1. Running head: HIRING LAYOUT FOR SERVICE MANAGER 1
Hiring Layout for Service Manager
Victoria Rock
AIU Online

2. HIRING LAYOUT FOR SERVICE MANAGER 2
Abstract
This paper will list specific qualifications for a new Service Manager position. Included
will be some descriptions of what is expected as well as a list of questions to ask potential
candidates.

3. HIRING LAYOUT FOR SERVICE MANAGER 3
Hiring Layout for Service Manager
As recruiting manager for a new organization, the VP has requested the hiring of a service
manager for a new department within the organization, and has set forth a variety of criteria that
must be met in regards to: conceptual, communication, effectiveness, and interpersonal skills. In
addition to these requirements, it is critical that the new manager chosen must share the same
core values as this company, understand the value of a customer, and must be leader who works
on the development of his/her team. Other abilities include hiring and training new service
representatives, as well as have knowledge of a variety of service systems to support this new
and growing department. Finally, the person chosen for this position must be capable of
planning, organizing, controlling, and leading their way to an effective department. (Rothbauer-
Wanish)
According to Randy Seaman; president of Seaman’s Heating, Air Conditioning, and
Refrigeration, Inc., “It doesn’t matter if the person chosen for the position of management has
good technical or business skills, if their core values are not the same as the organizations, then
they are not a good fit and could be a recipe for disaster.” (Rajecki) The service department is
usually the first and/or last personal experience a customer has with a company. Understanding
the value of a customer as well as how the organization makes money, will go a long way to
helping a service manager understand what is reasonable to offer customers in the event that a
service recovery is needed.(Rajecki)
Since the service department is often the central piece of a company’s operations, the service
manager will need to be able to communicate customer feedback effectively in regards to

4. HIRING LAYOUT FOR SERVICE MANAGER 4
complaints and complements with his/her team about products or services, as well as other
departments and senior management. Being that this position is in a new department, this
manager will be instrumental in building a rapport, instilling a sense of trust and fairness and be
able to creatively resolve problems and conflicts. The candidate chosen for this position must be
able to plan ahead in order to anticipate the needs of the organization, organize workflow and
their team to effectively deliver consistent service, implementing and enforcing systems of
control that measure performance and reflect the company’s values, and display a quality called
leadership that keeps the team going in a positive direction.(Rajecki)
Once several candidates that seem to meet the qualifications have been indentified, it’s then
time to bring them in for an interview. Questions should be asked during the interview that
ensures the candidate is a good fit with the company, has excellent communications skills, and
has a plan for how to build and develop a service team based on past experience.
These interview questions should include:
1. In your prior role as service manager, what core values will you bring to the job?
2. Since you will be building a new service team, what experience do you have with various
systems that are cost effective for a new growing company like ours?
3. “The customer is always right.” Do you agree or disagree? Why?
4. What are the biggest challenges with respect to managing a service department? How
will you handled that challenge?
5. Time management has become a necessary factor in productivity. Give an example of a
time management skill you have learned and applied at work.

5. HIRING LAYOUT FOR SERVICE MANAGER 5
6. Our company believes that employees should give back time to the community. How do
you feel about that?
7. Why is service such an important issue?
8. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an irate customer. How did you handle
the situation?
9. Give me an example of a decision you made that benefited your company.
10. How will you compliment this department as well as this organization?

6. HIRING LAYOUT FOR SERVICE MANAGER 6
Reference
Bhuvans. (2006, August 19). 50 Common Interview Q & A. Retrieved October 8, 2011, from
Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy's Blog: bhuvans.wordpress.com/2006/08/19/50-common-
interview-qa/
Rajecki, R. (2007, April 1). What It Takes To Create The Perfect Service Manager. Retrieved
October 7, 2011, from Contracting Business: contractingbusiness.com/feature/cb-imp-
54914/
Rothbauer-Wanish, H. (2009, April 29). Four Functions of Management. Retrieved October 8,
2011, from Business Management: heather-rothbauer-wanish.suite101.com/gour-functions-
of-management-a113463