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Ed Sowden

AMA: Splunk EMEA Director of Customer Success, Ed Sowden on Customer Success Interviews

June 16 @ 10:00AM PT

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  1. What are the most common mistakes you see candidates make during an interview for a customer success position?

    Ed Sowden
    Ed Sowden

    Splunk EMEA Director of Customer Success • Jun 16

    The most common mistake I see is candidates talking to much and not answering the question. 

    My advice is to provide answers that answer the question in a clear and concise way. 

    Answer the question asked with an example or explain a situation and the outcome. What did you learn from that situation and is there anything you would do differently in future.
    358 Views
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  2. What are the key questions you like to ask and why?

    How would the proper answers to your questions look like?

    Ed Sowden
    Ed Sowden

    Splunk EMEA Director of Customer Success • Jun 16

    When a new joiner starts we often organize a new joiner activity. Lets assume you've been successful and have been asked to organize a new joiner activity for the next starter. You have an unlimited budget. What do you organize and why?

    Asking this question, helps me learn about the individual, what they are interested in, how they would fit into the team and how much they think about the wider group. 

    The best way to answer the question is to be honest. 
    399 Views
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  3. As a hiring manager, what do the best customer success have in common?

    Ed Sowden
    Ed Sowden

    Splunk EMEA Director of Customer Success • Jun 16

    There are two skills that generally differentiate the best CS professionals from the rest and these are accountability and resilience. The best CS professionals take ownership of issues rather than wait for others, they challenge the internal and customer processes and don't take no for an answer. CS roles are never easy with a quick ramp and we are often the go between for many internal and customer contacts, which means the role can be challenging. Resilience is key in being able to manage the ...Read More

    386 Views
    1 request

  4. Do you generally recommend that candidates go 'above and beyond' in preparing for interviews?

    In which situations do you recommend this approach or not?

    Ed Sowden
    Ed Sowden

    Splunk EMEA Director of Customer Success • Jun 16

    It depends what you mean by going above and beyond!Everyone should take time to prepare for an interview which could include:- research the company and understand what they do. - how does your experience relate to the role and what key things do you want to get across.- take time to research the interviewers - reach out to people in your network who are connected to the company and interviewers and understand more about the company- create slides on yourself and experience that you could share a ...Read More

    369 Views
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  5. What are some of the most common red flags you've come across either on a candidate's resume or initial interview that you'd advise future customer success managers to avoid?

    Ed Sowden
    Ed Sowden

    Splunk EMEA Director of Customer Success • Jun 16

    Red flags for me would be as follows:

    1 - not able to explain a gap on a CV or they left a role after a short amount of time
    2 - 1st impressions count. If someone is more than 5 minutes late without a valid reason. Culture is important to me so an ability to build rapport quickly is also important.
    3 - Waffling. I like candidates to answer the questions clearly and concisely. Provide background or a clear example but make sure it's relevant to the question asked.
    354 Views
    1 request

  6. How can I improve my interviewing skills for a customer success role?

    Ed Sowden
    Ed Sowden

    Splunk EMEA Director of Customer Success • Jun 16

    Ahead of the interview, research the interviewers and consider what they will be interested in. How can you shape the experience you have and the questions you want to ask to the interviewer. Take time to look at their background and what connections you may have in common. Ahead of the interview consider what experience or results you want to make sure you get across. Have these documented somewhere and weave them into the answer that you share, but make sure they are relevant to the questions ...Read More

    356 Views
    1 request