspapers, and I subscribe to online news blogs, which I find invaluable. I find one off my best resources is my internal IT department members. I meet with the leaders of the department on a weekly basis.”
3. ”I tend to View technology as somewhat out of my area of expertise. I use the Internet for research, and of course I use email, but beyond that I don’t get involved in the day-to-day issues. I have remained savvy regarding the latest management systems software, but my primary goal has been to exceed revenue expectations. The IT function is managed by experts. I trust my managers and as a result can focus more on the marketing of product and the customer track. I set high standards for myself and my staff and feel that ethical conduct is one of the most essential factors in a person. I try to foster that.”

1. B
2. A
3. C

1.  You say that one of your strengths is follow-through. Can you give me an example of a time when your follow-through made a difference in your work?

1. "My work ethic is that if I say that I am going to do something, I do it. The way I have carried out this ethic in my job is to make a list of things to follow through on. I wouldn’t have survived without my lists. Between supervising people and keeping track of their projects, and my own projects to track, I couldn’t do it without making lists. I put little reminders on everything so that I remember to follow through. It probably isn’t very sophisticated, but this system works for me. I can't remember a time when I missed a follow-through on a project.”
2. “As a human resources supervisor I have to constantly follow through on details of projects for managers. It seems as though everything happens at one time. There are performance appraisals and raises, and last year we had a mandatory holiday break. The date for the salary increases to be submitted was two weeks earlier than usual. If you’ve worked with managers who dreaded completing performance reviews, you will know what I am talking about when I say it can be ’like pulling teeth.’ I did everything short of offering money to the two managers who were behind in their schedule, but I ended up agreeing to help them by parceling out a few reviews at a time to get them completed.”
3. "As a pharmaceutical sales representative I remember an incident when a doctor wouldn’t see me because he had a bad experience with my company in the past. My strategy was to get past the office manager. I befriended him because I would visit once a week and bring samples for a basket they kept on the desk. We talked each time I came in, and I found that we had a favorite sports team in common. One day the doctor walked in and the office manager introduced me to the doctor and told the doctor that I was a fan of the same team. The three of us began talking and connecting. Eventually the doctor agreed to talk to me about my products. I was able to sell to this doctor after a four-year standoff because I followed through.”
4. C
5. B
6. A

1. Give me an example of a time when you made a mistake related to your work.

1. "This was a painful lesson for me. It was when I misquoted a price to the customer. Unfortunately, my company had to stand by my quote, and that cost it some money. I didn’t get fired, but I did get a reprimand. That was a mistake that I will not make again. I always double-check now.”
2. "I’m not perfect, and have make mistakes in my career. But I don't dwell on mistakes. I learn from the incident and move on. Fortunately, none of my mistakes have been that big or cost the company any money.”
3. "I was a restaurant manager, and it was my responsibility to estimate and order supplies. There was an incident when I forgot about a local celebration that affected our business. When I saw we were going to run out of ingredients for main dishes, I drove to the local market and purchased the goods. Because I had such a rear staff, we were able to pull together and work hard. We were tired but did not lose a single customer and I learned a lesson about planning ahead.”

1. C
2. A
3. B

1.  Describe a situation in which you had a difficult time meeting a deadline.

1. “When I was in college, I had a part-time job. It was at the end of the semester; and I had finals to study for and a big paper due. The first thing I did was ask my boss if I could cut back on my hours if I made them up later. Then I put together a study group with other students in the class. I worked on my paper in chunks of two hours a day. I have to admit I was short on sleep during this period, but I received an A in the class and turned my paper in on schedule.”
2. "I was a project manager on a job, and one of the members of my group had a family emergency and had to travel leaving us short-handed. We had this project that was really important to the CEO, and we knew we had to pick up the slack. We all worked really hard with some late nights. We came close to missing the deadline, but we were able to get the job done on time. The CEO said we did a great job and thanked us all personally.”
3. “I can't remember a project that I had at my current job when we didn’t have a tight deadline. That’s the name of the game at this company. After two years of working in that mode, I wouldn’t have any problem meeting deadlines no matter how tight they were.”

1. A
2. B
3. C

1. Tell me about a time when you negotiated a deal at your job.

1. "The most stressful negotiation contract I had was when I was involved in purchasing and I had to deal with a shipping company and the price of shipping. The situation involved the materials we were shipping and the price we were being charged. I was able to work with the company representative to come to a mutually acceptable agreement. Even though we were slightly below the volume minimum needed to get a discount on the shipping, we agreed on a way that it was a win-win situation for all concerned.”
2. “As an administrative assistant, negotiations are not a normal part of my day-to-day duties, but we had been having problems with our coffee and the vendor wasn't responding to my calls. I was able to catch the vendor in person one day when he came in for a service call. I took the opportunity to tell him that we were very dissatisfied with the quality of the coffee as well as the service. He started to talk defensively in the beginning but eventually agreed that there was a problem. I spent time listening to what he had to say and treated him professionally. I told him that although I could hear the problems he was having, unless things improved, we would be forced to change accounts. He was eager to keep the account, so he and I negotiated better terms and he agreed to an upgrade in the coffee. My boss was very impressed with the way I handled the problem.”
3. ”As buyer; my main focus is to evaluate any purchases the company makes and to shop around for the best terms and deals available. I was able to save the company $10,000 one year by discovering a better provider who could supply the same products at a much lower rate.”

1. B
2. A
3. C

1. Tell me about a time when you worked collaboratively with a team.

1. "I headed up a project on ways to improve customer service. The first thing I did was to organize a meeting with everyone involved to get ideas on improving satisfaction. I put all our ideas on a spreadsheet, and in a follow-up meeting we discussed which ideas were more important to incorporate short term and which were longer-term improvements. It was a very collaborative effort with me making sure things went smoothly. When we put the ideas into action, participants had a sense that they played a part in achieving the wonderful results. I received many compliments for pulling the team together.”
2. "One thing that I learned early in my career was that no one person makes a project successful. I have been the lead several times, but it is the individual team members who carry out and implement the ideas. My strong communication and organizational skills keep the project on track and moving forward. I can make the project move forward, but the team helps the project become successful."
3. “Each member of the team plays a part in the success of a project. You have to encourage each person to stay focused on the ‘whole project’ whether it’s a customer’s needs or a long-term goal. And you have to recognize the individual team member’s contribution. Communication skills are the key to successfully managing teams. Staying in touch with team members is vital to the idea of collaboration.”

1. A
2. B
3. C

1. Describe a situation in which you influenced someone else’s decision.

1. “I am often the contact during labor negotiations and contract disputes. As the leader, I am able to let people on the opposing side know that I have heard the issues. I also let them know we are trying to accomplish a compromise. If both sides see that l am being open, we can talk it out to satisfy everyone involved. I find the key to successful communications is to look at the problem from the other person's point of view.”
2. "I am an experienced presenter and often make presentations to groups of major decision makers on their investments. I am an excellent presenter and have had a good deal of positive feedback on my ability to make my point and can usually influence decisions. I think part of my success is that I enjoy giving presentations and feel that I really connect with my audience.”
3. “I had a customer who didn’t think he needed a particular product and did not want to buy. He told me he would listen to my product presentation because he liked me. I began by showing an interest in what he did and his plans for future growth. By listening carefully, I saw a way that my product could greatly assist him in reaching his future goal. I spent time with him on multiple visits to show him how I understood his need. In the end I received a nice order and made a long-lasting relationship.”

1. C
2. A
3. B

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