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

Here are a few mistakes I see most often: 1. Not doing their research on the company/role they are interviewing for. It is surprising how many interviews I have participated in where the candidate had clearly not reviewed our company's product offering or job description. One of the keys to interviewing is to showcase why you are the best fit for the role. The best way to do this is to fully understand what the company does and what they are looking for, and to articulate how you meet those need ...Read More

There’s no one-size-fits-all in Customer Success, but there are consistent mistakes I see candidates make when interviewing for my team. Here are the big ones: Talking solely about relationships If a candidate only talks about being a “relationship manager,” it signals they may not be aligned with where CS is headed. The role today is about value realization, adoption, and product penetration. Giving generic, surface-level answers Buzzwords and “Success 101” jargon don’t tell me anything. I want ...Read More

Good questions - a few areas come to mind; Not understanding the company Surfacing generic questions A lack of intimacy with the JD Not getting into the details - metrics, outcomes, strategy, data I often get asked about cover letters. To be honest, I don't put a lot of weight into them. The resume should speak for itself, and if I think it's a good match, the interview becomes the cover letter. I'm also a big fan of the follow-up emails. If you don't have the persons email, it's not too hard to ...Read More

Preparation is key. I’ve seen candidates not do one or more of the following very well. Understand the company and the market they play in. Know the job description and be able to articulate why you would be a great fit for the role. Have some good stories prepared for the situational interview type questions. Use the STAR format. Be concise and to the point. Have good questions prepared for each of the interview stages. It is your opportunity to learn more about the role and the company. To me, ...Read More