During our busy season here at Jackson Hewitt, the demand of clients under tight deadlines can create a great deal of pressure on our team. How do you work effectively under high pressure situations?

"As you can see from my work history, I have worked as a tax professional through 12 tax seasons and I know what is coming every February, March and April. In looking to work for Jackson Hewitt, I know that is money making time and am willing to put in all of the hours that are needed to work with many clients at one time. I have a great ability to track and prioritize my tasks and my ability to set realistic expectations with my customers and meet those deadlines would greatly benefit your clients. The work as a tax professional really fits my own personal needs where I prefer to take most of my time off of work during the late summer and fall months to be outside and refresh myself in preparation for the coming season."

As the ebbs and flows of tax season culminate each year in the spring when workload and stresses are at their highest, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you are able to handle the stress of tight deadlines and worried clients by handling your work in a methodical and planned manner. Talk about your ability to multitask and prioritize your work to meet tight deadlines. Be sure to also talk about the importance of taking care of yourself mentally outside of work and explain how you do this.

"Working under the high pressures of tax season requires me to be organized, first and foremost. I consider myself very highly organized with my ability to track my tasks, prioritize high needs items first and communication with my clients. Staying organized allows me to remain focused on my work without stressing and I think this would be a huge advantage for the work that I would be doing for you here at Jackson Hewitt."

At Jackson Hewitt, we often work with both small and large businesses on their tax preparation. What common deductions would you recommend for small businesses?

"In my experience in working with small businesses, the most commonly overlooked deductions that they could take advantage of are vehicle and fleet expenses. While many businesses know this is possible, many fail at maintaining proper documentation of vehicles costs and usage as part of the job. I take it upon myself to walk clients through the proper documentation for future use and they have all appreciated this insight."

As a trusted adviser at Jackson Hewitt, you will be relied upon by clients to help them find every way possible to minimize their tax burden. To prove your expertise to your interviewer, try to talk about one or two common tax deductions that are often overlooked by small businesses. Explain why the deduction is important to consider and what impact that can have on a future client you would be working with in this role.

"I see a lot of business owners overlook items that I would consider maintenance or facility costs that they can deduct at the end of each year. Repairs on equipment and property are deductible and business owners often fail to keep proof of payment for such repairs. On top of repairs, most utilities like electricity are deductible as well for a business. For small business owners, a huge part of my responsibility is educating them on these deductions. For your clients here at Jackson Hewitt, my education would help build trust and a long lasting working relationship."

At Jackson Hewitt, our clients look to us to help find new and creative ways to save tax dollars. Have you ever had a unique situation where you helped an organization save tax dollars through your work and insight?

"Last year, I was working with an upstart small business in New York that employed around 20 people. Hearing that a big burden for him was providing health care coverage, which he chose to do to hire and retain great staff, I educated him on the savings he could see in starting an HSA associated with a high deductible plan. In the end, this plan was a win for the owner to see a ton of tax savings and the employees benefited with a great plan where the business was contributing towards their HSA on a yearly basis."

Jackson Hewitt is a trusted advisor to their clients on their corporate and small business taxes and your potential work in this position will put you in a position to be creative with your clients. Prior to your interview, think of a time in your work history where you can demonstrate the situation for the organization and came up with a creative tax savings solution for them. Upon answering this question, make sure that your interviewer walks away from your time together knowing that you have the ability to create solutions for clients that make a real difference.

"When working with corporation on tax advising issues, I always walk through business expenditures with a fine toothed comb because how large expenditures are claimed can really make or break taxes for years to come. When working with a client a few years ago, I noticed that they were deducting full costs up front when the depreciation method would have worked out much better for them in their financial situation. The only thing it took to convince them was a simple educational meeting."

What customer service skills would you be able to bring as a tax preparer for the clients here at Jackson Hewitt? Why is providing strong customer service important to you?

"Working with companies on their finances is often a private and sensitive topic. Because of that, I take an active listening and educational approach with my clients by first laying out my goals for them and then hearing their thoughts to work towards a common goal. As in any job, communication is key to setting expectations for the work that I do and hearing what my clients expect from me. If you would contact any of my professional references, who are clients that I've worked with in the past, they won't hesitate to talk about my excellent customer service skills."

Jackson Hewitt works hand in hand with businesses in their financial worlds and you as a consultant will be expected to provide great customer service to clients. In tax preparation, customer service comes in your ability to communicate and pay attention to detail to give the clients the best value and cost savings possible. For your answer, give your own personal touch to describe your customer service skills that you would bring to the team at Jackson Hewitt and don't hesitate to give any personal examples from your work history that demonstrate those skills.

"As a tax professional, my customer service starts with my expertise in areas where most clients are very under-educated. I take the time to educate my clients about my processes in preparing their taxes, what my expectations are from them to help in the process and what they can expect from me throughout our time in process together. The clients that I work with appreciate the education and setting of expectations because it helps us work together more wisely and efficiently as we lower their tax burden."

Being successful in consulting and working here at Jackson Hewitt requires the ability to work effectively with Type A personalities. What are your experiences in working with this personality and how did you make the relationships a success?

"For the last six years, I have worked under your prototypical type A personality as my director. Being a self admitted type B, being under my new director was difficult at first. For me to be successful under her and for our relationship to flourish, I learned quickly that she liked me to regularly communicate timelines for projects and give updates when necessary as she was very time driven. As well, small talk and getting to know me personally wasn't a priority so our communications to this day are pretty succinct and to the point. In this role, I would feel very comfortable with working with high level type A's because of my firsthand experience."

To first understand this question, it is important that you know that Type A personalities are exemplified by being competitive, motivated, organized and goal driven, among many other traits. These traits often lead to success in high level roles within organizations and your chances of working with this personality type are high. Think of a time you worked with a typical Type A personality and explain the methods you used to ensure that you had a sound and successful working relationship. Make sure that your interview walks away knowing that you can work effectively with difficultly driven individuals with high expectations.

"If you haven't been able to tell during my interview so far, I am a type A personality myself. My personality has helped me become very successful as a Financial Analyst. Having had formal training in the different personality types, I know that I need to take a meticulous approach when working with other type A personalities. My current team is loaded with type A's and regular communication is key in ensuring that expectations are clear and timelines are being met. If hired for this position, I would know my place in working with leaders from clients and I can easily be both cognizant of my approach and have the ability to put my desire to be in the lead aside with them when needed."

To ensure you are qualified to work for Jackson Hewitt, do you have a preparer tax identification number (PTIN)?

"Having been a professional tax preparer for over 12 years, I have held my PTIN since 2007 with no lapses in the number since first obtaining. Every November, I ensure that I am good to go for the coming tax season by renewing."

As a professional tax preparer, you are likely aware that a PTIN is required for professionals that submit federal tax returns in the United States. Being that Jackson Hewitt and the person for this role are compensated for their tax preparation services in the United States, this is a simple screening question that your interviewer is asking to make sure that you are qualified to work with the clients of Jackson Hewitt. Ensure that your PTIN is up to date and if not, make sure to complete all steps for renewing prior to your interview.

What approach do you take in giving financial and wealth advice to your clients? Why does this approach suit your clients the best?

"I am a firm believer in having a typed up plan that is very detailed for my clients. When coming up with a financial plan, I take the time to present my clients with a written plan and have them review it prior to meeting in person. This gives them time to review information and prepare questions for me ahead of time. My clients have always appreciated this approach and I've included a couple of examples in my portfolio for you."

For this question, your interviewer is looking to get down to the nuts and bolts relating to the exact method you approach clients with financial advice. Prior to your interviewer, be sure to put thought to your approach and be able to explain why this is both beneficial to your methods and to your clients. Whether you use verbal methods, printed document, email communication or any mixture of the three, be sure you can speak to your method confidently.

If you had to share difficult information with a client here at Jackson Hewitt, how would you approach that situation?

"Last tax season, I had to do just that with a very high profile client. During my initial meeting with the CFO, they were mentally prepared to see the same tax burden as the year prior. But after my work was done, it was found that the organization's capital gains and real estate taxes had significantly increased. In seeing this on my own, I approached the CFO directly to inform her of what I found. I approached her directly because I knew that her personality best suited a straightforward approach. In preparing for speaking to her, I clearly demonstrated how the organization's selling of assets impacted them negatively when they weren't prepared for it. She was appreciative of my work and educating them for the future. I think this approach is one that I would take again with your clients if I were hired for this position."

Working in tax preparation for business, both small and large, can often be a thankless job. Your role with Jackson Hewitt could entail the need for you to deliver difficult information to clients regarding their finances and tax situation. In your answer, be sure to focus on having both a sympathetic approach and an educational approach with the clients that you would be working with and explain why these approaches are the most effective.

"Tax law is a great unknown for many businesses and individuals and yearly changes in law and lays of the land in business can bring the need to deliver bad tax news to clients. If I were to encounter a situation like this here at Jackson Hewitt, I would make sure that I clearly explain the issue to the client and hear their thoughts while empathizing with them. Then, to build trust with them moving forward, I would talk about strategies moving forward that would help ease their tax burdens moving forward."

Sometimes the services and packages offered at Jackson Hewitt can be confusing to new clients. How do you explain complicated concepts to those who may not understand?

"I find that when there is a complicated concept to teach, visual aids are always the way to go. Did you know that 65% of people are visual learners and that presentations with visual components are 43% more persuasive? I took a course on creating effective info-graphics and will often implement those in my presentations."

The interviewer wants to know that you are capable of explaining complex ideas without being condescending to your co-workers or talking over their heads. Give the interviewer an example of how you break down information to make it more easily digestible for the average person. Think of a presentation about a complex topic, as a proposal to solve a challenging problem. The solution may seem obvious to you, but everyone else in the room is scratching their heads trying to figure out what you're talking about. When you can define key terms and phrases to make them more relevant to your audience, you have skill! Not everyone can do this. Prepare an example that demonstrates your communication skills and your ability to convey complex information in easy to understand terms.

"I use the K.I.S.S method...Keep it simple, silly! If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it well enough. I recently rolled out a complex compensation plan with many anomalies. I took the approach to share a broad overview and provide detail for reference. I often try to make analogies or share complex information in the form of a story."

If you are hired for this position here at Jackson Hewitt, what do you think the biggest hurdle for you would be from the start?

"As you can see from my resume, most of my career experience is in the food industry. If fortunate enough to be hired for this position, the biggest area for learning for me would be the finance side of other industries like technology, telecommunications and healthcare. From day one, I would begin by thoroughly research the clients here at Jackson Hewitt and speaking with as many industry experts that I know through business networking. While learning the ins and outs of other industries is the biggest learning curve for me, I see it as a great opportunity for me to become more proficient and effective in the work that I'd be doing for you."

For this question, you can showcase your research that you've done on both Jackson Hewitt and the role you are interviewing for by being upfront and honest about what you feel would be the biggest learning curve for you if hired for the position and giving your plan for how you would approach this hurdle. In your answer, make sure that you highlight your skills and abilities in making a molehill out of a mountain on your way to success in this role.

"While this may sound funny to you at first, I think the biggest challenge for me from the start will be adapting to the great corporate lifestyle and culture here at Jackson Hewitt. When I saw this position being open for applicants and I did my research, I was extremely excited to hear about the flexibility and openness to the ideas of your staff members. I've been working for six years in an environment that is very opposite of an open culture for new ideas and for me personally, it will feel foreign for me to bring new ideas to the team here and have them be accepted."

When have you contributed to an effort to obtain a corporate goal?

"My most recent employer had an extreme interest in giving back to the community. So much so that we, as a group, logged our volunteer hours and it was treated as another KPI. We would review our community contributions on a quarterly basis. Our goal was always to hit a minimum 500 volunteer hours per quarter which meant that everyone would volunteer one day per month. It was a great initiative and one that I happily participated in."

Engaged employees are always the most productive. Assure the interviewer that you are capable of being an involved team member by assisting, in some way, to the end goal of the corporation.

"Everyday! The corporate goal is always my primary driver, in my current position. To be successful in my position I need to always be in tune with what my employer is trying to achieve, and be an active participant."

When a problem arises, what is your first reaction?

"When a major problem arises, my first instinct is to take a step back and absorb what just happened. I then go into "

The interviewer wants to know if your reactions to problems reflect maturity and professionalism. How you react will significantly determine how you fit with the team at Jackson Hewitt. Perhaps your computer crashes, and you realize you may have just lost all of your hard work. Or maybe you are limited on time and have a deadline rapidly approaching. Demonstrate to the interviewer that you take a very methodical approach to problem-solving, rather than reacting in an impulsive way when a problem occurs.

"I have taught myself to become much calmer with my first reactions when problems arise. Now, I will step back and review my options for solving the problem rather than allow myself to become frustrated."

What would be the initial steps that you would take when evaluating the financial situation for a client of Jackson Hewitt?

"As an experienced wealth planner and financial advisor, my first goal with new clients is to build trust right from our first meeting together. I take a little bit of time to talk about my knowledge, experience and my ultimate goals for any client. From there, I open the door for clients to talk about their situation and their future goals. I listen to them attentively and reflectively listen to their thoughts to truly understand their needs. Once I have this solid base of where they want to be, I can craft a solid plan for them. As you can see, I submitted several professional references from clients that I have served in the past and they would all be willing to talk about my ability to provide a trusting service to them."

If hired for this position with Jackson Hewitt, you will be expected to be a trusted financial advisor for very high profile clients. Based on your experience, talk about how you begin the process of discovering the needs of your clients. No matter how you answer the question, be sure to highlight your ability to listen to others, ask follow up questions and put those thoughts into action. The position you are interviewing for relies on a heavy dose of trust with your clients, so any of your techniques used to build rapport and trust with your clients is equally important as well.

"If hired for this position and given the opportunity to work with clients on their financial planning needs, my first step with new clients would be to have a Q&A session where I can learn about their history, their finances and their plans for the future. The Q&A session would allow the client to ask questions of me as well. At the end of the initial session together, a foundation of trust is built and I let my excellent customer service and knowledge lead the rest of the way with the client."

At Jackson Hewitt we have many local competitors. In your opinion, what makes us stand out from the crowd?

"After researching Jackson Hewitt online, I found that you stand out from the many ways that you give back to your community. On the Jackson Hewitt website, as well as third-party review sites, people are talking about the charitable contributions and generosity coming from Jackson Hewitt. These factors make your company a big stand-out to me because I am serious about working for an organization that is aware of their social impact."

It is crucial that you research Jackson Hewitt before your interview and be sure to learn about their business landscape. Who are their competitors? What are customers saying online? Check out some favorite review sites to get an idea of what the public is saying about Jackson Hewitt vs. their local competitors. Keep your answer positive and complimentary.

"I believe that Jackson Hewitt has superior services and products. Your competitors seem to scratch the surface with some, but your offerings are so much more robust."

What do you believe to be the number one quality that most influences the overall customer experience?

"As I've worked in customer service my entire career in retail sales and in dining, I truly believe that the best customer experience is provided by happy and engaged employees. If employees are satisfied with their work and believe in the product that they are selling, they are able to speak to customers intelligently and wisely about the product and they do it with a big smile on their face. This factor is what helps keep customers coming back time and time again."

As a consultant in the customer service arena, you will be considered to be an expert on customer experience and customer satisfaction to the clients that you work with. While this question is certainly open ended, your interviewer is looking to hear that you have passion and belief in your answer because there is indeed no right or wrong answer to this question. Be sure to prepare for your interview ahead of time and be able to speak openly and passionately about what you believe is the most important factor for a satisfied customer.

"I'm a firm believer that a positive customer experience, no matter the business or industry, comes from the basic human need of trust. Any customer of any business is inherently putting their trust in the company, the product and the associate that they are working with that the will receive a quality product and quality service. In projecting this out to those that provide customer service, there are many factors to building trust with customers. Being knowledgeable, being friendly and considering the needs of the customer are of utmost importance to gain trust. These factors are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to building that trust."

An often difficult part about working for Jackson Hewitt and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?

"During my career to this point, I've been very fortunate to say that I've worked for one employer for over ten years and the experience that I've gained with them is a huge asset to me personally. But even though all of my relevant work experience is with the same employer, I've worked under six different department managers during my time there and each person had their own unique management style and expectations of me. As well, my organization has undergone three mergers in my time there and each merger brought a new and bigger organization to light with new values and culture. Whether it was a manager change or an organization change, I always prioritized openness and asking questions to get to know new processes better. I would bring this approach with each and every new client that I would work with in this role."

In the business consulting world, organizations work with clients that all have different backgrounds, leadership styles, cultures, industries and motivating factors. Consultants hired to come in to these organizations have to possess a chameleon-like ability to ingrain themselves in a new company's culture. For you to be successful in the role that you are interviewing for, you must possess this same ability. In your answer to this question, be sure to point out your fluidity to adapt to new situation in your work by giving an example or two of a time you had to do this to give your interviewer a sense of your ability to be flexible with clients.

"I would liken this role as a Client Manager to working with my customers in my current job. I approach each new customer with an open slated mind while getting to know their motivations, their needs and their expectations of me to help me get a better understanding of how I can best suit them. If hired for this position working with your clients here at Jackson Hewitt, this approach would be vital because of the variety of businesses and industries that I would be working with."

Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

"In my current role, I have a customer that flies off the handle very easily if things don't happen just right and I learned this from my first interactions with him. In seeing this happen from the start, I have always maintained a calm demeanor when he was upset and showed empathy by asking questions about his expectations and how to fix situations for him. To this day, I expect difficulty from him when we work together and the years we've had a working relationship together have better prepared me for more clients like him in the future."

At some point in any person's career, they have to work with a colleague or customer who is extremely difficult. Rather than looking to hear the fine details as to why this person was difficult, your interviewer will be looking to gain insight into how you personally handled the situation and others like it to ensure that a sound relationship was fostered even when you faced difficult circumstances. In your answer, some key things to focus on are your ability to be tolerant, understanding and a great communicator in these situations.

"A couple of years ago, a close colleague of mine had a very abrupt turnaround in her attitude and performance on the job. She was very curt and abrasive in conversations when she was normally very talkative and friendly on the job. After noticing some concerns in her work, I approached her with an open mind and asked her what was going on to cause these things to change. I showed concern and approached her as a friend and this approach prompted her to tell me about some issues happening in her personal life. By taking this approach, rather than getting upset or even made with her, I showed her that I cared and valued her as a person and my approach helped her open up and turn her life at work back around to the positive side."

Strong time management is important at Jackson Hewitt. How do you manage your time, even on the busiest days?

"I manage my time by exercising the idea of 'time-blocking'. This approach means that I won't incessantly check my email; instead, I will allow myself to return emails in 30-minute time blocks, four times per day. Setting calendar alerts and personal deadlines for myself has also helped a lot."

The interviewer would like to know more about the types of tools you use to stay on task and meet deadlines. Discuss how you prioritize when everything demands your attention at once. Think about the ways you manage your projects and daily tasks and how those will help you to succeed in your role with Jackson Hewitt.

"Very carefully! I prioritize deadlines and work that need to be done. Then work backward from there. When necessary, I utilize my resources and team to pitch in and contribute."

What tax preparation programs do you familiarity working on?

"Currently, I've been using Lacerte for over five years and I love its ability to integrate with other programs and online versions of QuickBooks. Prior to Lacerte, I have worked on simple programs like Turbo Tax and other web based programs. Having what I would call great computer skills, I am able to learn new programs with ease to be able to use them effectively. As an organization, what program do you use here at Jackson Hewitt?"

While there is a large variety of tax preparation software available to tax professionals with each having their own specific niche markets and benefits, your interviewer is really looking to hear that you can be fluent in learning and utilizing any system. To reiterate that to your interviewer, talk about the different programs that you have worked on and efficiently learned and mastered throughout your career. Let them know that you are willing and able to work off of any system.

"Through my career to this point, I have worked on both Drake and CCH Axcess. When making the conversion to Drake a few years ago, it was a learning process that mostly involved applying the functions that I was used to in CCH Axcess to Drake. After just a few hours of playing with the system and preparing a few returns, I would have considered myself very fluent with the system."

Where have you seen common failures or breakdowns in customer service and how would you address these issues with the clients here at Jackson Hewitt?

"In today's digital age where people are looking for results and looking for them now, time is a huge hindrance in providing excellent service to customers and I've personally witnessed timing issues and helped diagnose them for my employers. Most important is setting realistic time expectations with customers that you are able to deliver on every time. In some instances, this has been easily remedied with simple education between departments. In other instances, it has been solved through the creation and implementation of timing policies for customers."

When a consulting company like Jackson Hewitt is called, it is likely that that organization has seen some failure in the service that they have been providing to customers. In this role as a consultant, you will be asked to help diagnose the issues and help fix them for your clients. For this question, your interviewer is first seeking to see what you have seen in your career as common failures in customer service. Second, and most importantly, your interviewer is looking to hear how you would go about solving the issue with clients. Make sure to be as detailed as possible in this aspect of your answer.

"Having consulted now for five years and having worked across many industries, the most common failures in customer service stem from staff that are poorly trained and/or poorly equipped to do their job. Assessing the competency of employees is my first step when consulting a new business and based off my assessments, I can make recommendations for education and training for the staff. Often, general customer service training suffices. At times though, this training needs to be very industry or product specific and I've helped create several specific training programs for employers."

In what ways would our clients here at Jackson Hewitt benefit from your knowledge and services?

"As you can see from my resume, I have extensive experience in risk management in the healthcare industry. Having worked with some major players in the industry, your healthcare clients would benefit the most from the experience and solutions I could help provide them. Not to leave other industries out, I think my experience in the healthcare realm will also translate nicely to your clients in other areas of the private sector."

This question is your chance to talk about the unique skills and knowledge that you would bring to Jackson Hewitt and that is exactly what your interviewer is looking to hear. In your answer, keep your focus centered on how clients of the organization will benefit from the things that you bring to their table because Jackson Hewitt is client focused in all that they do. To be effective with this answer, be sure to do your research on the clients at Jackson Hewitt and think about how your experience will be beneficial for them.

"Having worked in accounting and tax law in a few different industries during my career to this point, I also have the unique experience of creating new organizational policies and procedures in my current role. In hearing more about this role, I think this experience would be very beneficial for your clients as I would be helping advise them in their practices and creating new policy would be crucial in that process."

Would you say that you are a goal oriented person on the job? Why would you say that?

"If hired for this position, one of the first things that you'll learn about me is that I am very driven to succeed in all that I do on the job. For me, personal drive definitely centers around goals and my desire to achieve them. I have the focus to set goals myself and to work towards goals that are set by my organization, my leaders or my customers and I would bring this ability with each client that I work with here at Jackson Hewitt."

Success in business consulting is most often measured in the achievement of goals for clients and for this question, your interviewer will ideally be looking to hear that you are driven by goals and that you have the ability to set them as well. In your answer, give your interviewer the sense that you are goal oriented by giving an example or two of a time where you set and worked towards a goal as part of a team effort. Explain your part in the achievement of the goals and your ability to stay focused on the end result.

"I would definitely say that I am goal oriented in the work that I do on a daily basis. In project management, I work off of both time related goals and production related goals and these really drive my daily tasks and my delegation of responsibilities to other team members. If given the opportunity to come work for Jackson Hewitt, my clients would greatly benefit from my ability to both set and achieve goals with them."

A key component to success here at Jackson Hewitt is building solid relationships with new clients. How do you effectively get to know new people and lay the groundwork for a long lasting relationship?

"I am a firm believer that success in any role I've played in my career was due in part to the relationships that I've built in those roles. Whenever I have the chance to work with a new colleague or a new customer, my approach is to create an initial connection with them to build trust. After that point, my interpersonal skills take over through active listening. I use my listening skills to learn about the motivating factors and needs of the person that I will be working with and this helps mold that respect and trust between us even more. I think this approach would be very critical in working with new clients on a regular basis here at Jackson Hewitt and I'd love the opportunity to bring these skills to the table for you."

The fast paced world of business consulting requires the ability to build relationship after relationship with all of the clients that you will potentially be working with. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to gain insight into how you build relationships with new people from the first time you interact with them. In your answer, talk about how you gain and build trust with new people and explain how the little things in your initial interactions go a long way toward building long lasting working relationships.

Talk about a time that you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?

"Probably the aspect that I love the most about my current job is being the lead for training new hires into our department. Because of my years of experience and my innate ability to effectively orientate new employees, my director asked me to take this duty about four years ago. My approach with any new hire is to customize their training based on their knowledge and experience so the training is effective for them. What works for one person may not work for another and I always need to be fluid with this. I also prioritize the need to make orientation and training a hands on experience for the new hire because classroom learning can only take a person so far in the learning process."

The role that you are interviewing for with Jackson Hewitt will likely involve providing education to clients in your area of expertise. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you are comfortable and effective in providing education by having you talk about a time that you have done so. In the example that you provide, try to point out some key items to making business education successful like developing a plan/goals, respecting differing viewpoints/opinions, making it hands on and making it fun.

"As you can see from my resume, I've spent the last seven years working in the corporate tax field. While in this job, I worked very independently for a private organization, so I've been out of the training and education side for a while now. During my first job out of college as a CPA though, I was very adept at providing education to the clients that I worked with on a daily basis. What I learned in that experience was the importance of putting material out there in a manner that the person being trained understood. As well, talking to clients and understanding my client's wants and needs were very important for me to be able to best educate them. I really believe that these skills would enable me to hit the ground running with Jackson Hewitt and your clients would benefit greatly."

Working with our clients here at Jackson Hewitt often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?

"In my role as a Project Manager with a large private organization, one of my first steps on any new project is setting a budget. Last year, I was leading the effort on a project focused on waste reduction in our manufacturing facilities. In the initial meetings for new projects, our CFO is always involved so she has a high-level overview of what the project will entail. In the meeting, she immediately berated me for the initial budget that I was proposing and vehemently insisted that the amount just wasn't correct or feasible. Rather than taking offense to her thoughts, I wanted to make sure that she, and the rest of the group, had a solid understanding of all that was taken into consideration for setting the budget. After I explained and showed line by line what the proposed budget broke down to, she was very thankful and didn't realize that team member labor was part of that equation. I think that my ability to understand why she was conflicted and my ability to keep a calm, cool head in that situation was vital and a perfect reason for me rating myself high on my conflict resolution skills."

When a consultant comes into an organization to help better an aspect of their business, there are many factors that can lead to initial conflicts with the consultant and their firm. Big egos not wanting a fresh new face and the fear of change are inevitable in this business and your interviewer wants to hear that you have the experience and ability to handle inevitable conflict that will come your way if hired for the position. While obviously rating yourself highly in this area, try to talk about a time where you handled difficult conflict on the job with ease.

"From my call center days, I think I developed great conflict resolution skills where I would rate myself an 8 out of 10. Handling customers who were upset about a product or service they received required a calm tone, an educational approach and the ability to not take things too personally. If hired for this position, I would be able to bring this same approach to the client of Jackson Hewitt."

To help determine your qualifications for this role here at Jackson Hewitt, please dive into your background in customer service. Do you have any direct experience in training others in customer service?

"As you can see from my resume, my career in customer service started in college while working toward my undergraduate degree. Working for a large call center, I learned the importance of listening to customers and solving their issues creatively. Following college, I started in retail management with a large clothing store. Since being in that role for over 12 years, not only have I spent extensive hours training staff on customer experience, handling adversity and other subjects of the like, I've also helped create and implement successful training programs in these areas. My experience there could prove to be a big asset here at Jackson Hewitt."

Consulting in customer services can vary greatly from industry to industry and organization to organization. This is no different than consulting for Jackson Hewitt. To get a better feel for your resume and your experiences, your interviewer is looking to hear about your experiences first-hand during your interview. Most importantly, to gauge your direct experience that will translate well to a consultant role, talk about your experiences in training others in sound customer service techniques and policies.

"Having spent my career in the hospitality and tourism world, customer service has always been priority number one in ensuring the happiness, safety and return of every customer for another stay. Whether it was during my time working front desk or concierge of high profile hotels or in my current role as General Manager, customers have always been my top priority. Through Hilton, I've trained in the Hilton Hospitality & Service program and am now a certified trainer for new staff. I can take that training and apply it across many industries here at Jackson Hewitt."

Jackson Hewitt Interview Questions

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1. During our busy season here at Jackson Hewitt, the demand of clients under tight deadlines can create a great deal of pressure on our team. How do you work effectively under high pressure situations?
2. At Jackson Hewitt, we often work with both small and large businesses on their tax preparation. What common deductions would you recommend for small businesses?
3. At Jackson Hewitt, our clients look to us to help find new and creative ways to save tax dollars. Have you ever had a unique situation where you helped an organization save tax dollars through your work and insight?
4. What customer service skills would you be able to bring as a tax preparer for the clients here at Jackson Hewitt? Why is providing strong customer service important to you?
5. Being successful in consulting and working here at Jackson Hewitt requires the ability to work effectively with Type A personalities. What are your experiences in working with this personality and how did you make the relationships a success?
6. To ensure you are qualified to work for Jackson Hewitt, do you have a preparer tax identification number (PTIN)?
7. What approach do you take in giving financial and wealth advice to your clients? Why does this approach suit your clients the best?
8. If you had to share difficult information with a client here at Jackson Hewitt, how would you approach that situation?
9. Sometimes the services and packages offered at Jackson Hewitt can be confusing to new clients. How do you explain complicated concepts to those who may not understand?
10. If you are hired for this position here at Jackson Hewitt, what do you think the biggest hurdle for you would be from the start?
11. When have you contributed to an effort to obtain a corporate goal?
12. When a problem arises, what is your first reaction?
13. What would be the initial steps that you would take when evaluating the financial situation for a client of Jackson Hewitt?
14. At Jackson Hewitt we have many local competitors. In your opinion, what makes us stand out from the crowd?
15. What do you believe to be the number one quality that most influences the overall customer experience?
16. An often difficult part about working for Jackson Hewitt and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?
17. Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?
18. Strong time management is important at Jackson Hewitt. How do you manage your time, even on the busiest days?
19. What tax preparation programs do you familiarity working on?
20. Where have you seen common failures or breakdowns in customer service and how would you address these issues with the clients here at Jackson Hewitt?
21. In what ways would our clients here at Jackson Hewitt benefit from your knowledge and services?
22. Would you say that you are a goal oriented person on the job? Why would you say that?
23. A key component to success here at Jackson Hewitt is building solid relationships with new clients. How do you effectively get to know new people and lay the groundwork for a long lasting relationship?
24. Talk about a time that you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?
25. Working with our clients here at Jackson Hewitt often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?
26. To help determine your qualifications for this role here at Jackson Hewitt, please dive into your background in customer service. Do you have any direct experience in training others in customer service?

Jackson Hewitt Interview Questions

1. During our busy season here at Jackson Hewitt, the demand of clients under tight deadlines can create a great deal of pressure on our team. How do you work effectively under high pressure situations?

2. At Jackson Hewitt, we often work with both small and large businesses on their tax preparation. What common deductions would you recommend for small businesses?

3. At Jackson Hewitt, our clients look to us to help find new and creative ways to save tax dollars. Have you ever had a unique situation where you helped an organization save tax dollars through your work and insight?

4. What customer service skills would you be able to bring as a tax preparer for the clients here at Jackson Hewitt? Why is providing strong customer service important to you?

5. Being successful in consulting and working here at Jackson Hewitt requires the ability to work effectively with Type A personalities. What are your experiences in working with this personality and how did you make the relationships a success?

6. To ensure you are qualified to work for Jackson Hewitt, do you have a preparer tax identification number (PTIN)?

7. What approach do you take in giving financial and wealth advice to your clients? Why does this approach suit your clients the best?

8. If you had to share difficult information with a client here at Jackson Hewitt, how would you approach that situation?

9. Sometimes the services and packages offered at Jackson Hewitt can be confusing to new clients. How do you explain complicated concepts to those who may not understand?

10. If you are hired for this position here at Jackson Hewitt, what do you think the biggest hurdle for you would be from the start?

11. When have you contributed to an effort to obtain a corporate goal?

12. When a problem arises, what is your first reaction?

13. What would be the initial steps that you would take when evaluating the financial situation for a client of Jackson Hewitt?

14. At Jackson Hewitt we have many local competitors. In your opinion, what makes us stand out from the crowd?

15. What do you believe to be the number one quality that most influences the overall customer experience?

16. An often difficult part about working for Jackson Hewitt and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?

17. Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?

18. Strong time management is important at Jackson Hewitt. How do you manage your time, even on the busiest days?

19. What tax preparation programs do you familiarity working on?

20. Where have you seen common failures or breakdowns in customer service and how would you address these issues with the clients here at Jackson Hewitt?

21. In what ways would our clients here at Jackson Hewitt benefit from your knowledge and services?

22. Would you say that you are a goal oriented person on the job? Why would you say that?

23. A key component to success here at Jackson Hewitt is building solid relationships with new clients. How do you effectively get to know new people and lay the groundwork for a long lasting relationship?

24. Talk about a time that you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?

25. Working with our clients here at Jackson Hewitt often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?

26. To help determine your qualifications for this role here at Jackson Hewitt, please dive into your background in customer service. Do you have any direct experience in training others in customer service?