Interview Flashcards
Tell us what you know about GD.
GD is a global aerospace and defense company. There are four business groups within GD: aerospace, technologies, marine systems, and combat systems and ordnance and tactical systems falls under combat systems. The mission under ordnance and tactical systems is to empower the US armed forces and protect the warfighter, and the GD ethos are honesty, trust, transparency, and alignment.
What are the branches of armed forces?
Army, Marine, Air Force, Space force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy
Tell me about yourself
Hi, my name is Emma, I am currently a junior at Rollins college serving as a Resident Assistant on campus. In my RA role I oversee 28 women. Through this role I have honed my skills in community building, conflict resolution, and creating a positive living environment for residents. Additionally, in my previous role as the Vice President of New Member Education for the Delta Zeta chapter at Rollins I have been responsible for planning and executing educational programs and new member events.
During my time at Rollins I have had the opportunity to take on multiple student leader positions and in those I have successfully assisted in recruiting processes, implementing corrective actions, managing databases and ensuring the most up to to date information. I will be graduating in May of 2025 with a bachelor of the arts degree in communications and I have developed a strong foundation in listening, innovative thinking, mentoring, and organizational skills.
Through my leadership positions, I have become very passionate about starting a career in Human Resources, and I am particularly excited about the opportunity to be a part of the team at General Dynamics, especially given your ethos which align very well with my values. I am excited about the opportunity to discuss how my experience aligns with the needs of General Dynamics and I want to thank you for considering my application.
What is the strongest attribute you bring to the table?
I work really well in a team. Many of the positions and jobs I have held in the past have been very team-oriented. Even when you’re not always working with the team and you’re working on a project individually, you always go back to that team to update them and communicate with them, and that team communication is very important to me. And I’m definitely not afraid to take on a few extra tasks when it’s necessary.
Describe the last team you worked on and your role in it.
The last team I worked on was the executive board of my sorority. The board consists of 9 women who oversee the chapter. I would compare it to running a small business, there’s budgeting, ensuring everyone is satisfied, risk management, etc. On the executive board I was the Vice President of New Member Education, meaning I organized everything having to do with new members. Our team worked very well together, and we did a lot of critical thinking and decision making in order to always work toward the best version of the organization. I am both action oriented and a problem solver. When ideas or even concerns are presented to me it is important for me to collaborate with my team and propose solutions and then take that action to see the solutions or proposed ideas come to life.
What did you like and not like about your last company?
The nature of the company is very collaborative. I really did love our team dynamic, I know I’ve mentioned teams a lot, but it is so important especially when it comes to facilitating and running an organization. We were able to work so well together and be open to one another’s ideas at all times. Outside of the team, I appreciated how many opportunities there were to come up with innovative ideas. Being a new member in any organization or workplace can be a difficult time, so I really liked the challenge of thinking of new ideas that maybe others before me hadn’t done yet. I wouldn’t necessarily say there was anything I disliked, I would say I wish there was room for a little bit more professional and personal growth. I think that there is always room to grow, learn, and improve so I think more opportunities for that would have been nice.
Favorite class? And classes you’ve taken?
My favorite class so far was a course I took called listening. It seems silly to have a semester long course on the topic of listening, because we do it all the time right? but it has been one of the most important classes I’ve taken in my college career. After taking the course I was given an entirely new perspective on what it means to listen - which is probably just about the most important skill for anyone in HR. I will be honest, I don’t think I can think of a least favorite. I would maybe say an elective class but I have always gained something from those classes.
- Research Methods for Comm
- Stats and Research methods for psych 1&2
- Psychology of Work
- Communication and Stigma
- Difficult Dialogues
- Interpersonal Communication
- Listening
What is your definition of accountability?
Accountability, in my view, entails taking ownership of your actions. Additionally, a significant aspect of accountability involves maintaining integrity by fulfilling the commitments and taks you’ve taken. I think one thing that really helps with keeping yourself accountable is setting expectations and even goals
What has been your biggest success story to date?
My biggest success story is seeing all of my hard work paying off. With a strong commitment to academics, I have diligently pursued and achieved my academic goals, while simultaneously holding leadership roles and managing a demanding class schedule. Even getting this interview with a company I’m so passionate about demonstrates my dedication and is a huge success in my book.
Why do you want to work for General Dynamics Mission Systems?
As I mentioned I was thrilled when I read your ethos of alignment, honesty, transparency, and trust. Not only do these align with my personal values but that is also so important to me in a work setting and it truthfully is something I live by. Especially transparency and trust, as these have been a necessity in many of my roles. I see General Dynamics as a very dedicated company that empowers and wants the best for the military forces. Additionally I grew up in a military family, and it was a huge part of my life. I remember my dad mentioning general dynamics every now and again, so during my hunt for internships when I saw the job posting for general dynamics it was just one that really stuck out to me.
How do you ensure that your work is the highest quality?
Ensuring that my work is the highest quality is a priority for me, and I achieve this through diligence and effective time management. As a student leader I have had to balance a lot of responsibilities at once. Many times I am holding two leadership positions at once, while also attending classes, keeping a high GPA, and leaving plenty of time for doing the things I love. Being able to balance all of this has really honed my organizational and time management skills. I believe that my commitment, attention to detail, and time management has allowed me to exceed expectations in all aspects of my work.
Explain how you reason through problems when you don’t know the answer right away.
When I don’t know the answer to a problem right away, I break down and do some critical thinking. I look at the problem from various viewpoints and think about different approaches. If necessary, I don’t hesitate to seek guidance from those above me or use other resources. This is something I have experienced as a student leader - if a resident asks me a question and I’m not sure of the answer I make sure to let them know that I will get back to them and I maintain strong communication with them. I will look at all my resources which might be policy and guidebooks and if it is necessary I will ask my supervisor. As I stated previously, I am a timely person so I work diligently to get an answer to someone as quickly as possible. It is rare that I don’t get the answer to someone on the same day.
Describe your ideal work environment.
My ideal work environment is one that encourages collaboration amongst team members, and always provides opportunities to get creative, and even one thats a little bit challenging and always pushes you to perform even better than the day before. As I stated i love working with a team, but I also do great on solo projects
What work experience have you had that prepares you to be successful in this position?
I have held multiple positions that correlate with the responsibilities of this HR position. As a resident assistant I am constantly communicating and working with my residents and the residential life office to ensure that my residents are living in the safest and most comfortable environment. In the RA role I complete weekly reports for my supervisor about residents, residence hall, any students of concern, and any incidents. I also address and resolve any issues or concerns that come up in our residence hall community which can be done through house meetings and I have also made sure that my residents know I am available to talk any time one on one if they are not comfortable bringing a problem up in front of other residents. And of course corrective actions are implemented whenever necessary. Another very important part of the RA role is planning monthly community building events for residents to bond (this even allows me to bond with them) . PROGRAM OF THE SEMESTER really goes to show that those programs do make a difference for residents. Use a platform called House Director which allows me to keep the most updated contact information for residents. Lastly, something I have really loved in my RA role is being a part of the recruitment process for future RA’s. This included going to an information session and being on panel to answer any questions, and also conducting interviews for future RAs.
A lot of these responsibilities also correlate with the roles of Vice President of New Member Education. The RA role is a bit more individual, but being on the exec board many of these responsibilities become team based. Recruiting is very important and this is done as a team. We have chapter and executive board meetings every week where we complete reports and share with everyone what we are planning. A big part of being on the executive board is coming up with creative solutions and implementing corrective actions when something goes wrong. Planned lots of events bid day, nm meetings, retreat/goat yoga, big little
Describe an obstacle you encountered in your most recent experience and how you overcame it.
Just recently we all of the Residential organization buildings had their housing selections. In order to partake in this students had to fill out a returning student housing application. One of the students who wanted to live in the building did not complete this application by the due date. She was very passionate about living in the building I am an RA for currently, so I held strong communication with her and told her I would try my best to make this work, but I also made sure she understood that there was no guarantee. I reviewed the expectations and rules for housing selections in the residential organization houses. Based on the rules it seemed that everything would work out just fine, and that she would be able to do a late housing application in April and that we would be able to hold a space in the building for her. But to be sure, I had a conversation with both my supervisor and the associate director of housing operations on campus. They told me she would be able to do the late housing application, but that we could not save her a space. I knew how passionate this student was about living in the building so I tried my best to make it work without overstepping. Eventually we were able to agree on having a different person who does not plan on living on campus hold this space until the student can get her late housing application in April. So it’s an ongoing process but it has been a tough situation that has definitely involved some difficult conversations, but I am very hopeful that everything is going to work out in the end!
