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

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 support@carlyagar.com
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 support@carlyagar.com
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 support@carlyagar.com
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!

Everyone’s talking about how the CSM role is changing, but what are companies actually looking for in 2026?
I analyzed 25 CSM job descriptions from 2025 and 2026, and there were some really interesting patterns that I don’t hear enough people talking about. I’m breaking down what’s changing around AI, commercial experience, scaled CS and customer value, plus two things I hear CSMs lead with all the time that might actually make you sound a little outdated.
You’ll walk away knowing which skills are becoming more valuable and how to position your experience for where CS is headed next. If you want to stay competitive and make smarter moves in your customer success career, hit play and let’s dive in.
And if you feel like you have the right experience but aren’t sure how to position it for what companies want today, apply for coaching HERE and let’s repackage your experience together.
0:01 – Why the CSM Job Description Has Changed So Dramatically
2:55 – How AI Went From Nice-to-Have to Non-Negotiable
5:09 – Why Commercial Independence Is the Make-or-Break Skill
8:31 – The Fastest Way to Prove Revenue Impact on Your Resume
10:31 – What Happens When Scaled Motions Move Upmarket
11:44 – Why Customer Value Now Means Real Financial ROI
14:04 – The Biggest Skills That Just Disappeared From Job Descriptions
16:22 – What You Should Really Lead With in CS Interviews
17:17 – Stop Panicking: Why You Already Have More Skills Than You Think
OTHER EPISODES YOU’LL LOVE:
🎙️Episode 134: What to (And Not To) Say About AI in Your CS Interviews
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 support@carlyagar.com
HEAD TO THE SHOW NOTES: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/episode136
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 can nail every interview question and still lose the CSM job offer to someone else.
In this episode, I’m breaking down four reasons that happens, and none of them have to do with your experience or whether your answers were technically good. I’ll show you what hiring managers are actually assessing, how to make your interview stories prove you can replicate your results, why being too humble can cost you the offer, and the overlooked part of the interview that could be quietly working against you.
You’ll walk away knowing exactly what to change before your next interview. If you want to turn more great interviews into actual job offers, hit play and let’s dive in.
And if you’re tired of great interviews not turning into job offers, apply for coaching HERE and let’s sharpen your interview strategy together.
0:01 – Why Great Answers Alone Won’t Land the Job Offer
2:47 – How Being Too Polished Can Backfire in Interviews
6:47 – The Fastest Way to Show How You Think, Not Just What You’ve Done
10:46 – Why Skipping Numbers in Stories Hurts Your Interview
12:57 – What Happens When You Don’t Ask Smart Questions Back
16:24 – The Four Simple Shifts Anyone Can Make to Get Hired
OTHER EPISODES YOU’LL LOVE:
🎙️Episode 62: Power Questions: 10 Smart Questions to Ask in Your Next Interview
🎙️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 support@carlyagar.com
HEAD TO THE SHOW NOTES: https://customer-success-career.captivate.fm/episode135
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!