Hiring Assessment for CSM

Toni Taylor
Toni Taylor Member Posts: 2 Newcomer
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in CS Conversations

Is anyone using an assessment during the hiring process for a new CSM? Our company uses assessments for other roles but I am looking for one that is specific to a CSM role.

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  • ShoubhikRoy
    ShoubhikRoy Member Posts: 8 Navigator
    5 Comments Photogenic Name Dropper

    Could you be more specific? Having been assessed across multiple CS job openings I can say have given assignments on product demos (building a ppt and presenting it), building playbooks on churn/adoption/risk management, case studies. Not sure if this answers you but just sharing my experience out here

  • Toni Taylor
    Toni Taylor Member Posts: 2 Newcomer
    Photogenic First Comment

    I'm looking for an aptitude or skill assessment to help determine if the person is right for the position.

  • Doug Havlik
    Doug Havlik Member, CS Leader Posts: 26 Expert
    Second Anniversary 5 Likes Name Dropper 10 Comments
    edited July 3

    @Toni Taylor - In my sales life, Sandler Sales did an online fit assessment based on our particular type of sale. I'm pretty sure they do customer success as well. You might check them out.

    Sorry for the repeated posts below. Browser problems.

  • Andy Chandler
    Andy Chandler Member, CS Leader Posts: 8 Contributor
    Fourth Anniversary 5 Comments Photogenic

    Hi Toni,

    I use 2 different types depending on the type of CSM I'm looking to hire.

    The first is providing around 100 lines of data including product usage, login data, renewal etc and asking the candidate to give me their 30 and 60 day plan if that is their book of business when they join. It's interesting to see how candidates set priorities, how easily they're able to manipulate the data and what their level of comfort is on making data actionable. I ususally add a couple of bits of data that don't make sense as well, renewal dates in the past or last logins not being the same as last usage, to see attention to detail. This is for low/tech touch CSMs.

    For high touch, I send out an email from a customer looking to speak with their CSM and then run a 30 minute role play including having the candidate send a follow up email. Usually the asks are about ownership of the account, ability to set an agenda and then the research they've made into the project. I also test on this on asking a quesiton they do not know the answer to, in order to make sure they don't make something up but simply say, I'll get back to you. That's critical in most organisations I've been in with a complex platform where CSMs won't know all the answers. Happy to share the email we use if you want to DM me.

    thx

  • ShoubhikRoy
    ShoubhikRoy Member Posts: 8 Navigator
    5 Comments Photogenic Name Dropper

    I cannot think of any particular assessment or tests on the top of my head from my limited experience. But problem solving is such a big aspect of CSM, you can just try making a basic segment wise GRR/NRR sheet with renewal/churn percentages for each segment and ask the candidate how they would approach in churn risk management/renewal strategy. A case study. It helps to understand how the candidate logically approaches the problem

  • Irina Vatafu
    Irina Vatafu Member Posts: 2 Navigator
    First Comment Name Dropper GGR Blogger 2023 Photogenic

    Hi there!

    Our CSM hiring process consists of three parts:

    1. Practical Assessment - Candidates receive access to a demo instance and watch a demo recording. They then answer some questions and build some practical items in the demo instance. This allows us to test their logical thinking and ability to learn tools quickly.
    2. Strategic Conversation - Candidates with a good score are invited to a strategic conversation. We discuss their experience in detail and assess them based on practical examples of soft skills and job requirements to determine if they are a fit.
    3. Final Interview - This is a "how things would look if you were hired" conversation. The candidate is invited to our office (although it can also be remote) to meet potential colleagues, see what a normal day as a CSM looks like, understand the challenges we face, and share ideas and thoughts on practical situations to assess their fit within the team.

    I hope this helps!

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