Customer Success Career Coach, Career Tips and Proven Job Interview Strategies For Every Customer Success Manager · 2026-06-24 · 17 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
27 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
Carly Agar, a Customer Success career coach, breaks down the final five interview mistakes (numbers 5-9) that cost candidates job offers, continuing from part one of a nine-part series. The episode focuses on mindset and authenticity rather than tactical prep, arguing that most candidates aren't bad at interviews - they're just approaching them wrong. Key insights include: being authentically yourself rather than polished and jargony (illustrated through client Caitlin's transformation from corporate-speak to genuine passion), reframing interviews as the same value-selling conversations CSMs already master with customers (using Adriana's breakthrough as an example), using the 10-80-10 rule (10% situation, 80% action, 10% result) to prevent rambling, knowing when to stop over-preparing, and shifting from a scarcity mindset of "this is mine to lose" to an abundance mindset of "this is mine to win." Agar emphasizes that CSMs already have proof they can handle interviews through their daily work with customers. The episode concludes with a recap of all nine strategies and information about her coaching program.
The 10-80-10 rule is a structure where 10% of your answer covers the situation/context, 80% covers the specific actions you took (the meat of the story), and 10% covers the result ideally with a number attached. This framework helps ramblers stay focused and prevents restarting stories or over-explaining the setup.
Instead of giving a polished, jargon-filled answer about driving efficiencies, share an authentic personality trait or genuine quirk that happens to align with the company's mission - like the example of someone who naturally hates inefficiencies and can't ignore potential improvements, making them genuinely suited to a workflow optimization product.
Authenticity prevents you from freezing or blanking during interviews because you're telling the truth rather than performing. Candidates who try to be overly polished and inauthentic often feel more nervous and struggle, whereas those who speak naturally and honestly maintain confidence and credibility.
Since CSMs already excel at building trust, reading the room, selling value, handling unexpected questions, and delivering under pressure with customers, interviews are simply the same skill applied to selling yourself as the product instead of a SaaS tool. Recognizing this similarity builds confidence and reduces interview anxiety.
Spend a few deliberate days thinking through key stories and themes, but avoid grinding all day and night or spending entire weekends writing scripts and memorizing answers. Over-prepping builds unnecessary pressure and anxiety; instead, know when to walk away and take real breaks to avoid burnout and return with fresh perspective.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
A handful of practical tips exist (the 10-80-10 structure, buying time, prepping by function) but the bulk of the content is well-worn interview coaching advice - be authentic, don't over-prepare, think positively - that a smart operator has almost certainly encountered before. Insight-per-minute is low for a 16-minute runtime.
10, 80, 10 rule is, whatever it is you're talking about in an interview, 10% should be the situation, 80% should be the action, and 10% at the end should be the result
authenticity is not a bonus. I would say it is a must have
The CSM-to-interview analogy ('the product is now you and not some SaaS tool') is a competent audience-specific reframe, but the 10-80-10 rule is a thin variation on the ubiquitous STAR method, and the remaining advice (authenticity, mindset, breaks from prep) is standard self-help recycled for a CS audience.
the only thing that's changing is the product is now you and not some SaaS tool
I'm pretty sure Olivia came up with this on her own. I don't think that this is something that other people talk about
This is a solo-host monologue; there are no guests at all. The host is a career coach referencing her coaching team by first name, none of whom appear on-mic. There is no practitioner who has operated at scale in a senior B2B role.
I'm Carly Agar, Customer Success veteran, award winning career coach and your go to for getting hired and promoted in Customer Success
our coach, Max, on this call was like
The episode uses named client vignettes (Caitlin, Adriana, Elise) and first-name coaches as illustrative anecdotes, which adds some texture, but there are no metrics, research citations, or hard outcome data - just coaching war stories that cannot be independently verified.
We had a client named Caitlin who was practicing her answer to like, why do you want to work for this company?
In a, uh, 60 second answer, about 10 seconds, you're setting the scene. Like 40 seconds of you talking about what you specifically did
The episode is an uninterrupted solo monologue with no guest, no questions, no follow-ups, and no pushback possible. The host's delivery is organized and self-aware, but there is simply no conversational dynamic to evaluate beyond structural signposting.
If you've been kind of half listening, like, while doing the dishes or walking your dog or whatever you're doing right now, come back to me for this one
We're getting close to the end here, but still super valuable and helpful
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
The interview mistakes costing you offers are probably not the ones you think they are. In part two of this series, I'm breaking down the final five interview mistakes our coaches see Customer Success candidates make over and over again. I'm sharing why trying to sound polished can actually hurt your performance, the mindset shifts that can help you stop second guessing yourself, and the patterns that make strong candidates come across as less confident than they really are. You'll walk away with a different perspective on what interviews actually are and how to show up with more confidence, authenticity, and trust in yourself. If you're ready to stop overthinking every interview and start performing like the Customer Success professional you already are, hit play and let's dive in. And if you're ready to stop talking yourself out of the room before you even walk into it, apply for coaching HERE and let's work through it together.
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Speaker A: What if the only thing standing between you and your next big career milestone is just a strategy you haven't heard yet? I'm Carly Agar, Customer Success veteran, award winning career coach and your go to for getting hired and promoted in Customer Success. Whether you're breaking into the field or ready to level up into leadership, this podcast is your shortcut to real career growth. Every episode is packed with practical takeaways, data backed strategies and zero fluff advice that actually works so you can start making moves towards your goals immediately. If you're ready to take control of your career, well then you're in the right place. Welcome to the Customer Success Career Coach podcast. Okay, welcome back. Quick catch up. This is actually part two of a little series on the nine things that our coaches tell every client who comes to us saying, I'm just really bad at interviews. I freeze up, I don't know what to say, I ramble, I freak out. And I'll tell you what I told you last time. After watching our clients live this over and over and over. Almost nobody is actually bad at interviews. You're just probably prepping the wrong way, walking in with the wrong energy. All things that can be very easily fixed. Last episode I covered the prep and some of the in the moment stuff. Like we talked about ditching scripts, prepping by function, buying yourself time in the moment, staying at 3,000ft. We left off at number four. So today we're picking right back up at number five. If you missed part one, I would highly encourage you go listen to it. But you do not need to listen to part one to get value out of today. I'm really excited because this, today's episode, the stuff we're covering in this one is truly the stuff that is going to change your energy and how you show up in the interview. We're going to talk about authenticity, we're going to talk about mindset, super, super important stuff, stuff that's not talked about often. So let's just jump right in with number five. Moving on to the number five piece of advice, which is kind of beautiful actually. This is the authentic version, is the one that you can't blank on. We had a client named Caitlin who was practicing her answer to like, why do you want to work for this company? And she gave a really polished answer, but it was super jargony. It was like, oh, I'm passionate about helping businesses adopt new technology to drive efficiencies and this, that and the other thing. And it's like, it kind of sounds like you just read that off of our website. And are you actually passionate about those things? Because I don't think any human being is actually passionate about those things. So our coach, Max, on this call was like, yeah, anyone can say that that doesn't mean anything to me. Like, give me something authentic. And that's when she just, off the cuff, started sharing. I'm someone who hates inefficiencies. Like, if I am doing something, if I'm, like, doing some workflow, following some process, and even a sliver of a, uh, shadow of a thought comes into my mind that is, like, there might be a faster way to do this. I have to explore it. I cannot put that to the side. I have to explore it. And this product was all about making efficiencies in workflows. So it's like, perfect, authentic. That's amazing. This is, like a weird thing that you have, a weird personality trait that you have that happens to match this software's mission exactly. That is what you should be saying. Not, I'm passionate about this. That and the other thing. Just share how you would explain this to a friend. That's what hiring teams want to hear. So authenticity is not a bonus. I would say it is a must have. Like, if you feel really nervous in interviews, it could be because you're being inauthentic and you're trying to be overly polished. Okay, number six. And if you've been kind of half listening, like, while doing the dishes or walking your dog or whatever you're doing right now, come back to me for this one, because this is a reframe that I don't think is shared often enough. But if you take nothing else from this episode, I want it to be this. So the number six piece of advice that we give people who get nervous about interviews who freeze up is you may need to reframe what an interview actually is. And we had a client that we were working with. Her name was Adriana, who just freaked out in interviews. Classic case of extremely smooth talker. Natural, I would say even magnetic in a normal setting, but in interviews. And we. We knew this to be true because she sent us recordings completely frozen, clammed up, like, not the same Adriana that we knew. So, Ronnie, one of our coaches on a call said talking to a customer is kind of like an interview, right? Like, as CSMs, when we're talking to, uh, customers, you're constantly trying to sell the value of a product. It's just that this time, the product is you. So think about that. Everything you already do well with customers. Building trust, building rapport, knowing your stuff, reading the room, delivering on what you promised. That's interviewing. The only thing that's changing is the product is now you and not some SaaS tool. And I think this is a really important reminder because. And I'm not saying that you need to learn how to sell yourself as a product. That's really not what this is about. But I want to remind, uh, you that what you're doing in an interview is what you do all day, every day as a csm. And the reason that's important is you've got this. Like, you need to start believing in yourself and calling on those moments of, uh, proof that you can do this, you can have these conversations. You're totally natural in front of people. You can sell the value of something. You can handle questions under pressure. Like you can do all of these things that interviews are asking you to do because that is your job. So it's recalling how similar interviewing is to being a CSM that's going to allow you to build trust in yourself so you can kind of let go some of this pressure and fear that you have to perform and that this is so different. And it's really not. This is, this is what you're good at. You are already good at this. So just having some more trust and faith in yourself. Number seven is for my ramblers. I am the opposite of a rambler. When I get nervous, I just don't really talk. But I know that for a lot of people when you get nervous, you don't shut up. So this one is for you. And number seven is use structure to keep you from rambling. Our coaches like to teach some version of the 10, 80, 10 rule. I'm pretty sure Olivia came up with this on her own. I don't think that this is something that other people talk about. So if you've never heard of it, that would make sense. But 10, 80, 10 rule is, whatever it is you're talking about in an interview, 10% should be the situation, 80% should be the action, and 10% at the end should be the result. So In a, uh, 60 second answer, about 10 seconds, you're setting the scene. Like 40 seconds of you talking about what you specifically did. That's always gonna be the meat. And then 10 seconds on the result, ideally with a number attached. Having this structure is going to save your ass when you are a rambler, because if you know that you just completed sharing the action part of your story, you can just think, okay, that's it. Move on what's next? The result. Okay, I'm done. It should also catch you if you're setting the scene for the story and you've been talking for 30 seconds, it's like, uh, damn. Okay, reminder. I need to only spend, like, 10 seconds setting the scene. The rest of the time should really be the meat of the story of what I did, and then just end with a result, and then I should stop talking. This structure will also save folks who tend to restart their stories. I hear this a lot. You'll go through, like, the situation, the action, the result, and then you get nervous and you start retelling the story. Don't do that. 10, 80, 10. Situation, action, result. Done. Number eight. We're getting close to the end here, but still super valuable and helpful is stop grinding all day and all night prepping for your interviews. We had a client, Elise, who had a big interview coming up on a Tuesday, and our coach, Zach was like, he was on a call with her on a Thursday. Spend today thinking through some stuff. Spend tomorrow Friday thinking through some stuff. But do not spend your entire weekend writing scripts, memorizing answers, practicing out loud. If you do too much, you're just going to build up this pressure in your mind. Even if it feels counterintuitive. The more you're practicing and focusing and obsessing, the more that pressure to perform really well is just building in your brain. And that's gonna make you more nervous come Tuesday. So learn to take a break. I also love, uh, the advice that Graham tells clients all the time, which is just like with anything else, if. When you're prepping or rehearsing or whatever it is you're doing to get ready for an interview, if you are getting stuck on something or you find yourself just, like, not really paying attention, you're kind of zoning out. Walk away just like you would with any other project. Walk away. Go take a real break. Like, completely disconnect from it, and come back with a fresh set of eyes. Otherwise, you're just gonna sit there and keep spinning your wheels, and it's not gonna end in a good result. So be deliberate about your preparation, but know when it's time to walk away. All right, last one. Number nine. This is really helpful for mindset. Number nine is stop having this mindset of this job is mine to lose. Like, I better not F up this interview, because if I do, I'm losing this opportunity. You cannot think like that. That's literally centering everything you're doing around losing. So instead of thinking like this is mine to lose. I can't lose this. You have to walk into every interview thinking, I'm so good at this. I know this stuff. I know this customer base, I know this industry, I know this role. And I know that I can articulate why I'm good at all of these things and make this interviewer believe that to be true. If you want to start really simple here. If you're not familiar with trying to rewire your brain or your thoughts, instead of this is mine to lose, I want you to start thinking, this is mine to win. Um, really simple, write it down, put it on a post it note, put it on your phone, say it out loud, whatever that is going to help you feel less nervous and you will perform better in interviews. So let's bring it home here. If you've been telling yourself you're bad at, uh, interviews, I want you to actually hear me. You're probably not. You're probably just preparing in the wrong way. You're thinking about interviews in the wrong way and you're kind of talking yourself out of the room before you even walk into it. So, quick recap of the nine pieces of advice. Number one is write scripts to think, but then change them into outlines to deliver. Number two is stop trying to anticipate every question. Instead, try to anticipate themes and buckets of functions. Number three is don't hesitate to buy yourself time in the moment. It's totally fine and expected. It's okay to take a beat before you answer something. Number four is don't dive straight into the deep end of the nitty gritty weeds. Details, features, functions, we don't need that. Try to stay at 3,000ft. Keep it high level. Number five, be authentic. You can't mind blank or freeze up if you're just telling the truth. But if you're trying to be someone you're not, you will probably struggle. Number six, keep in mind all of the proof that you personally have that you can perform well in interviews. You're selling the value of something. You're having a hard conversation, you're being curious, you're answering questions you didn't anticipate. This is everything you do as a csm. Have a little faith in yourself. Number seven, use structure to keep you from rambling. Number eight, prepare, but know when it's time to walk away. Don't overdo it. And number nine, you gotta reframe your brain. You are playing to win. We are not playing to not lose something. Now, if you're sitting there going, okay, Carly, this is all great, but, like, I know me and I've been trying all these things and I know I'm still not the best at interviewing, then my team can absolutely help you. We help, uh, with interviewing in a lot of ways. Sometimes we do mock interviews. Sometimes we just get on a call and build your stories together. Sometimes we're taking your stories and turning them into bullet point outlines that make it easier for you to deliver them in the moment. Sometimes we are just going story by story and kind of tightening them up. That's what our coaches are here for. That's kind of the whole point of our one on one coaching program is working with you on every aspect of your job. You search so that you can land a job. So if you do feel like you want some more help, if you want that one on one coaching and feedback and reassurance, then you can always apply. Just go to carliar.com apply. If we think we can help you, we'll let you know. We'll have a conversation. If we don't think we can help you, we'll also be really honest and upfront about that. All right, thanks for joining me today and a whole catch you in the next episode.
Other episodes covering the same guests and topics, from across The B2B Podcast Index.
131. 3 Reasons You’re Not Landing CS Interviews (And It’s Not Your Experience)50 / 100
127. AI Won't Replace You as a CSM (But It Does Raise the Bar) - with Dan Ennis!95 / 100
125. 9 Reasons You Freeze in CSM Interviews (And How to Fix Each)42 / 100
124. How This CSM Got a 40% Interview Conversion Rate (With Special Guest, Mariia!)49 / 100
130. 5 Things NOT to Say About a Career Gap in a Customer Success Job Interview
