Here at FCC, we are expecting someone with strong leadership skills to take this role. How would you describe your management style?

"My overall management style is the belief in building a positive team atmosphere. I'm a firm believer that each person and role brings a specific skill set to the ocverall goals and purpose of a team and I promote a team based atmosphere by larifying everyone's role on the team, keeping every person's objectives clear, rewarding great performers on the team and holding people accountable for their actions. If hired for this role at FCC, you can be assured that my promotion of a team based atmosphere would help achieve even higher goals than you have set right now."

Prior to your interview, try to take a long, hard look inside your skills and styles as a leader of others and prepare to present the best management style possible to your interviewer that fits the role that you are interviewing for with FCC. Your answer should also involve solid research into the culture of FCC and the details of the role you are interviewing for. Some important things to touch on are your ability to promote a team atmosphere and your ability to delegate responsibilities when necessary.

"I think that it is crucial for a leader of others to be flexible in their style rather than relying on just one of the canned management styles. I'd like to highlight my abilities to lead as being a manager that works to grow and develop my staff to help them achieve their career goals and a leader who is able to provide direction and authority when the time for it arises. By knowing my team well and promoting our goals, I have the ability to assign work to the right people and follow through with my team on meeting all objective necessary."

If you were having an interaction with a client here at FCC and you weren't able to answer their question or solve their problem on your own, how would you handle that situation?

"In my current role in Customer Service with Metropolis' largest automotive dealership, I frequently get asked questions that our sales, finance and service staff have to give the final stamp of approval on in answering customers questions. In these situations, I have a great amount of knowledge where I can prepare the customer for speaking with the right person while also ensuring them that the sales, finance or service staff will provide the final answer. Then, I work quickly to get them to the right person."

As the forward facing client services representative with FCC, you may be asked serious financial or market related questions that either don't know or aren't qualified to answer. In those situations, you will be expected to explain to the customer how that question will be answered and then deliver a timeline on when it can be answered. In the end, the customer wants to know the clear path to ease their mind and it will be your job to do just that.

"In a situation where I didn't know an answer, I would ensure the client that we have the right staff in place that would be able to help them quickly and efficiently. I would communicate to the customer what the next step would be and if that would be me putting them directly in contact with someone or me taking their contact information and having someone get back to them. In the end, setting the right course and timeline would be important for every customer when I faced this situation."

Customer service is the name of our game at FCC. If hired for this role, how would you be able to provide the best customer service possible to our clients?

"With any customer that I work with, I take the time to get to know them and listen to their thoughts, concerns and questions right from the start. I like to hold what I call an intake session to listen to all of these things. After hearing each customer out, I then talk about what I can do to alleviate their concerns and answer their questions right from the start. From that point forward, my customer service skills go the extra mile by staying in constant communication with my clients through either email or phone because I feel that over communication is important right from the start. As human, we have a desire to know what is happening all of the time and I make time to do this for my clients. Last, my customer service starts and ends with a positive attitude and a smile on my face. I take pride in being a front facing representative of my company and work my tail off to ensure that customers know that my company is there for them."

While following all of the steps of a mortgage process and handling client inquiries along the way is the foundation to success in this position, you will be relied on to provide the best customer service possible to all clients because the mortgage section at FCC is just one small piece of the pie in their business. If a client feels like they weren't handled with respect and compassion, they could take all of their business elsewhere and see an impact financially because of it. To show that you can provide top-notch customer service in this role, talk about how you provide a personalized experience for the clients you work with and talk about the interpersonal skills you possess that make this possible.

"In my experience, provide the best customer service comes down to doing the little things right. While often overlooked by some in our industry, a smiling face and simple conversations to get to know your customers can go a long way towards building a foundation for a great long-term relationship and I don't take these little things lightly. Even though I may be experiencing a huge workload or stress somewhere else on the job, I am focused and happy when I am face to face or on the phone with the client. At those times, they deserve 100% of my attention and focus and they get that every single time."

Accuracy is important to us at FCC. Do you always double check or proofread your work?

"Spelling and grammatical errors are a pet peeve of mine. I will triple check my work if there is time! I feel that it is imperative to submit error-free work."

Double checking and proofreading are essential parts of a job well done. Assure the interviewer that you are diligent when it comes to submitting good, clean, work.

"I do my best to put great work out, at all times. I believe in double checking my work although I must admit that I have fallen victim to the odd mistake like the best of us!"

Describe to me a time when you made an error in your current or former position, and the impact your mistake made? How did you correct the error, what did you learn from it?

"When I worked as a financial services rep, I accidentally double booked two clients for an appointment in one of the time slots. I realized the mistake after I was double checking my calendar and called the clients right away and apologized for my mistake. As a result of this experience, I always made sure to check the time slots on my calendar twice."

Everyone makes mistakes, and no one is perfect. The interviewer knows that too and is asking this question to see how you handle situations when you make mistakes. Give an example that demonstrates how you took responsibility for your error and fixed it. Also, what you learned from the experience as a result. Sometimes learning from our mistakes allows us to gain some valuable tools.

"When starting my current position, I had some struggles with learning Salesforce and let the frustrations get the best of me. I felt like a failure and was ready to give up. Once my boss pulled me aside and reminded me that everyone struggles with brand new technology, I was able to relax. I ended up taking an online course on the program so that I could fast-track my learning and avoid further frustration. What I learned was that only I am responsible for my learning and there are always ways to overcome challenges, if you look for the answers and are prepared to work for them."

The clients of a financial firm like FCC can display an arrange of emotions when they work with our Client Services team. How would you handle a situation where a client was very angry?

"As you can see from my resume, I've spent the last three years in customer service relations for a large insurance company. As you can imagine, a large majority of my customer interactions were with upset customers. I've been called names that I can't repeat here in this interview and my key to working through these situations was to remain calm and not take things personally. Like the financial world, the insurance business is a very life altering experience and a loss or damage to an item is very stressful. I tried to put myself in the customers shoes, see things from their perspective and do my best to ease their situation. In this role with FCC, these same skills would be vital for me to find solutions or the right person to talk to if needed."

Whether due to a large amount of money lost on the market or a client feels they were ill-advised by an Advisor, your job as a Client Services Representative will at some point or another deal with a very angry client. For this answer, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you do what is necessary to stay calm and stay focused on finding a resolution. If possible, use a specific example of a time you had to do exactly this and explain how effective communication was critical in making the situation right for the client.

"First and foremost, an active listening approach is the first step to lowering the tension from an angry customer. A couple of months ago, we had a very angry customer come onsite to complain about a defective product that cut his hand pretty badly. The customer came onsite to complain even before receiving emergency care, which was apparent that he needed. First, I let him release his anger and it was not a pretty sight. Then I calmly repeated back what he had said and then explained what our policy allowed me to do at that time. Looking back, my sincere approach and calm demeanor helped calm him down and later that day, my manager had a formal complaint sent to the manufacturer and we were assured that they'd be in contact with the customer."

The day-to-day life at FCC can be hectic and stressful at times. If hired for this role, how would you keep yourself motivated when working with stressed colleagues and pushy clients?

"Being a person that thrives in a fast paced work environment, I have the ability to handle stressed colleagues with a grain of salt. As you can see from my resume, I've spent the last five years in the manufacturing industry where my department worked under tight deadlines all of the time. If I noticed that a colleague was under stress, I offered my help if I was able to and down the road that was usually reciprocated back to me. This unselfish attitude and realizing that someone else's stress wasn't directed at me was the key to maintaining personal health and balance on the job."

The daily life at FCC is naturally very fast paced and because of that, both the colleagues and the clients that you may be working with have potential to be stressed, needy and downright mean at times. For this question, your interviewer is looking to get a sense that you would be able to work in this type of environment. In your answer, talk about the fact that you are cognizant of what this job entails as far as personal interactions go and talk about times where you have worked successfully through situations like this in the past. As well, don't hesitate to talk about your own personality traits that help you thrive in these types of situations.

"In my current role in client services with a large hospitality group, some days can go off the rails and it feels like I'm working with enraged customers all day long. I have the attitude that their anger isn't directed towards me, but I'm the face of the company that they are currently working with and I need to do my job in helping solve their issue. While I do have great resources at my hand to help solve customer issues, I think that taking the time to get to know all of our management team and how they solve problems is key as well so I know who to put customers in touch with if needed."

In this role as a Risk Analyst with FCC, you will be expected to be the expert on changes in financial regulations that impact our business. How do you keep yourself up to speed on these changes currently?

"I have been a CFA member for over five years now and I really look forward to the quarterly CFA Digest publication, the CFA Magazine and their news brief email that comes out daily . I find these are great resources that cover things ranging from daily news that impacts our work lives to very big picture studies and findings as published in the digest. If hired for this role, I would continue to be an active CFA member and would continue to utilize their resources for my work."

In a rapidly changing field like finance, you are expected to keep up with the changes at the snap of a finger and to gauge your ability to do this, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you will have the resources needed. Talk about the groups or publications that you belong to where you get imperative news on the field. If possible, use an example of a time where you shed light to your organization on a new risk from one of those publications. As well, don't hesitate to mention that you enjoy reading and learning new things in the field.

"As a risk professional, I have been a member of the Global Association of Risk Professionals for many years. I have been certified by the association for Financial Risk Management and I try to attend their national conference every year to network and learn from other professionals. The FRM group has enable me to keep on the forefront of changes in the financial management that impacts risk on an almost daily basis and the group helps me live and breath financial risk every day."

If a client here at FCC were to be denied the financing that they desire, how would you handle that situation?

"This is a very common occurrence in my current role in the mortgage industry. When a client is denied financing, I am very up front and honest with them in my approach. The most important thing that a customer wants to understand is why financing is denied and my experience in the finance industry lends well to me explaining the importance of credit scores and debt to equity ratios. I have found that customers that are denied financing really take well to my approach and I have had many customers come back after doing the personal work needed to improve and succeed in their application process."

As a Loan Officer at FCC, you will have times where you will have to have the difficult conversation with prospective clients that are being denied financing. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you take a professional approach with the clients and that you have a firm understanding of the regulations surrounding loans in the industry. To seal the deal for this question, talk about your ability to educate the client to better the chances that they will come back to FCC for business in the future.

"Life as a successful Loan Officer is about being knowledgeable and professional and I pride myself on my ability to project both of those things. In the times I need to personally decline a potential customer, I am firm and fair with them. I don't beat around the bush in any way because this can leave a customer with a false sense of hope. Taking the time to explain the regulations for the loan in layman's terms often helps customers understand things better as well."

We pride ourselves on teamwork here at FCC and this role in Client Services relies on teamwork. What are the top qualities you would bring to a team based atmosphere here?

"As with any team that I have worked on in the past, my priority is knowing that everyone has an important piece in the overall success of the team. In customer service, this is knowing who to contact with the right questions and who to guide customers to when needed. This ensures that our work is done efficiently on our end of things and that our customers are handled efficiently and effectively. If hired here at FCC, my first goal would be to get to know everyone on the team that I would work with, what their roles are and how to best communicate with them."

At the heart of this question falls your interviewers need to determine how well you will work with others on the team at FCC. You will be working with high level advisors and managers that are under a lot of pressure to perform in their jobs and your communications with them will either alleviate some of that stress or add to it. To ensure that your interviewer walks away from your conversation knowing that you are a team player that keeps the end goals of the company in mind, focus your answer on your effective communication skills, your knowledge of everyone's role on the team and your knowledge of what your role on the team will be.

"My top quality is my ability to communicate, both verbally and through writing. I have excellent interpersonal speaking and listening skills and my past colleagues have always appreciated this. Here at FCC, your clients would appreciate this in my work as well. I am a very efficient and effective written communicator as well and this would be very beneficial at a company like FCC, where your offices are spread throughout the country and I can imagine that email communication is vitally important."

If you joined the team here at FCC, how would you build relationships with those that you would be working closely with?

"From my first day on the job, I would take the time to break the ice with my colleagues by introducing myself and setting up an individual meeting with each person. In the past, I've done these meetings over lunch or in an office where I've had questions prepared for me to get to know the person both personally and professionally. I want to ask my colleagues what they expect from me and what I can expect from them. I've found that these conversations really help to open up doors for working with each other moving forward."

For this question, your interviewer will be looking to get the sense that you would be proactive about getting to know your colleagues and fitting into the culture of the organization. Use a personal approach to talk about ways that you have done this in the past and how you would do it if hired for this position. Talk about the importance of relationship building in your line of work and how it helps the overall good of the organization if you take the initiative to do this.

"Being the new person on the job can be a very high anxiety time for some people, but I love the opportunity to break the ice with my coworkers by making that first contact. I think it's important to get to know each other on a personal level because we spend so much of our lives together in the workplace and I am a caring person that wants to know how last night's soccer game went for the kids. Beyond that first ice breaking conversation, my work relationships are then bonded through my work ethic and helping others on my team to show that I am a true team player."

Think back over your career up to today and tell me about the most difficult day on the job you encountered. What made the day difficult and how did you handle that situation?

"It's funny that you ask this question because I can honestly say that my worst day on the job happened just a few short weeks ago. Upon arriving to work in the morning, I quickly learned that our entire network was down and we wouldn't be able to work within our CRM or other programs that day. Many of my coworkers were visibly upset and questioning how we would be able to do our jobs that day. Rather than joining the crowd and freaking out about the situation, I huddled our group together to talk about solutions to the workday after we found out that the network likely wouldn't be fully up and running until late afternoon. While some colleagues carelessly went home for the day, I helped brainstorm how we could keep our phone lines open and my boss was very grateful for my efforts that day. Looking back, what made this the most difficult for me was seeing how others responded so negatively over an issue that we had no control over."

We've all had our share of difficult days on the job and how we handle those days in particular can really make or break where our careers go in that position or with that company. Think of a particular day ahead of your interview that really outlines your ability to handle adversity and proves that you were able to handle it with grace rather than turning your uniform in and heading home for the day. Another important piece of your answer should be discussing what lessons you learned from that particular day moving forward that you still carry with you to this day.

"Early in my career, I had a day where my entire office came down with the flu and I was left alone with the receptionist for the day. Being trained and working Financial Advisor, my colleagues also handled market analysis, retirement plans and insurance plans. At first, the receptionist and I went about our business. After being flooded with calls and in-person visits into our office, we connected again to talk about a plan moving forward. We discussed what types of calls she could handle and which ones I would handle and she triaged from there. I made contacted with my personal clients I had scheduled that day to reschedule and we worked well from there. If I couldn't answer a question for a client of one my colleagues, I ensured they knew that my colleague would follow up as soon as possible. Looking back, I learned that on days where you have to break routine like we did then that it was important to make a plan as early in the day as possible."

List the top 3 skills that you have acquired in your last role.

"In the past few years I was able to upgrade my education while still working full time. The biggest skill that I gained was my ability to multi-task as I worked the dual role of employee and student. I also have strong skills in a variety of Microsoft programs such as PowerPoint and Excel."

You have likely gained many valuable skills in your career. Share with the interviewer which skills you value the most. Be sure to include skills that will potentially benefit this potential new employer.

"There are many skills I gained in my most recent position as I had a great training program and my boss was a strong mentor. If I had to choose three top skills I would say that the biggest ones were effective multitasking, solid closing skills, and cold calling abilities."

In this finance role with FCC, what do you feel would make for an ideal customer experience?

"In this role with FCC, I will be dealing with the financial impact on customers of a really large purchase and this type of purchase often causes stress and tension for them. To provide the best overall experience, I will always be very thorough and educational in my approach to make sure that every question that the customer has is fully answered. The worst thing that can ever happen is for a customer to bite off more than they can chew when it comes to a new loan."

In a role as a Loan Processor or Loan Officer, simply following company guidelines and answering questions from customers can be done by a robot. FCC will be looking for you to help provide the best overall customer experience possible. For this question, they'll be looking to hear what great customer service on the lending side of the business means to you. No matter how you answer this question, be sure you explain the importance of making the customer feel valued in your approach with them.

"My approach to providing the greatest overall experience to my clients has always been solid listening and communication skills with them. I take the time to get to know my clients and what makes them tick. This approach gives me great insight in how I can best match them with the right loan moving forward. As you'll see when you contact my references, I have a very high overall customer rating in my current role based on customer surveys we have done over the past five years."

We pride ourselves on our interdepartmental teamwork here at FCC. If hired for this role, what kind of team player could we expect you to be?

"My colleagues that I work closely with would tell you that I'm knowledgeable in my area of expertise to contribute to the much larger team and do so without hesitation. As well, I'm able to communicate effectively, take direction and run with when needed and always willing to help out other areas if I have free time. I understand that I would be working very closely with the Advising staff here at FCC and know that they would have high expectations out of my work."

In the financial world, teamwork at an organization is the key to success and life at FCC is no different. As you talk about your abilities and experiences in being a great team player, try to highlight certain themes like building trust, gaining respect and being a subject matter expert as part of a larger team. Don't hesitate to show flexibility in your ability to both lead others and be lead by others and use examples of times that you've done both. To seal your answer for this question, talk about your desire to work as part of a team and do your research on this position to find out what types of colleagues you will be working with.

"I prefer to work in an environment that promotes teamwork and collegiality. If I were fortunate enough to join the team here, I want you to know that I love being in a leadership type role on a team where I can delegate work and help train others to better the organization. As well, I also thrive in a role where I am the minion and taking direction from others. I'd say that my key skills in working as a team are my ability to friendly, honest and trustworthy with my team."

If hired to this role here at FCC, what do you see as one initial hurdle you will have to overcome in your first weeks on the job?

"Having put a lot of thought into this even before submitting my resume for this position, I realize that my greatest hurdle would be making the leap as an Auditor into the financial focused industry. My five years of experience out of college have been focused on management and technical consulting services, but I feel that I've built a very good knowledge base and experience for this role here at FCC. If given the opportunity to join your team, my initial focus would be to get enthralled in auditing in the financial industry and I'd do this by being attached at the hip to my colleagues and taking the time to talk one on one with a lot of other staff to help better understand what they'll expect of me in this role."

At the heart of this question, your interviewer is asking you to take an honest look inside of yourself to discuss what you feel is the biggest learning curve you will have if offered this position. This will give your interviewer a sense of how to handle your onboarding process if hired for the position and give them a sense that you have the ability to see what your biggest need would be. Similar to the what is your greatest weakness question, the key to answering this question is humbly pointing out a flaw that you may see and making a plan for how you will overcome that flaw.

"Understanding that my role here at FCC would have me working with the entire advisory staff, the first hurdle would be getting to know everyone on that team and showcasing the skills that I could bring to their work. If hired for the job, I would hope to be invited to team meetings where I could introduce myself and my role with the team and I'd invite an open conversation with the entire team."

Pretend an old friend just awoke from a coma that lasted over 30 years. How would you describe the internet to them?

"Just like my role as a Risk Analyst, the most important thing that I could do in this situation would be to relate it to everyday things that the person would be familiar with. I would explain that the internet is a combination of television, mail, telephone, the local library and an old computer all put into one place. Each one of those components would help explain things like email, YouTube and all of the other life altering things about the internet. To really throw them for a loop at the end to blow their mind, I'd have to let them know that their local grocery store is also available too!"

A common tactic used in interviews for Risk Analysts is making you think on your feet. This brain teaser question, or any similar to it, will judge your thoughts processes to come up with an answer rather than what your final answer is as this is a very open ended question. As you provide an answer to this question, make sure that you explain why you are coming up with your answer and your thought process behind them. A solid thought process on your end shows that you can be analytical and while creatively solving problems using your critical thinking skills.

"I think that the best way to make it easy to understand would be to start explaining it in its simplest format and then expand from there. I'd draw two neighboring houses and show how the computers in each house can connect to send electronic mail, pictures, videos and information to each other. Then, I'd expand this out over the entire world where we are all connected with all of the feature of the internet. A simplified approach like this is also necessary in our work as Risk Analysts in the financial arena and it really helps people grasp new and very complicated things quickly."

What software programs do you use in your current work and how adaptable would you say that you are in learning and using new programs?

"In my current role, I currently use a program called Zendesk that is an interactive customer support tool. When we started to use this tool a little over a year ago, I was very quick to learn and utilize all of the great functions of the program and have since become a trainer for new staff that join our team. As well, I'm very fluent in the entire Microsoft suite of products and would consider myself an expert on the Outlook, Excel and Word programs."

Overall, your interviewer is simply looking to hear that you have a good grasp on programs to use to make you more efficient in your work and to do this, talk open and honestly about the programs that you currently use and talk about in what context that you use them. If at all possible with this role, try to research what additional programs you may have to learn if given this opportunity to join FCC and reassure your interviewer that your computer skills are fluent enough to pickup quickly if needed.

"I consider myself very agile when it comes to using and appreciating the vast amount of software that is available to Financial Advisors today. In my current role, I solely use RightCapital as a financial advising tool with my clients. I really love its ability to help in the budgeting and comprehensive planning processes with my clients. I'm also very familiar with the MoneyGuidePro tool and have used it successfully in the past. If hired for this role, you can consider me an open book when it comes to learning and effectively utilizing any programs needed."

What is one unique skill that you will bring to our loan processing team here at FCC?

"I think the one skill that I have that sets me ahead of the rest running for this position is my experience and success in the world of sales. As you can see from my resume, my career out of college started in auto sales. In my five years of sales, I worked my up from Associate Sales to a Sales Team Lead at my dealership. Getting to know and master the sales side of the business has really helped me on the finance side with overall knowledge of the business and developing the skills needed to upsell customers on their loans."

Throughout your application process and candidate vetting process, you were brought into interview because your interview was confident that you had the basic skills and knowledge required to handle this job. Now, your interviewer is giving you the opportunity to set yourself apart from your competition with this question. As you prepare for this type of question, try to think of a unique skill that you have that can prove to be a big asset if FCC offers you the job. In your answer, be sure to explain why this skill applies to this role.

"As you can see from my experience, I have extensive leadership experience in leading teams of up to 12 employees and I also have remote working experience. Both of these duties have really given me confidence in my decision making abilities. If hired for this position, I would be able to hit the ground running on day one and be trusted with critical decisions where you might not have that ability with other candidates that don't have leadership experience."

One huge philosophy that we believe in at FCC is professional development. How have you worked to develop yourself professionally throughout your career?

"I am a firm believer in being a life long learner in my work as a Data Analyst. As technology and times have changed over the course of time, I see it as very important to be learning and changing along with the times. Just over the past two years, the Data Fest and Data Summit national conferences and participation in these events on a yearly basis is super important to me to help me grow and develop."

In an ever-changing field like financial services, FCC knows that professional growth and development is vital to them staying at the forefront of their industry. For this question, your interviewer is looking to ensure that your values surrounding professional development match the values of the company. Use this question as an opportunity for you to highlight the many ways that you grow and develop yourself to be the best that you can be in your career. Highlight any continuing education you have completed, any societies or groups that you belong to and any publications that you read on a regular basis that will prove to your interviewer that you aren't comfortable being stagnant in your career.

"In the financial field, I have to stay at the top of my game to compete with other advisors and keep clients happy and flourishing. To do this, I subscribe to and read many of the great publications that are out there. Some of my favorites include the Wall Street Journal, Money magazine and Forbes. I also subscribe to many others. As well, I am a member of NAIFA and I have attended the organization's Congressional Conference on a few occasions."

At FCC, we pride ourselves on providing the best overall customer experience. Talk about your customer service experience and explain why it will help our clients here.

"Over the past five years in my current role in customer service, my number one mantra has been to create the most personalized experience possibl for each person. I have done this by taking the time to get to know the customer, find out what their needs are and creating an experience unique to them. Where my time in automotive sales has really prepared for this role with FCC is in this approach. If hired for this role, I know that I will be relied upon to use open and honest communication skills, time management skills and to take a empathetic and personalized approach with each client and I can definitely be relied upon to do that."

In the financial services industry, overall client experience is a major predictor of business growth and the team at FCC takes the overall client experience seriously. For this question, your interviewer will be looking for you to expand upon your customer service experience past what they can see from your resume. To seal the deal for your interview, try to talk about times that you have went above and beyond the call of duty to provide the best service possible for a customer.

"In my years in a front facing customer service role, I've prided myself on being the face of the franchise. More often than not, my interactions with customers can be the difference between a repeat customer and a person who never comes back again. To ensure repeat customers, I make sure that I am knowledgeable about our products and services, I'm proactive with their needs and I'm always accountable for any mistakes that are made on my organization's side of things. If given the opportunity to join the team here at FCC, I will work hard to be highly educated in your services and be proactive and accountable in every interaction that I have."

Our clients here at FCC expect top-tier service and products and we will expect you to do just that in this role. Have you ever went the extra mile for a client when it wasn't expected? Why did you do so?

"A couple of years ago when I was working customer service in retail, a customer was looking for what happened to be a discontinued item of clothing for her sick mother. The easy route would have been to simply look it up, tell her it was discontinued and have her be on her way. What I did was take down the customers contact information and let her know that I could contact our person that handled archived products. If we could track it down, I would be in touch. With a simple phone call, my colleague was able to track the item down from the supplier and have it coordinated to ship directly. We put the customer in direct contact with the supplier and she was as happy as could be. Looking back on that situation, I felt that it was the right thing to do given the situation that the customer was in and knowing she was a loyal customer of ours."

FCC looks to set themselves apart from their competition by delivering the best service possible in the industry. You, as a customer service professional, are likely used to doing this so in your example, be sure to think about a time where your going above and beyond the call of duty really impacted the overall customer experience. No matter what example you use, be sure to explain why you felt it was important to take that action and what outcomes you are aware that it produced.

"My current role in hospitality often has me working with very high profile customers that come to our hotel. Last year, a touring manager for a musician contacted me regarding and upcoming stay for the musician. I proactively asked for their dining and entertainment preferences and with that list, I was able to work with our catering staff to ensure we had preferred items on the menus for the nights that he stayed and that we had a customized video game package in the musician's room for the his extended stay. Prior to him leaving, his manager reached out to thank me for the great service!"

What would you do in this role with FCC if you could not get in touch with a debtor that owes money?

"If hired for this role, I fully realize that it will be a common occurrence to fail to make contact with a debtor. In my past roles, I have found that people with significant debt often change phone numbers and make efforts to avoid important mail. I would always follow company policy in my attempts to make contact through formal letters and phone calls. If necessary, I would scour public records for current address and contact information for the debtor."

This question gives your interviewer the opportunity to see how you will handle a very real situation in the role that you are interviewing for and gives them a chance to test your ethics and legal understanding of the FDCPA. In your answer, be sure to reiterate that you are able to stay levelheaded in your approach while also having the ability to think outside the box and be creative in every effort to find a solution.

On the finance side of FCC, we expect our representatives to be ingrained in our sales focused culture. If hired for this role, how would you learn and embrace our sales process?

"Knowing that the main goal of FCC is to sell more products, I understand my role on the finance side is to provide customers with the best options for them to walk out the door as a lifelong customer. If hired for this role, I will take the time over the first weeks on the job to fully understand your product line, costs and typical financing procedures so I can hit the ground running in no time. In my current role, I communicate very regularly with our sales staff on each customer that we work mutually together with. It really helps provide the best customer experience possible and absolutely helps boost sales."

As an experienced loan or finance professional, your interviewer is likely very confident in the skills that you would bring to the team. This question gives them the opportunity to how you will fit into the unique culture with the team at FCC. Because they are a sales focused organization, your interviewer will expect anyone in this role to embrace that culture. In your answer, talk about your ability to partner with sales staff by using your strong people skills. As well, give your interviewer a sense of how you go about learning new processes if hired for this position and don't hesitate to give an example from your past on how you've done this.

"I would fully expect that a good part of my orientation process into this role at FCC would entail a full education on the sales part of the business. I would look forward to working closely with and learning from the boots on the ground sales staff as that would give me great insight into the customers that I would be working with. From there, I would be able to build relationships with the sales staff and build a bond moving forward."

Talk about your experience in mortgage loan closing. How would this experience be beneficial to our team here at FCC?

"As you can see from my resume, my current role involves a lot of detail in the loan closing process for the customers that I work with. I assemble and prepare closing documents and coordinate the details of the closing process when all terms of the sale are met. In this role with FCC, I think that my hands on approach that I currently take with my customers would suit your clients well because I take the time to work with them one-on-one and never hesitate to provide top notch customer service to any person that I'm working with."

As a Loan Consultant with FCC, you will be tasked with guiding clients through the complete mortgage process. This will include seeking the best funds available, completing paperwork and seeing the loan through to closing for them. For this question, your interviewer can a good sense of your experience by taking a look at your resume, but they're looking to get more details on your mortgage closing experience by having you talk in detail. Be sure to discuss your specific experience and tie what you can to this specific role with FCC.

"Having been in the mortgage business for over ten years, I have a vast amount of experience in seeking personalized mortgage options for clients and walking them through the entire loan process. I am familiar with the processing of necessary loan closing documents in several state and know all of the fine details that are required to ensure that there are no hiccups in the process for clients. This experience would allow me to hit the ground running in this role here at FCC."

How can FCC motivate you on the job?

"I am best motivated through words of praise and recognition for a job well done. I do like to know that my efforts are noticed. In my current position, we have a leaderboard, and I do like that concept because it creates a healthy bit of personal competition for me as well."

Every employer should know how each of their employees is best motivated. Talk to the interviewer about the variety of ways in which you are best motivated on the job.

"I am a natural salesperson, so the best way to motivate me is through performance incentives. In my current position, I have been in the president's club for the past three consecutive years. I am highly motivated by the vacation that I am awarded annually."

What are some common excuses that you think you will face from debtors in this role and how to you think you would handle them?

"In my current role, I have heard the common excuses like the check is in the mail. In those instances, I make a direct plan with the debtor and then make sure to schedule any follow up for myself if needed. Sometimes, the debtor is telling the truth and we receive payment soon. But if we don't, I promptly follow up with them. I have received some odd excuses as well. A couple of months ago, a debtor claimed that he was just too busy to pay his bills. I was very professional in my direct approach in letting him know that if he had time to talk to me on the phone, he had time to pay his amount owed. He paid his amount owed over the phone that moment."

This question gives you the opportunity to show your familiarity with how consumers typically react to debt collection attempts. If you have direct experience dealing with any of the common excuses that debtors tend to use, talk about how you handle them. If you don't have direct prior experience in a collections role, be sure to research common excuses like a debtor claiming they haven't received any notice of debt and talk about how you would handle those situations. In your answer to how you would handle each excuse, be sure to explain how you will provide great customer service while making every effort to collect in a timely fashion.

"I understand that coming into this role with FCC, I will be working with clients that just don't have the funds available to make full payment at the time of contact. In those situations, I would expect that I would have the freedom to work out a payment plan with those clients that satisfies the needs of FCC while also giving the client the best results as well."

FCC Interview Questions

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1. Here at FCC, we are expecting someone with strong leadership skills to take this role. How would you describe your management style?
2. If you were having an interaction with a client here at FCC and you weren't able to answer their question or solve their problem on your own, how would you handle that situation?
3. Customer service is the name of our game at FCC. If hired for this role, how would you be able to provide the best customer service possible to our clients?
4. Accuracy is important to us at FCC. Do you always double check or proofread your work?
5. Describe to me a time when you made an error in your current or former position, and the impact your mistake made? How did you correct the error, what did you learn from it?
6. The clients of a financial firm like FCC can display an arrange of emotions when they work with our Client Services team. How would you handle a situation where a client was very angry?
7. The day-to-day life at FCC can be hectic and stressful at times. If hired for this role, how would you keep yourself motivated when working with stressed colleagues and pushy clients?
8. In this role as a Risk Analyst with FCC, you will be expected to be the expert on changes in financial regulations that impact our business. How do you keep yourself up to speed on these changes currently?
9. If a client here at FCC were to be denied the financing that they desire, how would you handle that situation?
10. We pride ourselves on teamwork here at FCC and this role in Client Services relies on teamwork. What are the top qualities you would bring to a team based atmosphere here?
11. If you joined the team here at FCC, how would you build relationships with those that you would be working closely with?
12. Think back over your career up to today and tell me about the most difficult day on the job you encountered. What made the day difficult and how did you handle that situation?
13. List the top 3 skills that you have acquired in your last role.
14. In this finance role with FCC, what do you feel would make for an ideal customer experience?
15. We pride ourselves on our interdepartmental teamwork here at FCC. If hired for this role, what kind of team player could we expect you to be?
16. If hired to this role here at FCC, what do you see as one initial hurdle you will have to overcome in your first weeks on the job?
17. Pretend an old friend just awoke from a coma that lasted over 30 years. How would you describe the internet to them?
18. What software programs do you use in your current work and how adaptable would you say that you are in learning and using new programs?
19. What is one unique skill that you will bring to our loan processing team here at FCC?
20. One huge philosophy that we believe in at FCC is professional development. How have you worked to develop yourself professionally throughout your career?
21. At FCC, we pride ourselves on providing the best overall customer experience. Talk about your customer service experience and explain why it will help our clients here.
22. Our clients here at FCC expect top-tier service and products and we will expect you to do just that in this role. Have you ever went the extra mile for a client when it wasn't expected? Why did you do so?
23. What would you do in this role with FCC if you could not get in touch with a debtor that owes money?
24. On the finance side of FCC, we expect our representatives to be ingrained in our sales focused culture. If hired for this role, how would you learn and embrace our sales process?
25. Talk about your experience in mortgage loan closing. How would this experience be beneficial to our team here at FCC?
26. How can FCC motivate you on the job?
27. What are some common excuses that you think you will face from debtors in this role and how to you think you would handle them?

FCC Interview Questions

1. Here at FCC, we are expecting someone with strong leadership skills to take this role. How would you describe your management style?

2. If you were having an interaction with a client here at FCC and you weren't able to answer their question or solve their problem on your own, how would you handle that situation?

3. Customer service is the name of our game at FCC. If hired for this role, how would you be able to provide the best customer service possible to our clients?

4. Accuracy is important to us at FCC. Do you always double check or proofread your work?

5. Describe to me a time when you made an error in your current or former position, and the impact your mistake made? How did you correct the error, what did you learn from it?

6. The clients of a financial firm like FCC can display an arrange of emotions when they work with our Client Services team. How would you handle a situation where a client was very angry?

7. The day-to-day life at FCC can be hectic and stressful at times. If hired for this role, how would you keep yourself motivated when working with stressed colleagues and pushy clients?

8. In this role as a Risk Analyst with FCC, you will be expected to be the expert on changes in financial regulations that impact our business. How do you keep yourself up to speed on these changes currently?

9. If a client here at FCC were to be denied the financing that they desire, how would you handle that situation?

10. We pride ourselves on teamwork here at FCC and this role in Client Services relies on teamwork. What are the top qualities you would bring to a team based atmosphere here?

11. If you joined the team here at FCC, how would you build relationships with those that you would be working closely with?

12. Think back over your career up to today and tell me about the most difficult day on the job you encountered. What made the day difficult and how did you handle that situation?

13. List the top 3 skills that you have acquired in your last role.

14. In this finance role with FCC, what do you feel would make for an ideal customer experience?

15. We pride ourselves on our interdepartmental teamwork here at FCC. If hired for this role, what kind of team player could we expect you to be?

16. If hired to this role here at FCC, what do you see as one initial hurdle you will have to overcome in your first weeks on the job?

17. Pretend an old friend just awoke from a coma that lasted over 30 years. How would you describe the internet to them?

18. What software programs do you use in your current work and how adaptable would you say that you are in learning and using new programs?

19. What is one unique skill that you will bring to our loan processing team here at FCC?

20. One huge philosophy that we believe in at FCC is professional development. How have you worked to develop yourself professionally throughout your career?

21. At FCC, we pride ourselves on providing the best overall customer experience. Talk about your customer service experience and explain why it will help our clients here.

22. Our clients here at FCC expect top-tier service and products and we will expect you to do just that in this role. Have you ever went the extra mile for a client when it wasn't expected? Why did you do so?

23. What would you do in this role with FCC if you could not get in touch with a debtor that owes money?

24. On the finance side of FCC, we expect our representatives to be ingrained in our sales focused culture. If hired for this role, how would you learn and embrace our sales process?

25. Talk about your experience in mortgage loan closing. How would this experience be beneficial to our team here at FCC?

26. How can FCC motivate you on the job?

27. What are some common excuses that you think you will face from debtors in this role and how to you think you would handle them?