Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Interview Q's > Interview Q's > Flashcards

Interview Q's Flashcards

1
Q

Tell me about a decision for which data and analysis weren’t sufficient to provide the right course and you had to rely on your judgment and instincts. Give me two to three examples. They don’t have to be big strategic decisions – could be big or small.

A

Are Right a Lot

  1. Mining example
  2. Price gouging
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Tell me about a time you made a difficult decision and how you knew it was the right solution (probe on how they evaluated the options, if they received input, what data they reviewed, etc.)

A

Are Right a Lot

  1. Price Gouging
  2. Live Plants
  3. MAW audit package
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Give me an example of when you have to make an important decision in the absence of good data because there just wasn’t any. What was the situation and how did you arrive at your decision? Did the decision turn out to be the correct one? Why or why not?

A

Are Right a Lot

  1. Price gouging
  2. SMB
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Tell me about a time when you made a bad decision and the learning from the experience enabled you to make a good decision later. What did you learn that you were able to apply?

A

Are Right a Lot

  1. SFP GVS
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Tell me about a time when you have been faced with a challenge where the best way forward or strategy to adopt was not “clear cut” (i.e. there were a number of possible solutions). How did you decide the best way forward?

A

Are Right a Lot

  1. SMB
  2. MAW audit package
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Tell me about an error in judgment you made in the last year or two, what it was and the impact of it.

A

Are Right a Lot

  1. SFP GVS
    2.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Give me an example of a calculated risk that you have taken where speed was critical. What was the situation and how did you handle it? What steps did you take to mitigate the risk? What was the outcome?

A

Bias for Action

  1. SMB
    2.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Describe a situation where you made an important business decision without consulting your manager. What was the situation and how did it turn out?

A

Bias for Action

  1. Live Plants
  2. SMB
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Tell me about a time when you had to analyze facts quickly, define key issues, and respond immediately to a situation. What was the outcome?

A

Bias for Action

  1. Price Gouging
  2. World Cup
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Tell me about a time when you have worked against tight deadlines and didn’t have the time to consider all options before making a decision. How much time did you have? What approach did you take?

A

Bias for Action

  1. SMB
  2. World Cup
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Give an example of when you had to make an important decision and had to decide between moving forward or gathering more information. What did you do? What information is necessary for you to have before acting?

A

Bias for Action

  1. SMB
  2. MAW audit package
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Give me an example of a time you used customer feedback to drive improvement or innovation. What was the situation and what action did you take?

A

Customer Obsession

  1. Mining Example
  2. World Cup
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Give me an example of your most difficult customer interaction and how you worked through it. What was the outcome?

A

Customer Obsession

  1. MAW NY
  2. Mining Example
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Tell me about a time a customer wanted one thing, but you felt they needed something else. How did you approach the situation, what were your actions and what was the end result?

A

Customer Obsession

  1. MAW Cyber
    2.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty for a customer. Why did you take the action you did? What was the outcome?

A

Customer Obsession

  1. Mining example
  2. MAW Cyber
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Most of us at one time or another have felt frustrated or impatient when dealing with customers. Can you tell us about a time when you felt this way and how you dealt with it? When do you think it’s appropriate to push back or say no to an unreasonable customer request?

A

Customer Obsession

  1. SMB
  2. Tchibo
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Can you give me an example of when you’ve been able to see around the corner to meet a customer need or delight a customer with a solution or product they didn’t yet know they needed/wanted?

A

Customer Obsession

  1. World cup
  2. Mining example
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

To try to meet the high expectations of our customers, we sometimes promise more than we can deliver. Tell me about a time when you overcommitted yourself or your company. How did you resolve the issue?

A

Customer Obsession

  1. World Cup
  2. SMB
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Tell me about a time when you had to balance the needs of the customer vs. the needs of the business. How did you manage this situation?

A

Customer Obsession

  1. Tchibo
    2.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Tell me about a time you were driving toward a goal and were more than half way to the objective when you realized it may not be the best or right goal or may have unintended consequences. What was the situation and what did you do? [testing for achieving the right result versus driving goal for sake of goal achievement. May want follow up questions regarding to determine if the person was willing to take hit on goal attainment to achieve the right result and test long term versus short term thinking.]

A

Deliver Results

  1. SMB
  2. Tchibo
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Tell me about a goal that you set that took a long time to achieve or that you are still working towards. How do you keep focused on the goal given the other priorities you have?

A

Deliver Results

  1. SMB
  2. SFP GVS
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Tell me about a time where you not only met a goal but considerably exceeded expectations. How were you able to do it? What challenges did you have to overcome?

A

Deliver Results

  1. SMB
  2. Mining example
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Give me an example of a time when you were able to deliver an important project under a tight deadline. What sacrifices did you have to make to meet the deadline? How did they impact the final deliverables?

A

Deliver Results

  1. SMB
  2. SFP GVS
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Tell me about a time you had significant, unanticipated obstacles to overcome in achieving a key goal. Were you eventually successful?

A

Deliver Results

  1. Live Plants
  2. SMB
  3. Sports categorization cleanup
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Tell me about a time you were trying to understand a problem on your team and you had to go down several layers to figure it out. Who did you talk with and what information proved most valuable? How did you use that information to help solve the problem?

A

Dive Deep

  1. Cologne attacks
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Tell me about a problem you had to solve that required in-depth thought and analysis? How did you know you were focusing on the right things?

A

Dive Deep

  1. Cologne attacks
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Tell me about a time when you linked two or more problems together and identified an underlying issue? Were you able to find a solution?

A

Dive Deep

  1. Cologne attacks
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Walk me through a big problem or issue in your organization that you helped to solve. How did you become aware of it? What information did you gather, what information was missing and how did you fill the gaps? Did you do a post mortem analysis and if you did what did you learn?

A

Dive Deep

  1. Sports Categorization
    2.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Can you tell me about a specific metric you have used to identify a need for a change in your department? Did you create the metric or was it already available? How did this and other information influence the change?

A

Dive Deep

  1. SFP
  2. Sports categorization
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Give me a situation in which it took you asking why five times to get to the root cause.

A

Dive Deep

  1. Cologne attacks
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Describe a time when you significantly contributed to improving morale and productivity on your team. What were the underlying problems and their causes? How did you prevent them from negatively impacting the team in the future?

A

Earn Trust

  1. SMB - Low morale for team
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

What three things you are you working on to improve your overall effectiveness?

A

Earn Trust

  1. Guard my time preciously and be very clear on prioritization. Example: Dealing with SeSu and Retail requests.
  2. Influencing - Learning from the training and learning by doing.
  3. Asking a lot of questions at the beginning - e.g. Price gouging
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Give an example of a tough or critical piece of feedback you received. What was it and what did you do about it?

A

Earn Trust

  1. SFP GVS
  2. SMB
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

Give me an example of an idea you had that was strongly opposed. Why was there so much resistance? How did you handle the negative feedback?

A

Earn Trust

  1. Live Plants
  2. Tchibo
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

Give me an example of a significant professional failure. What led you to making the wrong decision? What did you learn from this situation?

A

Earn Trust

  1. SFP GVS
  2. MAW NY - CEO listening in
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

Give an example of a time where you were not able to meet a commitment to a team member. What was the commitment and what prevented you from meeting it? What was the outcome and what did you learn from it?

A

Earn Trust

  1. Live Plants
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

Building trust can be difficult to achieve at times. Tell me about how you have effectively built trusting working relationships with others on your team.

A

Earn Trust

  1. SMB
  2. SFP GVS
38
Q

Describe a time when you needed the cooperation of a peer who was resistant. What did you do? What was the outcome?

A

Earn Trust

  1. Sports Categorization Cleanup
  2. World Cup
39
Q

Tell me about a piece of direct feedback you recently gave to a colleague. How did s/he respond? How do you like to receive feedback from others?

A

Earn Trust

  1. SMB - picture quality
40
Q

Tell me about a time you had to communicate a big change in direction for which you anticipated people would have a lot of concerns. How did you handle questions and/or resistance? Were you able to get people comfortable with the change?

A

Earn Trust

  1. SMB
  2. Live Plants
41
Q

Give me an example of how you have helped save costs or eliminate waste within your operation.

A

Frugality

  1. Mining example
    2.
42
Q

Tell me about a time when you had to make tradeoffs between quality and cost. How did you weigh the options? What was the result?

A

Frugality

  1. SMB
43
Q

Tell me about a time you had to get something done with half or two thirds of the resources you thought you’d need for the project or initiative.

A

Frugality

  1. SMB
44
Q

Tell me about a time when you generated a creative solution to a problem or project without requiring additional resources. What was the problem? What was the solution and how did you come up with it?

A

Frugality

  1. SMB
45
Q

Tell me about a time you didn’t have enough resources to do something you felt was important but found a creative way to get it done anyway. What drove you to seek out creative solutions?

A

Frugality

  1. SMB
46
Q

Give an example of a time you requested additional funding/budget to complete a project. Why was it needed? Did you try to figure out another approach? Did you get the additional resources? Why or why not?

A

Frugality

  1. SMB
47
Q

Tell me about a time that you strongly disagreed with your manager on something you deemed to be very important to the business. What was it about and how did you handle it?

A

Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

  1. Tchibo
48
Q

Give me an example of when you took an unpopular stance in a meeting with peers and your leader and you were the outlier. What was it, why did you feel strongly about it, and what did you do?

A

Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

  1. Tchibo
49
Q

When do you decide to go along with the group decision even if you disagree? Give me an example of a time you chose to acquiesce to the group even when you disagreed. Would you make the same decision now?

A

Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

  1. Tchibo
50
Q

Describe a time where you felt really strongly about something but ultimately lost the argument. How hard did you press the issue? What was your approach after you lost the argument?

A

Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

  1. Tchibo
51
Q

Give an example when you submitted a good idea to your manager and he/she did not take action on it? How did you handle it? What was the end outcome?

A

Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

  1. Live Plants

“I feel there are two parts to this question. One is being able to show backbone and defend your idea, but I also think a large portion of it is showing bias for action. One example I am thinking of is where I had a great idea, but my manager didn’t take action, more because I think she was overloaded rather than against the idea….”

52
Q

Tell me about a time the business gained something because you persisted for a length of time. Why were you so determined? How did it turn out?

A

Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

  1. MAW Cyber package
  2. Mining example
53
Q

Provide an example of a time when you have had to make a difficult decision under pressure and then defend and justify it. Was it the right decision?

A

Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

  1. Price Gouging
  2. Tchibo

“I feel there are two parts to this question. One is being able to show backbone and defend your idea, but I also think another side of the question it is showing bias for action. One example I am thinking of is where I was under pressure to make a decision where there wasn’t great information available, but I felt a quick decision was more important than further deep dive…”

54
Q

Give me an example of one of the best hires of your career. How did this person progress through their career? What did you identify during the hiring process that drove his or her success?

A

Hire and Develop the Best

  1. SMB
55
Q

Tell me how you help your team members develop their careers. Can you give me two to three examples of specific people in whom invested and how you helped them develop their careers including one who wasn’t being successful but you saw potential and chose to invest?

A

Hire and Develop the Best

  1. SMB
56
Q

Give me an example of a time you have provided feedback to develop and leverage the strengths of someone on your team. Were you able to positively impact that person’s performance? What were your most effective methods?

A

Hire and Develop the Best

  1. SMB
57
Q

Tell me about a time when you have been unsatisfied with the status quo. What did you do to change it? Were you successful?

A

Insist on the Highest Standards

  1. Sports Categorization
  2. Mining example
58
Q

Tell me about a time you wouldn’t compromise on achieving a great outcome when others felt something was good enough. What was the situation?

A

Insist on the Highest Standards

  1. Sports categorization
59
Q

What measures have you personally put in place to ensure performance improvement targets and standards are achieved?

A

Insist on the Highest Standards

  1. SMB
60
Q

Describe the most significant, continuous improvement project that you have led. What was the catalyst to this change and how did you go about it?

A

Insist on the Highest Standards

  1. SFP
  2. SMB
  3. Mining example
61
Q

Give me an example of a goal you’ve had where you wish you had done better. What was the goal and how could you have improved on it?

A

Insist on the Highest Standards

  1. SFP
62
Q

Tell me about a time when you have worked to improve the quality of a product / service / solution that was already getting good customer feedback? Why did you think it needed continued improvement?

A

Insist on the Highest Standards

  1. Live Plants
  2. Mining example
  3. MAW Cyber
63
Q

Give an example where you refused to compromise your standards around quality/customer service, etc. Why did you feel so strongly about the situation? What were the consequences? The result?

A

Insist on the Highest Standards

  1. SMB
  2. Sports Categorization
64
Q

Tell me about the most innovative thing you’ve done and why you thought it was innovative (can also probe with: That sounds more evolutionary than revolutionary – tell me about something you’ve done you feel was truly revolutionary? Ask for one or two additional examples to see if it’s a one off or pattern.)

A

Invent and Simplify

  1. SMB
  2. Mining example
65
Q

People often say the simplest solution is the best. Tell me about a particular complex problem you solved with a simple solution

A

Invent and Simplify

  1. SMB
  2. World Cup
66
Q

Tell me about a time you were able to make something significantly simpler for customers. What drove you to implement this change?

A

Invent and Simplify

  1. Live Plants
67
Q

Describe a challenging problem or situation in which the usual approach was not going to work. Why were you unable to take the usual approach? What alternative approach did you take? Was it successful?

A

Invent and Simplify

  1. Live Plants
68
Q

Give an example of a creative idea you had that proved really difficult to implement. What was the idea and what made it difficult to implement? Was it successful?

A

Invent and Simplify

  1. Live Plants
69
Q

Tell me about an out-of-the-box idea you had or decision you made that had a big impact on your business.

A

Invent and Simplify

  1. Mining example
  2. MAW Cyber
70
Q

Give me an example of how you have changed the direction or view of a specific function/department and helped them embrace a new way of thinking? Why was a change needed?

A

Invent and Simplify

  1. Mining example
71
Q

What is the coolest thing you have learned on your own that has helped you better perform your job?

A

Learn and Be Curious

  1. Cologne attacks
72
Q

Tell me about a time when you realized you needed to have a deeper level of subject matter expertise to do your job well?

A

Learn and Be Curious

  1. Cologne attacks
  2. Mining example
73
Q

When we enter into a new role or problem space, it is common to come in and see things with a fresh perspective. Tell me about a time when you realized that you might have lost that fresh perspective? What ended up happening?

A

Learn and Be Curious

  1. SMB
74
Q

Tell me of a time when you took on work outside of your comfort area and found it rewarding?

A

Learn and Be Curious

  1. Mining example
  2. SMB
75
Q

Tell me about a time when you didn’t know what to do next or how to solve a challenging problem?

A

Learn and Be Curious

  1. Sports categorization
  2. Mining example
76
Q

Example of a time when you pushed the existing boundaries beyond what was normal and expected for your space and you explored new territory?

A

Learn and Be Curious

  1. Mining example
  2. SMB
77
Q

How have you kept up to date with market and competitor trends, and used that information to improve your company’s products / services?

A

Learn and Be Curious

1.

78
Q

Give me an example of a time when you challenged the notion that something had to be done a certain way because it had always been done that way?

A

Learn and Be Curious

  1. Sports categorization
  2. Mining example
79
Q

What are you working on to improve your overall effectiveness at work?

A

Learn and Be Curious

  1. Elev8
80
Q

Tell me about a time when you took on something significant outside your area of responsibility. Why was it important? What was the outcome?

A

Ownership

  1. Mining example
  2. SMB
81
Q

Give me an example of a time when you didn’t think you were going to meet the commitments you promised. How did you identify the risk and communicate it to stakeholders? What was the outcome?

A

Ownership

  1. SMB
82
Q

Tell me about a time you made a hard decision to sacrifice short term gain for a longer term goal.

A

Ownership

  1. SFP GVS
  2. Tchibo
83
Q

Give an example of when you saw a peer struggling and decided to step in and help. What was the situation and what actions did you take? What was the outcome?

A

Ownership

  1. SFP GVS
84
Q

What steps do you take to ensure projects you complete get transitioned effectively to new owners? Give an example where you elected to re-engage on a project that you had already transitioned to someone else. What was the situation and why did you feel it was important to re-engage?

A

Ownership

  1. SMB
  2. Live Plants
85
Q

Give me an example of a radical approach to a problem you proposed. What was the problem and why did you feel it required a completely different way of thinking about it? Was your approach successful?

A

Think Big

  1. Live Plants
86
Q

How do you drive adoption for your vision/ideas? How do you know how well your idea or vision has been adopted by other teams or partners? Give a specific example highlighting one of your ideas.

A

Think Big

  1. MAW Cyber
87
Q

Tell me about time you were working on an initiative or goal and saw an opportunity to do something much bigger than the initial focus.

A

Think Big

  1. Mining example
88
Q

Tell me about a time you looked at a key process that was working well and questioned whether it was still the right one? What assumptions were you questioning and why? Did you end up making a change to the process?

A

Think Big

  1. Price Gouging
89
Q

Tell me about a time you took a big risk – what was the risk, how did you decide to do it and what was the outcome?

A

Think Big

  1. SMB
90
Q

Now Tell me about a time you took a big risk and it failed. What did you learn? What would you do differently?

A

Think Big

  1. World cup

Interview Q's (1 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions