IRS Agent Mock Interview
Practice 30 IRS Agent interview questions covering tax law, compliance investigations, and taxpayer interaction scenarios.
Question 7 of 30
Provide an example where you demonstrated excellent listening skills.
Example Answer
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
How to Answer
Community Answers
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.
"A person can only process about ten seconds of information before wanting to respond. However, it's often that a person takes far longer to discuss all the points they feel they need to address. So whenever communicating with the public, I start taking notes so I don't lose track. Then I mirror back to them each point, show them I am examining the data points they've presented to me, then approach each topic from their point of view with empathy. Once I've done this, then I will approach the situation with a situational perspective, to shed additional light on what they've communicated, which helps with a meeting of minds before diving in to address their concerns. For example, I was on the phone with a client where I took this approach."
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.
Your listening skills are just as important as what you communicate. There are those who jump in, confident they know what a person is saying before they've fully communicated their message, just as there are those who are waiting to talk. Then there are those who actively listen and make decisions based on the follow-up questions they ask. Your interviewer may use this question to ascertain where you fall on this scale.
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.
Active listening, mirroring, and communicating thoughtfully and non-defensively is the goal here. By offering these points, you'll effectively mirror the value and importance of this question. Make sure the example you offer is relevant to a situation you might encounter in this job, should they choose to hire you.
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