Liberty Mutual Mock Interview
Practice 35 Liberty Mutual interview questions covering customer service, risk assessment, and insurance industry expertise.
Question 18 of 35
Tell me about an error or mistake you made because of a breakdown in communication from you or one of your team members.
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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.
There is an old expression in leadership surrounding communication: 'A message sent is a message received.' This saying highlights the individual responsible for communicating something clearly to others and taking the extra steps to ensure what was said was understood. Often, if someone in leadership inadequately communicates the full scope of the work or the reason it needs to be completed a certain way by a particular deadline, this could lead to misinterpretation. In this case, the misinterpretation is the message received. Consider this when presenting your example. Acknowledging an understanding of this concept and taking the leadership responsibility onto yourself, rather than blaming the person communicating the information, conveys that you strive to be more adaptable to others' communication styles and exhibit leadership potential. Yet, in the end, even though you accept responsibility for your part, you reveal an above-average scope of the big-picture. This perspective sets you up as a desirable candidate.
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 supervisor passed a project onto me and said they needed it back by the end of the day. They were carrying on several conversations simultaneously and were distracted and stressed. They hurriedly asked me if I understood or had any questions and rushed off. So I set every other project aside, including two that were nearly wrapped up and also due by the end of the day. I then spent all day working on this new project and delivered it at the end of my shift. But when I did, they looked confused and asked me what I was giving them. I reminded them, proud of my work. Then they explained, with frustration, that it was due by the end of the day next Friday, not by the end of the day today. They then asked me where the other two projects were, and I explained I'd set them aside. This triggered a pretty severe reaction. Everyone was already leaving for the day, and this supervisor was frustrated that we both had to stay late until we completed those other two projects. I was frustrated and upset but smiled and got back to work. It only took another hour and a half to finish those other two projects on my own.
I blamed myself. The supervisor asked me if I had any questions, and I normally mirror these things when communicating to ensure we're on the same page. I knew this supervisor wasn't the best communicator, but on this occasion, I was timid and too eager to please, so I just moved forward with the work. I've since worked on adapting my communication style to others, and as a practice, consistently mirror to make sure the message sent is the message that's received."
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
"I had a manager text me once about a client who was not happy with the results of my work. The wording of the text felt somewhat aggressive. I was on a date with my spouse when I received the text, and it spoiled our evening. I was somewhat upset. I put in my best at all times and felt that the conversation would have been better delivered to me in person. The next day, I approached the manager and requested that future communication of that nature be conducted in person versus text messages that only served to upset my work/life balance. I apologized for my initial defensive reaction."
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I have a customer who is very loyal, but requires a lot of attention. She needed a screen protector replacement, and I was not in the store that day. I asked my friend to process the form based on her account and just have it waiting for her. She had an iPhone 11, and I told him an 11 pro, which is a different size. This was at the end of her eligibility for the free replacement and she wasn't happy about it at all when she realized. After apologizing for the mistake being my own, I used my employee discount and purchased the correct one for her.
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Your example highlights your exceptional customer service and willingness to go above and beyond to repair a situation. How did the customer react in the end?
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