Customer Success Career Coach, Career Tips and Proven Job Interview Strategies For Every Customer Success Manager (CSM)

What if the thing costing you the job in your final round interview presentation is something you don’t even realize you’re doing? I reviewed around 60 coaching calls with Customer Success job seekers preparing for final round presentations and the same three mistakes kept showing up. In this episode, I’m breaking down exactly what they are, how to show the hiring team how you actually think and make decisions, and the subtle difference between presenting to a panel and showing them what you’d be like in front of a real customer. Plus, I’m also sharing two bonus tips that can instantly make your presentation stronger and help you catch the small details that are incredibly easy to miss. If you want to walk into your next final round presentation knowing exactly how to stand out and prove you can do the job, hit play and let’s dive in. And if you have a final round interview coming up and want a coach in your corner to review your deck, perfect your talk track, and help you stand out, apply for coaching HERE. 0:45 – The 3 Final Round Presentation Mistakes CSMs Keep Making 1:45 – Why Giving Options Without Taking a Clear Stance Can Hurt Your Presentation 7:58 – Why Your Talk Track Matters More Than the Perfect Slide Deck 11:55 – The Difference Between Presenting and Running a Customer Meeting 17:35 – How to Sound More Confident by Talking Like You Already Have the Job 19:35 – Why You Should Treat the Interview Prompt Like a Grading Rubric OTHER EPISODES YOU’LL LOVE: 🎙️Episode 127: AI Won't Replace You as a CSM (But It Does Raise the Bar) with Dan Ennis FREEBIES & RESOURCES: 🛎️ Actively looking for a job in Customer Success or plan to in the near future? Apply for 1:1 Coaching with me HERE 🛎️ Optimize your resume for Customer Success jobs to land consistent interviews with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/resume 🛎️ Learn how to sell yourself as the best candidate & walk into your next Customer Success job interview with confidence with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/sellyourself 🛎️ Learn how to Master Behavioral Interviews with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/behavioral CONNECT WITH ME: ❤️ Let's be LinkedIn friends: www.linkedin.com/in/carly-agar/ 💭 Got any questions? Send me an email at [email protected] HEAD TO THE SHOW NOTES: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/episode141 FOLLOW & REVIEW: Are you loving the podcast? I'd appreciate it if you could take a few seconds to do these two things: 👉🏻 Hit the FOLLOW button so you don't miss out on any new episodes when they drop 👉🏻 And either leave a review on Apple Podcasts or let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment over on Spotify! This helps me reach more customer success pros who need these insights. Thanks for tuning in to the Customer Success Career Coach podcast! I'll catch you next week. New episodes drop every Wednesday!

Landing the job is one thing. Proving they made the right decision hiring you is another. In this episode, I’m breaking down five things every CSM should do in their first 90 days to make a really good impression and set themselves up for success in the long run. I’m sharing how to figure out what you’re actually measured on, get up to speed faster, build relationships before you need them, use being new to your advantage, and start tracking the work that could help you land future promotions and raises. If you want to crush your first 90 days without constantly wondering whether you’re doing enough, hit play and get these five things done. 0:44 – Why Landing the Job Is Only the Beginning 2:04 – How to Know What You’re Actually Measured On 3:04 – The One Question to Ask in Your First Week 5:02 – How to Learn the Product Faster Than Anyone Else 12:36 – How to Use Being New to Your Advantage 14:43 – Why Asking Questions Actually Builds Customer Trust 17:43 – The Career Habit You Should Start on Day One 19:10 – How Tracking Your Wins Can Help You Get Promoted FREEBIES & RESOURCES: 🛎️ Actively looking for a job in Customer Success or plan to in the near future? Apply for 1:1 Coaching with me HERE 🛎️ Optimize your resume for Customer Success jobs to land consistent interviews with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/resume 🛎️ Learn how to sell yourself as the best candidate & walk into your next Customer Success job interview with confidence with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/sellyourself 🛎️ Learn how to Master Behavioral Interviews with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/behavioral CONNECT WITH ME: ❤️ Let's be LinkedIn friends: www.linkedin.com/in/carly-agar/ 💭 Got any questions? Send me an email at [email protected] HEAD TO THE SHOW NOTES: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/episode140 FOLLOW & REVIEW: Are you loving the podcast? I'd appreciate it if you could take a few seconds to do these two things: 👉🏻 Hit the FOLLOW button so you don't miss out on any new episodes when they drop 👉🏻 And either leave a review on Apple Podcasts or let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment over on Spotify! This helps me reach more customer success pros who need these insights. Thanks for tuning in to the Customer Success Career Coach podcast! I'll catch you next week. New episodes drop every Wednesday!

That 15 minute recruiter screen you thought was just a casual conversation could be the exact reason you’re not making it to the next round. In this episode, I’m breaking down the five most common mistakes I see CSMs make in those first few minutes and how to avoid them. I’ll show you how to build rapport, structure your background without rambling, make it extremely easy for the recruiter to say yes to you, and prepare without sounding overly rehearsed. The good news is these aren’t things that require another year of experience or a new skill. They’re little things you can fix literally today. If you want to give yourself the best shot at moving forward to the next round, hit play and let’s get into it. Want to make it easy for recruiters to say yes to you? Grab my free Sell Yourself masterclass HERE to learn how to position your experience around exactly what they’re looking for. 0:01 – What Happens When You Underestimate the Recruiter Screen 4:19 – The Biggest Mistake Candidates Make Before the Interview Even Starts 7:55 – The Step-by-Step Structure That Gets You Past Recruiters 12:17 – Why Most Candidates Make It Hard for Recruiters to Say Yes 16:01 – The Silent Killer: Talking At Recruiters Instead of With Them 18:12 – Why Sounding Too Memorized Destroys Your Chances FREEBIES & RESOURCES: 🛎️ Actively looking for a job in Customer Success or plan to in the near future? Apply for 1:1 Coaching with me HERE 🛎️ Optimize your resume for Customer Success jobs to land consistent interviews with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/resume 🛎️ Learn how to sell yourself as the best candidate & walk into your next Customer Success job interview with confidence with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/sellyourself 🛎️ Learn how to Master Behavioral Interviews with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/behavioral CONNECT WITH ME: ❤️ Let's be LinkedIn friends: www.linkedin.com/in/carly-agar/ 💭 Got any questions? Send me an email at [email protected] HEAD TO THE SHOW NOTES: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/episode139 FOLLOW & REVIEW: Are you loving the podcast? I'd appreciate it if you could take a few seconds to do these two things: 👉🏻 Hit the FOLLOW button so you don't miss out on any new episodes when they drop 👉🏻 And either leave a review on Apple Podcasts or let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment over on Spotify! This helps me reach more customer success pros who need these insights. Thanks for tuning in to the Customer Success Career Coach podcast! I'll catch you next week. New episodes drop every Wednesday!

You could be the perfect CSM for a role and still never hear from the recruiter simply because your LinkedIn profile isn’t optimized the right way. In this episode, I’m breaking down the three things that need to happen before a recruiter reaches out to you on LinkedIn. I’ll show you how to actually show up in recruiter searches, what makes someone want to click on your profile, and the simple tweaks that can help sell them on what they see once they get there. If you want recruiters coming to your inbox with roles you’re actually excited about, hit play and make these updates today. And if you’re ready to stop guessing your way through your job search, apply for 1:1 coaching HERE and let’s get you landing roles you’re actually excited about. 0:01 – Why Most LinkedIn Profiles Never Get Recruiter Attention 2:45 – How Recruiters Really Search for Candidates on LinkedIn 5:10 – The Single Biggest Mistake in Your LinkedIn Skills Section 13:43 – The Headline Formula That Gets You Noticed Instantly 18:34 – Why Copying Your Resume Kills Your LinkedIn Profile 21:19 – How to Use Recommendations to Instantly Boost Credibility 23:31 – Does the “Open to Work” Banner Really Hurt Your Chances? FREEBIES & RESOURCES: 🛎️ Actively looking for a job in Customer Success or plan to in the near future? Apply for 1:1 Coaching with me HERE 🛎️ Optimize your resume for Customer Success jobs to land consistent interviews with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/resume 🛎️ Learn how to sell yourself as the best candidate & walk into your next Customer Success job interview with confidence with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/sellyourself 🛎️ Learn how to Master Behavioral Interviews with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/behavioral CONNECT WITH ME: ❤️ Let's be LinkedIn friends: www.linkedin.com/in/carly-agar/ 💭 Got any questions? Send me an email at [email protected] HEAD TO THE SHOW NOTES: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/episode138 FOLLOW & REVIEW: Are you loving the podcast? I'd appreciate it if you could take a few seconds to do these two things: 👉🏻 Hit the FOLLOW button so you don't miss out on any new episodes when they drop 👉🏻 And either leave a review on Apple Podcasts or let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment over on Spotify! This helps me reach more customer success pros who need these insights. Thanks for tuning in to the Customer Success Career Coach podcast! I'll catch you next week. New episodes drop every Wednesday!

If you can’t put a number on the value you’re creating for your customers, you’re going to struggle to prove why they should keep paying for it. That’s why in this episode, I’m breaking down a simple framework every CSM can use to calculate and present ROI, even if your product feels impossible to measure. I’ll walk you through how to identify where your product is creating financial value, turn that value into actual numbers, and confidently present your math without worrying that someone is going to poke holes in it. You’ll walk away knowing how to make stronger renewal and expansion conversations while building a skill that can help you stand out as a Customer Success Manager. If you want to prove your impact with numbers that actually mean something, hit play and let’s dive in. 1:09 – How to Tie Product Usage to Real ROI Numbers 4:05 – The Three ROI Categories: Time, Money, Protection 6:09 – The Simple Math Behind Powerful ROI Stories 8:47 – How to Kill Skepticism by Calling Out Your Own Numbers 11:05 – A Step-by-Step ROI Example for Sales Tools 13:32 – Making ROI Tangible for “Hard to Measure” Products 17:08 – The Career Benefits of Presenting ROI Like a Pro 21:01 – Why Showing ROI Makes You Stand Out in Interviews 23:10 – ROI Homework for Every Level of Customer Success Pro OTHER EPISODES YOU’LL LOVE: 🎙️Episode 136: 5 Ways the CSM Role is Changing in 2026 (Beyond the Obvious Stuff) FREEBIES & RESOURCES: 🛎️ Actively looking for a job in Customer Success or plan to in the near future? Apply for 1:1 Coaching with me HERE 🛎️ Optimize your resume for Customer Success jobs to land consistent interviews with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/resume 🛎️ Learn how to sell yourself as the best candidate & walk into your next Customer Success job interview with confidence with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/sellyourself 🛎️ Learn how to Master Behavioral Interviews with my FREE Training: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/behavioral CONNECT WITH ME: ❤️ Let's be LinkedIn friends: www.linkedin.com/in/carly-agar/ 💭 Got any questions? Send me an email at [email protected] HEAD TO THE SHOW NOTES: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/episode137 FOLLOW & REVIEW: Are you loving the podcast? I'd appreciate it if you could take a few seconds to do these two things: 👉🏻 Hit the FOLLOW button so you don't miss out on any new episodes when they drop 👉🏻 And either leave a review on Apple Podcasts or let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment over on Spotify! This helps me reach more customer success pros who need these insights. Thanks for tuning in to the Customer Success Career Coach podcast! I'll catch you next week. New episodes drop every Wednesday!