Account Manager Interview Preparation Guide

Speak confidently when answering questions where success is the subject. You do not have to gush and describe every possible aspect you can think of. Talk about a few key concepts, like communication and negotiation skills, market research and customer prospecting, etc. You will make an even better impression if you give an example from your own professional life to demonstrate your idea.

This question tests your confidence, self awareness, and independence. Do not be afraid to speak your mind confidently. The ability to work independently and make decisions is crucial if you are an account manager. This in turn requires being organized and self motivated, with the ability to work with many customers at once. This means outstanding customer service skills.

An account manager uses the information at his disposal to maintain and increase client interest. Staying current and doing marketing research are key factors to understanding what the customer is getting tired of and what he might become interested in. This information has to be effectively coordinated with the company departments in order to result in a product that will prevent the customer from leaving.

Generally speaking, it is important to do research on a regular basis in relation to every individual client or category of clients. Effective research assesses current situations to project future developments and opportunities for the company. It studies competitors and proposes improvements.

As an account manager, you work on two fronts: the clients and your company. Both require excellent communication skills. You need to earn the trust of both clients and managers, to convince both sides to close the best possible deal. Teamwork is probably more related to coordinating actions with the company, the development, sales, and marketing departments.

In addition to accounting activities, an account manager holds a management position that involves company relations to interact effectively with staff. With a question related to a preferred work environment, an interviewer is probing the candidate's leadership abilities and interpersonal skills. A candidate who chooses an environment in which he can interact to offer support and feedback, may be preferred to a candidate who prefers to sit behind a desk.

An employer may seek an account manager with the ability to make decisions in a fraction of a section. If the interviewer asks a candidate a question about making quick decisions, the candidate should be able to provide an incident, the choices she had and the reasons for the decision she made. Her incident may involve a new credit policy, lowering a price for volume dealers, or other incidents with long-term effects on a business. The candidate could end the response with her decision and the outcome.

An interviewer expects an account manager to be efficient in knowing how to meet targets within deadlines. He may ask the candidate about his track record for achieving targets. With this question, he gives the candidate an opportunity to provide examples of goals and strategies to achieve them. The interviewer may look for the candidate's strong communication skills as a vital tool in the candidate's examples.

An account manager supervises account activities of a business. A hiring organization may look for a person who can demonstrate her confidence in the position with relevant experience in the position and the ability to make quick decisions. Her experience should bring strong communication skills to work with her team to effectively to meet deadlines and achieve the company's targets.

Maybe in about twenty years, but by then, I suspect you'll be running the entire company and will need a good, loyal lieutenant to help you manage this department!