How to assess complaints candidates at interview
Avoid hiring the wrong compliance professional. Discover what strong answers look like when testing for escalation judgment, and learn the key red flags to watch for, including defensive thinking and over-escalation.
The short answer
Assess complaints candidates by testing investigation method, drafting judgement, stakeholder handling and resilience.
The best candidates can manage difficult facts and difficult people without losing clarity.
What to ask
Ask candidates how they would investigate a complaint where the client and fee earner give different accounts. Ask how they decide whether to escalate to Risk, insurers or senior management.
Ask for examples of complaints that required careful judgement.
What strong answers show
Strong answers show structure: identify the issue, gather facts, review records, speak to stakeholders, document reasoning and communicate proportionately.
They should also show awareness that complaints can overlap with claims, conduct issues or reputational risk.
Red flags
Watch for defensive thinking, poor drafting, lack of empathy, over-escalation, under-escalation or inability to separate facts from emotion.
Bottom line
Good complaints candidates combine investigation, judgement and communication.
Interview for how they think, not just how many complaints they have handled.
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