Last updated on Mar 22, 2024
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1
Know the basics
2
Research the company
3
Anticipate the questions
4
Showcase your skills
5
Follow up
6
Here’s what else to consider
You've landed a job interview for a Workforce Management (WFM) position. Congratulations! WFM is a vital function in any organization that relies on human resources to deliver products or services. WFM professionals are responsible for planning, forecasting, scheduling, and optimizing the workforce to meet business goals and customer needs. But how do you stand out from the other candidates and make a lasting impression on the hiring manager? Here are some tips to help you prepare for a WFM job interview and show your value.
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- Marshall Lee Workforce Wizard |Workforce Management | CX Consulting
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- Adrien Seldon Senior Operations and Workforce Leader | Driving efficiency and growth through data-driven strategies and robust…
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1 Know the basics
Before you go to the interview, make sure you have a solid understanding of the core concepts and principles of WFM. You should be able to explain what WFM is, why it is important, and how it aligns with the organization's strategy and vision. You should also be familiar with the key metrics and tools that WFM uses, such as service level, occupancy, shrinkage, Erlang C, and workforce management software. Review your resume and be ready to provide specific examples of how you applied your WFM skills and knowledge in your previous or current roles.
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- Jian Wei Jonathan Lim Senior Team Leader WFM at TDCX
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1. Do your homework- do research on the company that you are going to interview, like what is the business nature, vision & mission, company value, culture, newsletter or even blog.- what are the basis knowledge that a WFM should know, the terms/wording, the calculation, specific skills set.2. Prepare more practical answer for situational questions- using STAR method while answering those question, give us real life experience that how you manage the problem, how you identify the issue, how you solve it & what is the result.3. Remember prepare questions to ask interviewer too- this is very important as it show case that you are interested to know more about the role.
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- Niall Beirne Principal Consultant at Independent Consultant
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Begin by articulating your "why" – the purpose that drives you in this field. Show your passion for fostering a positive work environment where employees feel valued and motivated to contribute their best.During the interview, demonstrate your ability to inspire trust and build strong relationships with team members. Emphasise your commitment to understanding their needs, concerns, and aspirations. Highlight your strategic planning, data analysis, and problem-solving skills to optimise workforce productivity and efficiency.Remember, it's not just about what you do but why you do it.
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- Marinescu Teodor Lead Associate Workforce Management at IGT Solutions
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I will try to understand the company’s values, mission, and seek recent news. I’ll try to show that I’ve done my homework and I am genuinely interested in the organization. If the interview involves evaluating the candidate, I will try to familiarize myself with their backgrounds and qualifications and i will be prepared to ask questions and assess their fit for the role and also I will try to anticipate all the questions that the interviewer might ask and have well-thought-out answers ready.
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- Paolo Donzelli Happily retired from the European Space Agency
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When I go to an interview I go there to be hired, not to be remembered. If I am hired I assume they will remember me for sure.
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Values matching is an important aspect need to condiser deeply before you going to an interview. Would recommend to visit the company's website to learn their vision, mission, values, culture and how they do business in the sociaty ect. and comparing how your personal values matching. The more individual's values matching the company's values, the more confortable to move forward from both sides besides competencies' matching.
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2 Research the company
Another way to prepare for a WFM job interview is to research the company you are applying to. Find out what their mission, values, and culture are, and how they relate to WFM. Learn about their products or services, their target market, and their main competitors. You can use their website, social media, annual reports, news articles, and customer reviews to gather information. This will help you tailor your answers to show how you can fit in and add value to their organization.
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To excel in the interview, the optimal starting point is conducting a thorough examination of the organization. Establish a connection between your skills and knowledge and the specific objectives of the company. Articulate responses that directly address their pain points, offering innovative solutions to meet their needs. Convey a genuine assurance that you possess effective remedies for their most critical challenges, and outline a well-structured plan not only to achieve their objectives but also to fulfill their aspirations. Employ their language and emulate their culture, ensuring that you resonate with the organization's values and seamlessly integrate into their work environment.
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Pesquisar a empresa antes de participar de uma entrevista é algo essencial, conhecer o local onde está pleiteando fazer parte da equipe é imprescindível para ter uma jornada de sucesso na empresa, entrar no site da empresa, conhecer seu portfólio de produtos, localização, avaliações e principalmente a visão, missão e os valores da empresa, avaliando esses quesitos você consegue checar se o local realmente vai de encontro ao que busca, às suas próprias missões, visões e valores, estes precisam estar alinhados com os da empresa para que uma parceria de sucesso aconteça! Pesquisar sobre a empresa faz com que tenha mais segurança na entrevista, sentirá mais confiança ao falar sobre as suas experiências e no que você pode agregar à empresa!.
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- Hemant Mohan Principal PS Consultant at Genesys | Cloud Contact Centre Solution | Ex- Amazon | Amex | Barclays
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Examples from past experience are invaluable in interviews as they provide tangible evidence of your skills and capabilities. By sharing specific instances where you successfully tackled challenges or demonstrated relevant competencies, you offer the interviewer concrete proof of your abilities. These examples showcase your problem-solving approach, communication style, teamwork, leadership qualities, and other desirable traits, making your responses more compelling and convincing. Additionally, they allow you to illustrate how you've applied your skills in real-world situations, giving the interviewer confidence in your ability to excel in the role.
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- Amanda J. E. Educator in Higher Education | Notary Public | Advocate for Empowering Racialized Communities Towards Greater Self-Confidence, Growth and Success
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I cannot stress enough, the importance of researching the company you hope to work for.I have conducted interviews where candidates knew nothing about our company or talked about the wrong company. What a faux pas! Unfortunately, this immediately eliminated them as suitable candidates.You have effectively proven that you do not pay attention to details and may lack efficiency. Companies may have similar names which may cause confusion, but look for the details that differentiate them. Ensure you are researching the correct company.By doing proper research into a company's background, you will be able to ask intuitive and intelligent questions. Demonstrate your keeness and interest in the company and the job.
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- Senthil Ganapathi Project Management Professional (PMP) | Program Delivery | Digital Transformation | Best People Manager | Enabling People with Digital Skills | Application Modernization
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It would help to understand the nature of the business and tailor a short plan on WFM and walkthrough during the discussion.
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3 Anticipate the questions
One of the most challenging aspects of any job interview is answering the questions. To ace a WFM job interview, you need to anticipate the types of questions you might be asked and prepare your responses accordingly. You can expect some general questions about your background, strengths, weaknesses, and motivations, as well as some behavioral questions that ask you to describe a situation where you demonstrated a certain skill or quality. You can also expect some technical questions that test your WFM knowledge and skills, such as how you would forecast the demand, schedule the staff, or handle a scenario. To answer these questions effectively, use the STAR method: describe the Situation, the Task, the Action, and the Result.
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STAR method is great, STARE method is better! Situation, Task, Action, Result and Evaluation (if you could do it all again, what did you learn and what would you do differently?). Demonstrate in your practiced responses, your self awareness with a growth mindset and internal locus of control. Practice being prepared for organisational specific technical questions, that you may not have an answer to.
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Anticipating potential interview questions is essential for thorough preparation. Reflect on common WFM interview themes such as workforce planning, scheduling, forecasting, and performance management. Consider behavioral questions probing your problem-solving abilities, conflict resolution skills, and leadership style. Review the job description for clues about specific competencies or experiences the employer values. Practice articulating your responses concisely, using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure your examples effectively. By preparing responses in advance, you'll feel more confident and poised during the interview, enhancing your chances of success.
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- Senthil Ganapathi Project Management Professional (PMP) | Program Delivery | Digital Transformation | Best People Manager | Enabling People with Digital Skills | Application Modernization
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Analyse the challenges faced by similar business wrt to WFM and prepare your questions and answers. For example in any industry quality of workforce is always a challenge, so interviews might give a scenario and ask your opinion to address.
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4 Showcase your skills
A WFM job interview is not only about answering questions, but also about showcasing your skills. You want to demonstrate that you have the competencies and abilities that the employer is looking for in a WFM professional. Some of the most important skills for WFM are analytical, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and leadership skills. You can showcase these skills by using data and evidence to support your answers, by asking relevant and insightful questions, by listening actively and responding clearly, by showing enthusiasm and interest, and by highlighting your achievements and contributions.
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- George Xourafas WFM Leadership @ Square | ex-Stripe, ex-Meta, ex-EA
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You don't need to showcase your skills because your skills are unique and niche - you'd probably have the interviewers eyes gloss over in boredom. You need to showcase real-world examples of how WFM enabled you to empower a strategy, or realize an objective in tangible ways, and you need to do so in accessible, easy-to-understand terms. If you cannot relate WFM complexities to real-world scenarios in elegantly simple terms, you're doing it wrong.
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- Sumbo Williams SHRM-SCP, ACIPM
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From my experience, its highly recommended to highlight soft skills. WFM isn’t just about numbers; it’s about people. Emphasize your communication, teamwork, and adaptability.A simple example to show case one's skills during the interview is, "Collaborating with HR and agents, I’ve resolved scheduling conflicts while maintaining employee morale".
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- Angela H. Workforce Management Professional, and Data Enthusiast
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Remember that teaching and mentorship are also skills. When interviewing for senior analyst positions take the time to highlight ways that you have been instrumental in the development of junior analysts. Showcase the way that your support has driven success across your previous teams, not just the ways that you have succeeded alone.
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- Tiago Póvoa CSC | Compras | Logística | Contratos | Infra | Facilities | Atendimento | Financeiro | Gestão de Pessoas | Processos | Melhoria Continua | RPA | Transformação Digital | Folha de Pagamento
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Para qualquer entrevista de emprego o fundamental é relatar em detalhes exemplos práticos que aplicou suas habilidades e principais resultados dessas aplicações, isso gera credibilidade e confiança
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Highlight your proficiency in workforce planning, scheduling optimization, data analysis, and technology utilization. Discuss specific projects or initiatives where you've improved productivity, reduced costs, or enhanced employee satisfaction. Use metrics and measurable outcomes to quantify your achievements whenever possible. Additionally, demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and adapt to changing business needs. By showcasing your skills through real-world examples, you'll convey your value and suitability for the role convincingly.
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5 Follow up
The last step to make sure you are remembered after a WFM job interview is to follow up. Within 24 hours of the interview, send a thank-you email to the hiring manager and anyone else who interviewed you. Express your appreciation for their time and interest, restate your interest and fit for the position, and mention one or two key points that you discussed during the interview. This will help you reinforce your value proposition, show your professionalism and courtesy, and keep you on top of their mind.
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- Ian Lasplace Trusted recruiter within 🟣 Resource Planning | WFM | WEM 🟣 Analytics 🟣Contact Centre Technologies ☎ 0203 544 7454
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A 'follow -up' or 'thank you' email post interview is a great way to set you apart from other interviewers. Keep it brief, warm, professional and thank them for their time, mention one or two discussion points from the interview that resonated or interested you (and why), politely reconfirm your interest in the position and organisation and don't be afraid to ask when you can expect to receive an update on your application and what any potential next steps will be if not known.
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- Santosh Nandigamwar Results-oriented Manufacturing Leader with 21+ years of experience driving success at Ex Crystal Crop Protection Ltd., Ex Godrej Agrovet Ltd., and Ex Bharat Aluminium Co. Ltd. (Vedanta Group).
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When we say management, here it's WFM then candidate must know the engagement of workforce and subsequently statutory compliance required for the same.Candidate can list out some relevant experience and skills related to the WFM where he had performed in current or previous company in his/her assigned roles and responsibilities and showcase the same with example.If the candidate is new for such core role and had not handled or have exposure to handle such role fulfledge and independently still he may be considered when show interest and showcase his/her small exposure and skills and capability to take up the job.
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- George Xourafas WFM Leadership @ Square | ex-Stripe, ex-Meta, ex-EA
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Follow-up is cliche and boring. Remember that nobody wants to do an interview (this goes for the candidate and the interviewer), but everybody wants to find a way to make their lives easier. Make a mark by navigating the interview so that your questions about the organization or team form a good chunk of the time in the interview. This illustrates engagement and investigation into existing problems, past attempts to solve them, and how you've addressed or tackled similar situations in your past. All of a sudden, it feels like you are co-workers, rather than in an interview.
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- Meka-eel Pather Time and Motion Analyst | Specializing in Workflow Optimization and Process Improvement
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Something I think applies to all interviews is to be honest. The person who interviews should be the person they hire.If you are not good at conversation or answering scenarios based questions, practice. There are many amazing resources on how to speak better, be a better critical thinker etc.Another thing is know the role and the company and what you want to achieve next, whatever that might look like for you.
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in any interviews you should leave a mark for you to be remembered not only that you know the WFM and remember it but how you act and make it work for you to solve any problem maters .
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6 Here’s what else to consider
This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?
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- Marshall Lee Workforce Wizard |Workforce Management | CX Consulting
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WFM professionals are most successful when they have a passion for something about it. Know the theory and fundamentals, moreso - know why and if you love it. Connect to that, the passion not just for excellence, also the grind and the craft. Then you will shine because you have a passion for the role.
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- Adrien Seldon Senior Operations and Workforce Leader | Driving efficiency and growth through data-driven strategies and robust leadership | x-Stripe, Headway, AWS, T-Mobile
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Don’t forget to include and showcase the human element in WFM. For example, most of us can build perfect and beautiful schedules or set very precise performance targets and output great staffing and cost plans. But we are working with people, not robots. Are those schedules compatible for real humans? Are your targets something that same people can accomplish? Don’t forget the be empathetic to the people you are planning for.
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Preparing for an impactful job interview is crucial. Here are some top steps to help you succeed:1. Research the company and role in detail.2. Your qualification and past experience alignment with new role.3. Your body language 4. Prepare questions for interview 5. Mock interviews Remember, confidence, authenticity, and preparation amd practice are key.
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- George Xourafas WFM Leadership @ Square | ex-Stripe, ex-Meta, ex-EA
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Find ways to dumb down WFM into real-world scenarios. You care about occupancy, and concurrency, and shrinkage and all the things that matter to WFM people, but your audience may not. Relate WFM philosophy into pragmatic examples applicable to your interviewer's real world. If they're in Finance, skew to money topics. If they're Operations leaders responsible for many staff, skew to how you promote engagement and accountability. Nobody cares about how or where you do the thing you do; they care about what the output is and what it means to them specifically.
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The significance of making meaningful and impactful contributions to employees through effective workforce management strategies. These contributions should generate tangible benefits for both employees and the organization as a whole. Successful implementation of these strategies is informed by data analytics and supported by capacity-building initiatives aimed at enhancing employee skills and capabilities.
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