A Great Interview Tip: How to handle irate clients

"How do you handle an irate customer?"

Everybody who has worked in any client facing industry has been asked this question in some fashion. It's not a difficult one to answer, but a lot of job seekers get tripped up in vagueries. For instance, one candidate with whom I conducted an interview told me the following:

"Well, I like to calm them down, make them relax, and try and get them to explain the situation to me."

That sounds wonderful. But are you talking about a dissatisfied customer or a forlorn child on Christmas morning? Answers like these make any recruiter turn their head. You could ace an entire interview, but one vague answer can take you down several notches in a competitive candidate pool.

Admittedly, I have a standard answer for this question. It's an honest answer, and yours should be too. If you make up a story to sound like a good potential employee, any recruiter worth their salt will see right through you. And in this tight economy, it's safe for jobseekers to treat every recruiter who is actually employed as an industry expert.

This is my personal favorite answer:

"I try to be a good listener, understand what the client is saying , and try to help them."

I suppose the candidate who provides this as a response wants a cookie for not saying "I don't pay attention, I don't empathize, and I attempt to do as much direct and collateral damage to their existence as possible." Seriously, do not ever seek out credit for performing the most basic responsibilities of your position. You have to stand out. It's your job to prove that you go above and beyond the job description.


So on this question, your answer should sound like you, not like a job search blog. Your should, in your own way, express that you're better, more intelligent, nicer, a better dancer, and superior lacrosse player than the previous person who interviewed for the role. Focus on concepts that you utilize. Demonstrate that you engage in a customer service process that will succeed within any business model. Speak with passion and principle; since your potential employer has dispatched Super Recruiter to find candidates who will believe in the company's mission and vision.

In the end, no set of words I can teach you will make you a believable problem solver. But if you approach handling this interview question with a philosophical foundation rooted in your own core beliefs, you're already halfway there.