How to Answer: We seek to hire those with strong customer instincts. How do you 'think like a customer'?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Wayfair job interview.
16. We seek to hire those with strong customer instincts. How do you 'think like a customer'?
What You Need to Know
To think like a customer shows that you can put yourself in their shoes, being helpful and empathetic to their needs. Discuss with the interviewer how you can 'think like a customer' and mention how this practice boosts your effectiveness at work.
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 31st, 2019
How to Prep
The questions your interviewer asks are posed for a reason. More often than not, they are company specific. How you answer will reveal how prepared you are for your interview. For example, this question is touched on in one of their careers pages, where they state, "Relentless Customer Focus: Delivering an exceptional customer experience drives everything we do. We invest in understanding our customers and partners. We are all in customer service." Explain how you would invest your time and efforts in understanding each unique customer according to their values. Share how you relate to them with empathy, and showcase that you are a loyal Wayfair customer.
Written by Kevin Downey on June 17th, 2023
1st Answer Example
"If I were to tap into the mind of a Wayfair customer, I would think about the biggest issue they need to overcome in their home. I would think about the most convenient way to solve that problem and any potential objections or issues that could come up along the way. Also, I have a good idea of what a Wayfair customer would need because I am one! I deeply understand the importance of getting into the minds of the customer."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 31st, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"I have been well trained in customer service and sales. To think like a customer, you first need to ask yourself what the customer's top 3 problems are. Then, think about the products that could help them overcome that problem. Customers want to be heard and offered a viable solution from someone knowledgable and able to step into their shoes at the same time."
Written by Rachelle Enns on January 31st, 2019
Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Going one step further, I'd want to run empathy sessions, where we bring together a cross-functional team of product, engineers, customer support and take a specific part of the app and try to use it as a customer would. We'd give the group a few tasks to complete and a customer persona and scenario to embody throughout the session and incorporate feedback into the product."
Rachelle's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Jaymie's Feedback
About the Author
Interviewing and hiring someone is a huge responsibility. You not only need to find someone with the right skills and qualifications but someone who will get along with everyone else on the team and will be able to represent the company and its core values. That hire needs to be diligent and trustworthy while following the standards and processes everyone else adheres to. They need to perform with consistency, be emotionally intelligent, and be respectful of the needs and concerns of the others on the team. They need to seek out proactively a deeper understanding of the nature of the company and their teammates. That’s a tall order to determine when interviewing anyone. But it’s all part of the recruiter’s job.
If the team doesn’t get along with that hire, or that hire introduces an unwelcome attitude to the workplace. One person’s consistent attendance issues can impact the job satisfaction of everyone else on the team, lower productivity, and negatively impact the performance of the company as a whole on either a micro or macro scale. So when an interviewer decides to hire any person, they are putting their reputation on the line.
Looking for the perfect hire requires strong attention to detail. So there were a variety of things I would look for. I’d examine their cover letter, resume, or application for inconsistencies, from formatting to punctuation. I would scrutinize the consistency of their answers from one question to the next. But, I would first and foremost evaluate why they wanted to work for us. If they were playing the numbers game trying to find a job anywhere, it was pretty evident.
But, it was those applicants who seemed to have an inside view, or inherent understanding, of the real qualifications of the job that I’d put at the top of the pile. They understood the job expectations and the culture and already seemed like they were one of the team. So much of this comes through in one simple thing: their enthusiasm. They had an energy that fit right in. This is something that can rarely be faked.
If you invest the time to gain a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what life is like working somewhere, and when the more you learn, the more you get emotionally invested in that opportunity, the better your chances will be for winning that job. For the interviewer, when it comes to identifying how consistent a candidate’s work performance would be, the truest test is determining how well they understand the job and how enthusiastic they are to work there, even after everything they learned. That alone suggests they’ll consistently do whatever it takes to win the job and, once hired, go the extra mile for the team.
Learn more about Kevin Downey