Answering Interview Question Behavioral and Situational Questions

I realized if I will create a post per question it will take us very long to finish so I decided to make it on categor basis and I will still share my potential anwer and you will still comment anything on how you are going to answer it right?

So in this blog post we will just be focusing on the behavioral and situational categry of questions. So in my experience they will ask this type of question anytime during the interview. Basically for my own understanding the interviewer is simply gauging you on how you would answer, react or even your thought process the way you are going to answer the question. In this ay they are trying to determine if you are good fit on their team which includes but not limited to the culture set within the team. Of course when they are going to hire someone they wanted that someone to be able to adapt into the team and to the nature of job at hand.

One of the question I usually get in this category is, describe the time when you went above and beyond to your customer. For me what I do is I wil make sure that I read the job description of what I am applying for and then I will tailor my answer based on what they are looking for. Normally when you apply they will list down the job description right? So lets say in the job description it is listed is mustbe able to upsell a product. 

So for me what I would answer is: "There was a time when my customer is about to cancel their subscription because their investors meeting would include video and power point presentation. So what I did was I inform them that since they have 2 unused basic webcast we can upgrade one of the webcast that they have to a virtual type of webcast which would have both the video and power point presentation they will also have a dedicated assistant onsite that will be helping them all through out the event. The customer agreed and the webcast went smoothly. After their event they set up a meeting with me and bought 1 package of the virtual webcast for their annual and quarterly investors meeting." 

Basically I went ahead and tell the story on how I manage to convert a customer cancelling their subscription to upgrading their package, getting more service, providing their needs and solving their problem. It actually doesnt matter if you have a totally different experience from what they are looking for what matters is how are you going to build their trust that you can do the job. Maybe yo went above in beyond by asking more question to the customer and provide solution to their problem. Or maybe upon learning on the customers problem you reached out to other department or to your boss to solve the customer problem. Maybe you are working in the billing department but because the customer has been transfered several times you walk them through in resetting their problem. So there are so many stories you can tell to basically answer questions about going above and beyond to a customer.

There's another question that is normally being asked and it is asked n different fomat and style. But basically they are just asking you about how you handle a difficult or angry customer.

"I would let my customer talk. If the customer is screaming at th top of their voice, I will just let them be. While they are sharing their frustration I am listing down some key points about their frustration. Once the customer stops yelling or screaming, I would applogies first and then I will list down all the things that frustrates them about the prouct or the service that the company provides. Once the customer confirms I will provide them with a solution to thier problem. For example they have been trying logging in to their account online but they are not successfull and they wanted to make a payment. So I would suggest to make sure that the password is correct and that it is case sensitive.Otherwise I would sugest them to change the password."

I am basically telling the interviewer how I would deal with an angry customer. The steps that I would do in case I am in that situation.

There are many more questions that will fall on this category. But my suggestion is always tell a story to your interviewer how you will actually do it in case you are face in a situation that is either desirable or difficult.

This is also the segment when some interviewers will ask you what would you do if you see your co-worker or teammate is doing something illegal.

What I normally do is I will provide them with an answer that is acceptable for me, How I am going to solve the problem and how I am going to deal with it. So here is how I would answer it:

"It depends on what my teammate is doing. If my teammateis stealing tissue paper in the pantry then I would approach the person and talk to them as a friend remnding them that if they got cought they could loose their job. However if the mistake that they are doing will compromise the integrity of the company and team as a whole I will escalate it to my manager. I will inform my manager about the situation so my manager will take action into it. I will also make sure that it gets resolve because if I stil see that there is no changes then I will escalate it to my managers manager." In this way I am still following the proper escalation protocol and of course respecting someone's authority. 

This is how I see myself answer this question. What bout you, how should we answer this question? Lets al learn together and share your question and your answer to the question in the comment section.

Answering Interview Question - Tell Me Something About Yourself

Hello Everyone Its me again! It just feels so good to be back writing and sharing my personal thoughts and experience in the web!

So most of us basically has undergone interviews when we are looking for a job or conducted intervew because we are looking for the best employee that will fit the role!

(Disclaimer: I am not an expert to this I am just sharing my ideas to at least provide courage or maybe suggestion on how you are going to deal on each of the question. This are simply based on my personal insight and understanding of the subject raised in this article.)

One of the question that you'll for sure encounter is the "Tell me about yourself." An introductory question but it will also set the tone of the interview. For me, when an interviewer ask me this question the way I navigate my answer would revolve around how I want my future employer would visualize me as a worker. So here's how I will answer it:

"My name is_______________, I am a person who make sure my day to day activities are organized. I make sure that I have my to do list ready for the da, arranged from th most important to the least important. In this way I am abe to deliver my task on time. I also make sure that I understand my assignment so when there are things that I dont understand I will for sure make it a point to discuss it my manager to avoid miscommunication and to avoid delays mot especially if I am working on a project. By discussing it with my manager or person of authority then I am able to properly execute my call to action on a timely manner."

What about if lets say I dont have an experience how should I answer this question?

"My Name is _____________, my friends or my college instructors normally would describe me as a person who is well organized. I am very eager to learn new things. When I was in college, I exposed my self to muliple co-curricular activities and extra curricular activities. I always believe that exposing my self to different kinds of activities will bring me knowledge that I will for sure be able to use in my career goals. Like for example, I learned that by organizing a Department Christmas Party gives me the opportunity to learn the importance of planning and executing the activities.Working with other people and delegating task to achieve the best Christmas Party we coud possible have."

What about you? How will you answer the question? Leave your answer below so I can also learn from you.

Navigating My Night Shift Life

 Its been more than a decade working as a callcenter agent here in the Philippines. And as everybody would know it is going to be a graveyard shift.

So when it comes to working in the graveyard the struggle really is finding the sleep when everyone is awake. And most of the time lack of sleep creates a whole lot of issue health wise.

I also had issues and paid it severely as well. The good thing is I find my groove and find a way to navigate it. Of course, when I was younger I thought I could do whatever I want but unfortunately my body came back at me with a vengence.

Upon realizing, I made a conscious effort to make a shift. Shifting and quiting my BPO life is not an option because it pays the bill but what changes are my activity, the way I manage my time and pretty much the mindset that goes along with it.

So here is the summary of what work for me.

1. 8 hours or more of sleep - to avoid stress and or other sickness related to lack of sleep; then make sure to have more than8 hrs of sleep right? However, when you are working at night and sleeping in a broad day light for sure is a struggle. For me, what I do is I make sure that that my windows are fully covered and there is very minimal to zero sunlight peeping through my windows. I also make sure that the temperature is cool enough for me sleep sound and lastly I make sure that I go to bed on the same time and wake up the same time everytime. Sometimes I needed the help of melatonin like  Nightol melatonin or  Wellspring Gummy Melatonin

2. Eat 2 hrs before going to bed. I am not sure but when I go to bed on an empty stomach I usally wake up in the middle of my sleep looking for food. Also, during my working hours I will treat it as if it is my day, like I will have my meals three times during my working hours and my last meal would be my dinner for the day. And of course before my last meal I will endulge first myself with a grabe juice, also a very healthy drinks this is my favorite Daytox Fiber and after meal I usually have my   Aishi Beauty White Complex for my gut health of course.

3. Coffee is not a life. We have a joke that"Coffee is life" though it is  for most of us including my self as I cannot survive the whole nigh without coffee but I will make sure that I will have my last coffee 5 hrs before going to bed. Also, instead of having the instant 3-in-1 coffee mix I normaly replace it with the"Barako" or if not the more healthier options type of coffee.  Just like this Surge Coffee that uses natural sweetener. Or instead of those premix juices that uses table sugar I opted to this healthier drinks Kotcha Latte that I get to really enjoy while working at night.

4. Work Life Balance - I find the importance of having a work life balance and the way I see it is making sure that I have other activities other than working and commuting.  On a daily basis after I logged out of work I tend to look for something else that I would do beyond my working hours that is satisfying, rewarding and something that I would like to do like my hobby. So in my case I find creating video for my tiktok account satisfying so I make sure I do that, it doesnt feel like I am doing it because I have to do it but rather it mke me more relax before eating my dinner. Other things would include doing some 5 km walk for me to let loose. Writing on my journal or in this case I will try to just write anything on my blog hahaha. Anything that doesnt feel like an obligation are the activities that I would list down. You can follow me on my Tiktok so lets connect there. Or by simply watching my favorite BL Serries hahaha

5. Networking - "hindi po eto yung power power" So when I say netwoking, I only mean meeting up with friends at least once a month. This is where I am failing misserable. Aside from my friends are in other cities, I dont have the capacity or means to travel and spend some resources that I am lacking off. Because after paying bills and buying my meds nothing is aleady left in my salary hahahaha

So we will be talking more about working at night experience or the so called graveyard exeprience in the coming post that I have. I just wanted to write this up as a welcome back article as I havent been posting in these site this past few months.

For the meantime here is my latest post in my Tiktok Account

See you on my next post and see you on my tiktok account!