How to ace the Customer Operations interview at Cash App

With Jamie Frey, Cash Customer Operations Recruiter

We know interviewing can be nerve-wracking, but it doesn’t have to be. It should spark great conversation and be an opportunity for you to interview our team, too.

You’re probably wondering what it’s like to interview for a Cash Customer Operations (CCO) role at Cash App. To take some of the mystery out of interviewing, we sat down with Jamie Frey, a Recruiter on the team, to walk you through the process and share some tips on how to ace it.

Meet your guide

“I view myself as a bestie in recruiting for both my candidates and the hiring teams I partner with,” says Jamie. She joined the team 4 years ago as a Recruiting Coordinator and is now a Recruiter. “As a daughter of a small business owner, I knew Square and believed in its mission of economic empowerment and later joined Cash App for the same reason,” she says. 

Today, Jamie recruits for roles across CCO, including customer success, risk operations, leadership, L&D, content writers, voice of the customer, Salesforce, and data roles. “Taking care of our customers is vital to our success, so it is imperative we have their care in the best possible hands,” Jamie says. “I love that I get to help people find meaningful and impactful jobs in partnership with the CCO team. It’s a unique opportunity to break down the narrative of nerve-wracking interviews and find talent who will best represent Cash App, take care of our customers, and carry our company mission forward.”

About the CCO team

The CCO team works to support our customers, protect them from risk, and help them understand how Cash App fits into their lives—with a core focus on empowering and enabling our customers. “The team believes in meeting our customers where they are before anything else,” Jamie says, “They encompass everything from frontline customer support to behind-the-scenes work and strive to bring empathy to every interaction they have. They provide genuine and clear communication at every step of the way."

CCO is made up of many teams, including Customer Success, Banking Operations, Risk Operations, Knowledge and Readiness, Voice of the Customer, Cash Business Systems, and more. When it comes to what the team is looking for in new hires, there’s no one template for CCO—the team includes every type of person. “Because of the kind of support we strive to offer our customers, we can’t be homogeneous or look at the world through one lens—this team has a spot for every kind of person,” Jamie says. 

Overall, the team looks to hire folks willing to solve problems, be creative, and collaborate with others.

The interview process: What to expect

A typical CCO interview process will include a Take Home Assessment, Recruiter Screen, and Virtual Interview. Every interview process is unique depending on the candidate—so don’t worry if your experience varies slightly. 

For your take-home assessment, we understand that sometimes candidates can better represent themselves through written communication—hence why we have this interview stage. With this assignment, we’re gauging your problem-solving skills, written communication, and applicable knowledge.

In the recruiter screen, we’ll discuss your professional background, career goals, and overall alignment with the role. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about the role, team, company culture, and interview process. As you go through the interview process, your recruiter will be your tour guide, so don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Finally, your round of virtual interviews will take place over Google Meet. During these interviews, you’ll meet with your peers, cross-functional partners, and leads on the team. This portion of the interview is conducted in a panel format where interviewers will ask you behavioral-based interview questions. You’ll also be asked to provide real-life examples of how you handled specific situations.

Advice from the recruiter: How to ace your interview

To prepare, Jamie recommends starting with the STAR Method. STAR is an acronym that stands for:

• Situation: Set the scene and give the necessary details of your example.

• Task: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation.

• Action: Explain exactly what steps you took to address it.

• Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved.

Using these components to shape your answers can help you keep your responses focused and concise. It will also provide your interviewer with a compelling narrative for your work and how it might translate to this role if you’re hired.

To prepare, think about answers to the following questions: 

• Why do you want to work for Cash App? Share why you want to work at Cash App other than the duties of the role.

• Share a typical day in your current role. This is a great question for preparing your elevator pitch. Formulate your pitch, including your past, present, and future personal anecdote. This is your opportunity to convince us why we should hire you.

• Describe a recent time you faced a conflict in your work environment and how you dealt with it. Prepare an example, and try not to speak poorly of anyone or be dramatic!

Overall, be authentic and transparent in your answers—while remembering that you’re interviewing for a job. Rehearse your answers beforehand to ensure you stick to your response and don’t talk for too long. A great way to round out your interview response is to share what you learned, key takeaways, and how you’ll apply what you learned moving forward. 

Remember to prepare questions to ask at the end of the interview: “Make sure your questions are specific—and come prepared with more questions than you believe you will need,” Jamie says. 

Finally, technology isn’t always perfect, so test your equipment and tools out in advance and hop on the video call a few minutes early to ensure you have a good connection.

Remember: Lean on your recruiter

Jamie doesn’t call herself a recruiting bestie for no reason—recruiters really are your best friend during the interview process. “We’re your advocates and there to ensure you have a great experience,” Jamie says. So remember: Your recruiter is your tour guide and voice to the internal team through the process—ask them questions, voice your concerns, and make sure you get the most out of your interviews.

“If you have a great interview experience—even if you don’t land the role—your recruiter will keep you in mind; if you put in the effort to build that relationship, they might reengage with you in the future, so it’s worth it,” Jamie adds.