Interview #2 Flashcards
What would you do if you disagreed with the way your manager wanted you to handle a situation or problem/against policy?
ACTION: I would respect their authority, but politely/firmly express my concern and suggest alternatives. It does depend on the level of disagreement (if it went against my personal ethics/morals).
DRIVER: I motivated by my ethics/values.
You are working on an important project that you can’t complete because you’re waiting on work from a colleague. What do you do?
ACTION: This starts by clear communication from the start regarding deadlines, scopes of work, and responsibilities. Everyone needs to be aware of where they are in the grand scheme of things. If they can’t hand it in, I would try to find a way to distribute the work and if necessary, let my manager/supervisor know.
DRIVER: I would confront the person so that I could to understand why they are taking longer than expected.
What would you do if you worked hard on a solution to a problem, and then your solution was criticized by your work colleagues?
ACTION: This may be a good learning experience for me, so I would ask my co-workers for constructive criticism and try to understand why they think an alternative solution is better. Everyone has a different way of thinking about problems, and different perspectives (budding heads) usually leaves me with better ideas if both parties are open and respectful.
DRIVER: I am motivated by growth and know that I may not always be right.
What would you do if your manager asked you to perform a task you’d never done before?
ACTION: I would use my resources (internet, people) to learn from more experienced.
DRIVER: I am a self-motivated and curious person, so I think this would be a great opportunity for me to take some time to learn something new.
If you made a mistake at work that no one else noticed, what would you do?
ACTION: I would inform my manager or supervisor about the mistake before I took steps to fix it. I see mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow so that I (or my team) do not make the mistake myself.
Implementing a double-check system.
Integrity & improvement
DRIVER: Honesty
You are working as part of a team and you notice two team members are constantly arguing. What would you do?
ACTION: It could hurt the morale of the team / ruin a project. I would try to find a way to encourage both team members to put aside their differences by speaking with them privately. I would explain how the situation can have negative impacts on the team. I would inform the manager to take the necessary steps.
DRIVER: Seeing everyone work at their fullest potential. I value open communication and facing conflict head-on.
What would you do if you noticed a work colleague being harassed or bullied?
ACTION: I would talk to both individuals separately to understand the situation and express my concern. I would urge them to reflect on their actions and how it is being interpreted. If it was not resolved, I would report it to my manager discretely.
DRIVER: I would confront the situation head-on as discretely as possible without casting judgment before I listen to what each party has to say. Open mindedness, direct communication, and empathy.
When have you completed a difficult task or project?
OR
Tell me about a time when you have taken it upon yourself to learn a new skill or develop an existing one?
SITUATION: I recently completed a Google Analytics certification to further develop my ability to track marketing/social media campaigns by analyzing data in my own time whilst holding down my full-time and part-time jobs.
TASK: My biggest obstacle was finding the time to study and take the test.
ACTION: I studied during the evening to work around my work schedule and stuck to a schedule.
RESULT: I was able to pass the test easily and now have the certification. I learned how to add tracking into a website and that it was possible to view the demographics, what technology people were using, drop-off rates, conversions.
Describe a stressful situation at work and how you handled it.
SITUATION: One of our team members experienced a loss in their family and had to take some time off during a project.
TASK: I stepped up to mitigate the situation and see if we could distribute the work between us.
ACTION: By understanding everyone’s strengths, I was able to get other to volunteer to pick up some slack.
RESULT: We were able to successfully complete the project. I learned that empathy can help motivate others, and that it’s important to stay clear headed and understanding.
Describe a time when you embraced change within an organization.
OR
Tell me about a time when your job when through significant change. How did you adjust?
SITUATION: Remote work
TASK: Carrying out remote projects (art installation)
ACTION: Schedule, zoom meetings, clear communication.
RESULT: Successful physical project.
When have you demonstrated flexibility in a work situation?
SITUATION: As a barista at Balzac’s, there were times that my manager needed someone on-call to come in if the café was busy. I told her I’d be happy to be that person.
TASK: During the weekend rush, I would come into work on short notice to help my manager.
ACTION: Summer two jobs. Full-time weekdays, and evenings/weekends at Balzac’s.
RESULT: Developed a strong relationship with my coworkers and made it clear that I was dependable and available to help.
What’s been your biggest failure to date and how did you deal with it?
OR
Give an example of when you didn’t meet a goal and how you handled it?
SITUATION: Architecture school
TASK: Interview, portfolio, exam
ACTION: I did not prepare enough.
RESULT: I was not accepted into the program, but I learned that I need to prepare, practice, and work harder to attain my goals. I didn’t do enough homework to know what the admissions team was looking for.
Describe a time when you had to deal with somebody in a work situation who you felt was not pulling their weight or working as part of the team?
SITUATION: Yes, one of our group members (IMM) stopped responding in our group chats
TASK: We had to prepare a pitch for our course’s graduation website.
ACTION: I privately messaged the person to ask if they were okay and expressed my feelings as to how it was impacting the team negatively. They opened up to me that they had a loss in the family and were dealing with a lot of the logistics for planning the funeral, etc. themselves.
RESULT: We ended up distributing the work between the rest of the group members and found a solution that worked best for this situation. He ended up taking the brunt of the presentation, as it was easier for him to manage. Success.
Tell me about a time when you acted on your own initiative to solve a problem?
SITUATION: Our free trial was ending on a program essential to the completion of our project (light installation).
TASK: We needed to get access to the software for at least 2 more weeks.
ACTION: I emailed HeavyM to see if they could offer us an extension on the trial by explaining our situation as students.
RESULT: We were able to get the extension ahead of time so it did not interfere with our workflow.
*ALTERNATIVE: thesis interview research
Describe a time when you went above and beyond your call of duty?
SITUATION: Social Media Manager – lack of organization and follow-through.
TASK: To provide the organization more structure and organization to successfully plan their social media posts.
ACTION: I took it upon myself to organize a yearly social media calendar for Sustainable Kingston so that the next volunteer would have a good starting point.
RESULT: My supervisor loved the excel sheet, and said it would help her a lot when they would transition between volunteers and that it would also ensure clearer expectations were communicated to the volunteer.
