Inspired by u/sinistervice's story, here is mine as a minimum wage grunt trying to punch up in life
Interviewer: “What is your most recent job and what did you do?”
Me: “I was the Tech Associate of the retailer that is opposite of Walmart. I assisted Guests with any technology related advice or questions, ensured the merchandise was show-ready, and resolved any…complex, situations to the satisfaction of our Guests. Overall, I was running the department by myself 5 days a week an average of 7 hours each day.“
Interviewer: “So you worked in retail. Tell me of a time you encountered a really hostile customer and how did you resolve the situation.“
Me: “There was one time when I had a line of roughly 8+ people waiting on me to open merchandise cases for them. I was in the middle of a cell phone activation. Normally this takes 5-10mins, but in this instance I believe I reached the 20+ min mark.
This situation had no hostile Guests, but I cite it because it reflects my ability to handle high pressure situations. Almost the entire line stayed during that 20+ min duration due to my constant communication that I SEE them and my promise to deliver service to them every 2-3 mins. A typical retail associate in that situation, from what I've seen, would unfortunately choose to ignore the line. I chose to be communicative and emphatic.“
Interviewer: “It sounds like you have a lot of experience in dealing with customer service. Have you ever worked a Internet Voice Repair role before, and/or do you know what the job will entail?“
Me: “I've never worked this role before, as my decade worth of experience has only been in retail, but I have a rough idea. I use company-issued software and hardware to facilitate phone calls with your customers. Then I need to determine if it is technical related or account related. If technical, then it's my job to assist them, and if I cannot, get them someone who can. If account related, transfer them over to the correct department.“
Interviewer: “If I didn't know any better, it sounds like you already work for us! I'd like to continue past the pre-screen interview now and formally invite you to the in-person interview.“
Other questions such as those about my hobby
Interviewer: “The starting rate is $20, is that acceptable for you?“
Me: “Your website stated an hourly range of $20-34, including an option to input a specific desired amount. I believe that my decade's worth of retail experience, familiarity with modern technology software, and my ability to handle customer situations of a volatile and complex nature are worth $32 an hour. Your customers need help, I'm here to give it to them.“
Interviewer: “If you were an existing employee with us, this conversation would be very different, but the starting rate for new hires is still $20. Are you still okay with that?“
TLDR: I fucking nailed a pre-screen interview, showing competency for a job I've never done before despite being only a cashier my entire life, but big famous internet company will not negotiate beyond $20, despite listing $20-$34 on their own web site, NOT a 3rd party search aggregator