Question

Write five interview questions and also answer them and explain how that will be apt while recruiting for "credit card collections" representative position, you should be using a structured interview. Describe briefly why you feel these questions as necessary and how they help in scaling the candidates for the interview. Include a rubric/scoring guide for the answers for each question.

NOTE:- State the Main heading in few words that support your answer as a recommendation. And support your explanation with the word count in about 400 words approximately (Four hundred words).

Answer 1

The major qualities to be assessed in the candidate for "Credit Card Collections Representative" position are stress management skills, ability to meet timelines, skills to deal with people from different backgrounds, and above all, background/subject knowledge. Keeping these in mind, some of the questions best suited to be asked during the interview would be:

1.) Explain the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and its application to the position you have applied for?

This question ensures the candidate's subject knowledge and about roles and responsibilities to the position he/she is aspiring for. The knowledge about this act and its proper application helps the candidates to do their job ethically.

The answer for this question could be "The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a law that establishes legal protection from abusive debt collection practices, and thus protects customers from shady and unethical behavior. I will apply this law to successfully recover payments while treating customers fairly and with respect, and ensure that the outcomes are good for the company."

2.) What steps will you take to motivate the customers to pay before the deadline?

This question is to assess whether the candidate is genuinely interested in and will always adhere to the timelines and policies of the company.

The answer for this question could be like "I will talk to the customer initially regarding the importance of making payment in time, and then explain with examples increasing debts in case of pending payments, and thus how awful it can be, if the amount is not paid in time. I will also assure them to check for any offers or waivers based on company policy, and definitely get back to them to inform the same. The customer will definitely try to make the payment, keeping in mind how the company stands by him/her to provide assistance."

3.) You don't possess enough experience for this role. Why should we hire you?

This question is a very common yet powerful assessment to the candidate's stress management skills. By stating that the person doesn't have enough experience, the interviewer is giving a negative thought to the candidate, killing his/her expectations and good mood. The answer to this question comes from a different state of mind of the candidate, which up to a great extent explains how good he/she is, at stress management. This question also helps the interviewer to evaluate the candidate's uniqueness.

The answer for this could be "I possess all the skills required for this job, and I strongly believe that it is not just the number of years that count to effectively perform a task. I am a strong believer of smart work, and with my experience in past projects and people skills, I very well fit in to this role. Above all, I am a self-motivated person who always put together all my skills to result high quality work."

4.) Are you aware of the excuses a customer usually makes to get away from payment? Could you suggest some ways to deal with that?

This question again focuses on the subject knowledge of the candidate, and assess if he can handle tough customers/situations at work.

The answer for this could be "There can be many excuses including 'cheque is in post' or 'invoice not received' or 'cash flow problem' or even faking that 'the payment is already made', in these cases, I will politely ask for the proof like if the cheque is in post or the payment is already made, there will be some proof available including the date or the cheque number, and eventually ask the customer to pay the amount. For excuses like invoice not received, I will immediately send the invoice via email, and then follow up. If the client is seriously facing a cash-flow problem, I will ask him/her to pay in installments or refer the person to a debt counsellor."

5.) What will you do if you are not able to get in touch with a customer who owes money?

This question is to assess how ethically and logically the candidate can act during a situation. It can also assess their persistence for negotiation or out-of-the-box thinking.

The answer for this could be "I do everything I legally can to let a customer know when he or she owes money. I will follow company policy, and send emails and in turn phone calls to keep the customer informed regarding the deadlines. Then I will send a letter stating the action the company is going to take. If I suspect the customer isn't at the address anymore, I try to verify that through public and online records."