American Express HireVue Mock Interview

Practice 30 American Express HireVue questions covering video responses, competency scenarios, and financial services expertise.

Question 18 of 30

Tell us about a time you experienced difficulty communicating with a customer.

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Kevin Downey

Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.

"I was once on the phone with an unhappy customer. As soon as I took the call, they were quite aggressive. I realized they weren't adept at non-defensive communication. So I took notes, distilling facts from their emotional output. Once I had a clear and objective lens of what the situation was, I could aptly and calmly mirror their grievance back to them in a more impartial way. Once they affirmed my understanding of their situation was correct, I was able to empathize and calm them. From there, I maintained a calm and steady patient approach, and the call ended amenably. I think it's the same when communicating with anyone. Everyone wants to feel heard, everyone wants to be treated with respect, and everyone seeks validation. So whenever I'm communicating with our customers, I engage, actively listen, mirror back to them what I feel they're communicating, and validate their needs based on their perception and their reality. I'll present the situation back to them with the external components that may have been outside of their perspective. I'll share with them my knowledge, the avenues I can explore to help them, and do my best to keep the communication as amenable and as transparent as possible. Show them that you're putting thought into it, exploring all options before reaching an outcome. In the end, by using whatever resources you have, you have to determine how much that customer's loyalty is worth and do all you can to deliver the best customer service experience you can to earn their brand loyalty."

Kevin Downey

Investing time with those customers who take more effort to get on the same page makes for a more engaged customer experience. Being able to non-defensively communicate with a wide range of personalities exhibits strong interpersonal skills. So not only will the assessment vendor's algorithm will be evaluating your non-verbal cues, but they'll be assessing your verbal cues as well to evaluate how skilled and effective a communicator you are while delivering your answer.

Kevin Downey

Before the interview, practice your answers in front of the computer with your camera on while also recording your voice. Keep an ear out for any stutters, awkward pauses, or speech crutches, such as 'like,' 'you know,' 'uh,' 'um,' etc. Smile and pretend you are talking to a person. Research the body language of a confident and relaxed person in a seated position. Raise your arms, stretch your back, stand tall and make yourself as big as possible. Pump yourself up with physical exercise to manifest confidence. Reflects on the positive takeaways from the example you intend to share, and focus on those moments. Go in feeling good about your accomplishments and be hopeful for what comes next in your career.

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Jaymie

A real coach, not AI. I read every answer myself and write back with personalized feedback.

Honesty

29.Tell us about a time when you demonstrated you were trustworthy.

Behavioral

American Express HireVue Mock Interview

Tell us about a time you experienced difficulty communicating with a customer.

30American Express Interview Questions & Answers

1.Why do you want to work for American Express?

2.What will you miss most about your last job? What will you miss the least?

3.How comfortable are you working with people from different lifestyles and cultures than your own?

4.What would you consider your greatest achievement?

5.What is the name of the CEO at American Express?

6.When was the last time you came up with a creative solution to a difficult problem?

7.What would be the one thing your previous coworkers would say about you?

8.Tell us about a big change that happened in your previous position and how you adapted.

9.Why are you leaving your job for this position?

10.What is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness?

11.Where do you see your career taking you in the next five years?

12.Tell us about a conflict you experienced at work.

13.Tell us about a time a customer provided feedback you feel you didn’t deserve.

14.Tell us a little about yourself.

15.What makes American Express a good fit for you at this point in your career?

16.Tell us about your ideal work environment or company culture.

17.How does your experience and background make you a strong candidate for American Express?

18.Tell us about a time you experienced difficulty communicating with a customer.

19.Tell us what it was like working in your previous position.

20.When you experience a great deal of stress, how do you cope?

21.Tell us about a time when you had to creatively resolve a customer's dispute.

22.Tell us about a time you worked with someone who wasn’t contributing to the team.

23.What would you do to earn the trust of your new teams when entering a new work environment?

24.Tell us about a time you were dissatisfied with your own performance.

25.What does customer service mean to you?

26.How would you describe the pros and cons of working in customer service?

27.How well do you perform with repetitive and monotonous tasks?

28.Tell us about a time you had to explain something complex to someone.

29.Tell us about a time when you demonstrated you were trustworthy.

30.Tell us something about you that isn’t on your resume or cover letter.