Geico is the 2nd biggest auto insurance company in the US. They have millions of customers and thousands of customer service representatives around the country. While they didn’t make the list of 100 best employers in the last years, they are generally considered a decent place of work for sales and customer service people.

The hiring process consists typically in an online application (pretty straightforward), online assessment of your typing and critical thinking skills (most people will pass), and then an interview in one of the branches of Geico (more than 150 around the country).

Let’s have a look at some questions they will ask you in your face to face interview, the last hurdle you have to pass before getting the job.

 

Why do you want to work for Geico? Why not one of our competitors?

Try to show some positive associations you have with their brand. Maybe you have a great experience with one of their sales representatives, on the phone or in person. You had the feeling that they were transparent and honest with you, and the price for the insurance of your beloved car was reasonable. Even better, you had an accident (minor one), filled for an insurance claim, and they sorted everything out quickly, and you got everything covered.

You can also refer to their brand building activities, entertaining marketing campaigns and ads, and the way the company presents itself to the outside world. You find it more appealing than the presentation of other insurance giants. That’s the reason why you decided to apply with Geico, and not one of their competitors.

Another alternative is referring to their core values and principles they try to promote in the workplace–feeling of community, diverse teams, fair and rewarding system of bonuses for everyone in the company.

They should feel that you did Geico is your first choice, and that you didn’t choose them only because you couldn’t find a better offer at the moment.

 

Can you please tell us more about your working experience?

You should talk mostly about relevant experience–if you have any, of course. Basically anything you did in sales and customer service is a relevant experience.

Try to focus on the good things–what you did in your former jobs, lessons you learned and how they prepared you for the job with Geico, things you achieved in the company–either for your employer or for the customers.

Lack of experience isn’t a showstopper though, since Geico runs a decent training program for all new hires. As long as they see that you have good communication skills and motivation to learn, they won’t consider your lack of experience as a huge disadvantage.

Why did you leave your last job or consider leaving your present job?

The key is to explain something you didn’t find in your last job, but can realistically find in your new occupation, while working for Geico. Maybe you didn’t feel appropriately rewarded for your effort in work. Or you did not like the working culture, or could not benefit from a huge and established brand in your sales efforts.

If they terminated your contract, you should also be honest. Do not blame the others, and admit making a mistake. Surely, you made a mistake, and had to go because of it. But you learned your lesson, and do not plan to repeat the same mistakes while working for Geico.

Special tip: We have also a separate article with 7 sample answers to “Why did you leave your last job?” interview question. Check it out if you aren’t sure what to say.

 

Do you like to set goals for yourself in the job?

All things are quantified and monitored at Geico. They took the micromanagement to the extreme, having a metric for everything. Hence you should love goals–whether you set them for yourself, or someone else set them for you in job.

Ensure the interviewers that goals aren’t stressful for you. On the contrary, it is nice to have a target, something you can aspire to, a benchmark you can try to meet or exceed each month. And you do not mind reporting and monitoring either, since you understand that the devil is in the detail, and numbers and statistics help you to identify areas for improvement.

That’s the attitude they seek in a good job applicant at Geico, because that’s they way they do the business and treat their employees.

 

Imagine that a customer complains about the service they received from you. What will you do?

Ensure the interviewers that a quality customer service is your first priority. Therefor you will cautiously listen to the customer, trying to identify the core of the problem. Maybe you made a mistake, and maybe they just misunderstood something.

Anyway, you will calmly listen and try to address their complaint–without emotions, focusing on the solution of the problem.

What’s more, you will try to learn from the situation, so when you experience a similar situation with another customer, you won’t repeat the same mistake. You will know how to do things better.

 

How do you handle rejection and negativity?

You won’t hear only words of praise in your job. Some people will be upset, and many will reject your offer. That’s the way it goes in any customer service or sales job. Ensure the interviewers that you have realistic expectations about the work ,and count with negative aspects of the job.

First and foremost, you understand that people do not reject you. They reject your offer. That’s a fundamental difference, though a tough one to get our head around.

Secondly, you know that a sales job is no walk in the part. You will hear “no” more often then yes, and some people will hang up as soon as you introduce yourself. But you also know that sales is a game of numbers. If you are persistent in your efforts, and continue calling customers, or meeting them in person, the sales will come–sooner, or later.

This is a mindset they seek in each good job applicant, and you should do your best to demonstrate it in an interview.

 

What are your salary expectations? Do you prefer fixed salary, or sales commissions?

Another question of  your attitude. Do you look for a comfy chair and an easy ride with a guaranteed juicy paycheck at the end of each month? Or do you seek a position that will challenge your intellect and sales skills, and allow you to earn $5K or more monthly, if you try hard and reach the goals set by your managers?

Geico is a big corporation, and they have processes in place for everything. In some jobs (Local Agent) you’ll be paid entirely on a commission basis, and in some other jobs it will be a combination of the two. But they won’t change the way they do their business just because you may prefer some different model…

Ensure them that you want to deliver results–and be rewarded accordingly. Hence you do not mind being paid on a commission basis, as long as the commissions are transparent and goals are realistic. You spire to become one of the best salesmen in the region. With such an aspiration nothing but commission-based remuneration makes sense.

 

Other questions you may face while interviewing for the job at Geico

* Special tip: If you are not sure how to answer the questions, or experience interview anxiety, have a look at our Interview Success Package. Up to 10 premium answers to 31 tricky scenario based questions (+ more) will help you streamline your interview preparation, outclass your competitors, and eventually get this great job with Geico. Thank you for checking it out!

 

Final thoughts, next steps

Job interviews at Geico belongs to interviews with average difficulty. You may face a variety of challenges during the hiring process, including behavioral questions, role play, or an online assessment of your critical thinking skills. This is not easy.

On the other hand, the competition isn’t particularly high, and the same can be said about the expectations of the hiring managers. What’s more, the interview process is relatively predictable, and you can find a lot of information online, which makes it easier to prepare.

Do your research, both about the company and the interviews, and try to prepare a short answer to each question from our selection. If you prepare in advance, you should make it and get a job with Geico. I wish you good luck!

Matthew

* You can also download the list of questions in a one page long PDF, and practice your interview answers anytime later, even when offline:

geico interview questions, PDF

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Matthew Chulaw
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