Interview Questions Flashcards
Tell me about yourself
I am graduated from Rice University in 2015 where I played college football and earned my BA in Kinesiology.
After graduation, I joined a third-party logistics startup in Austin TX on the carrier sales team.
Where I felt that I did my best work was building relationships, this includes getting in-depth with my trucking companies, fully understanding their business, and where I can help solve their pain points.
I considered myself to be a high achiever, especially in my final year of the company where I:
finishing top 10 in sales on the carrier side
Top 5 service score service when it comes to tracking freight.
generated $700K in revenue.
When the pandemic started, I decided to take a break and spend more time with my family. My wife and I were newlyweds with a newborn, I believed it was a great opportunity to spend time with my newly formed family.
I wanted to try and learn something new, so decided to take a role as a Career and Technology Teacher at the local high school where my wife’s family lives. I guided students through technical courses to foster curiosity in STEM as well as preparing students for life in the workplace.
I am looking to get back into the logistics industry because the dynamic nature makes the work challenging yet rewarding.
I am looking for a team where I can make an immediate impact, yet I am pushed and challenged
Deliverr really stuck out in my job search, being one of the top logistics startups.
I found your mission to solve the fulfillment problem in the Ecommerce space using tech and data quite interesting and I’m eager to be part of the team and solve it!
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
My strengths include my fast pace of working, my ability to manage a large workload, and the fact I can solve difficult problems as and when they occur.
My weakness is my current lack of leadership skills. If I am successful, I eventually want to progress in the company to a managerial role and to achieve that goal, I will need to work on my leadership capabilities.
I am the type of person who is always seeking to develop, so if you see anything about the way I perform that you want me to change, just let me know and I will work hard to improve.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
My goal in five years is to be well-diversed at my position and be a leader
I want to be seen as a trusted member of the team, a leader on key programs that support the growth of the business, and would help train new members that join the company.
What motivates you?
My main motivator is doing a good job in my work because that leads to success outside of work.
I have my own personal goals that I want to achieve, and if I am doing well at work, it enables me to reach those goals faster.
How would you deal with conflict with a coworker?
First of all, I believe conflict should be resolved as soon as possible in an amicable manner. Failing to deal with a conflict doesn’t give your team a good impression and it can also escalate to a point where productivity diminishes.
I have an instance where a conflict occurred between a customer rep and actually my manager being involved. I refused to put a load one of my portfolio carriers for a customer rep because the load had strict service notes, which I knew my carrier would not be able to make the transit. I would later find out that my manager and booked the load for the customer rep. The load did miss the delivery appt, which was scheduled a couple of weeks later and the customer refused to pay accessorial charges to the carrier. I would end up losing the carrier and not booking with our company.
I spoke to my co-worker and manager in private using an open and non-confrontation style of communication. I first empathized the difficulties of working with new customer on tough freight to build a book of business. I then was honest and direct with why I said no, re-emphasizing the importance of service score and that correlation between good service on the right freight and increase in volume and rates from the customer.
They were taken aback by the fact I wasn’t confrontational but that I did challenge their actions and they were quick to apologize for their behavior.
I was pleased I had the confidence to tackle the conflict, especially with my manager. I ended up working closely with the customer rep on other key initiatives with his customers and quickly helped him grow his book of business.
Why do you want to leave your job?
I want to leave because I am ready for a new and fresh challenge with an exciting organization that has ambitious plans for the future.
I have enjoyed working for the school district. They have been extremely supportive during my time there and I have learned a lot new skills such as patience and communication
However, I am excited about the opportunity this role presents, and I believe it is a strong match for my skills and experience and is more aligned to how I see myself working long term.
Why do you want to work here?
I love the start-up environment because I enjoy the process of being part of a team, building a business, and solving unique problems.
I want this job because it is with your company. You are clearly innovative, forward-thinking and you want to continually grow and develop.
I want this job because the job description is a close match for my own skills, qualities, and experience.
This means I can come into the position and make an immediate impact.
We spend a lot of time at work, and I only want to work for a positive employer that supports its staff to help them do a great job.
Finally, I want this job because I feel in the long-term, there will be opportunities for me to grow, develop, and advance professionally within the company
Why should we hire you?
You should hire me because I have the skills and qualities that match the job description
I am a fast learner and take ownership over my own development, which means you won’t have to spend training and supervising me.
I do have commercial awareness of the logistics industry, which means I know what I need to do to help your business succeed.
Finally, you should hire me because I am a high achiever. In every high-performance work environment, such as sales and sports, I have succeeded!
How do you handle stress and pressure?
I always handle stress and pressure by following some principles I have learned from the Stoics
One, I plan my work and routines well in advance. This enables me to know what I need to do and by when.
Two, I remain calm and composed when things get stressful, and I always remember to focus intently on what I am doing and make sure is done to a high standard.
Finally, I take good care of myself from a health and wellbeing perspective, such as consistent diet and exercise. This increased my capacity to handle stress in the workplace.
What do you know about our company?
Deliverr is a logistics and fulfillment company that expedites shipping for merchants. Their business model of renting warehouse space to stock products for merchants allows merchants to ship directly to consumers within 48 hours, competing with the giants like Amazon and Walmart.
Deliverr also works with merchants selling through multiple channels such as Walmart Marketplace and social media.
Describe a professional failure
In my first 6 months of working as a carrier sales, I lost a trucking client because I did not get all the information prior to sending the driver to the shipper. I sent a reefer truck to pick up a load of baled scrap metal. When the driver got unloaded at the cons, the baled metal punctured a hole in his food-grade trailer. The trailer was unusable and as the broker, we don’t assume damages for trailers. That left a bad taste in the owner’s mouth and he wouldn’t do another load for Arrive. The lessons I took away from that experience is that double-check all information prior to sending the driver into the shipper and don’t assume anyone else to check for you. Thankfully, I didn’t have a repeat of that experience!
Describe a time when you had a conflict with a supervisor or coworker
One time I disagreed with my manager by refusing to book a load for one of my carriers. I understood booking the load would help out one of his friends but I foresee my carrier not being able to make the delivery appt, and the carrier would make us pay storage fees. I gave in, booked the load, and sure enough it went south. My manager and the customer rep refused to pay the storage fees. I ended up asking my manager to meet privately and I was open about how I felt. We talked for a while and I was open and honest that I knew my carrier was going to fail on the delivery and did not want to take the load, this keeps my service score up and I don’t put customer reps in precarious positions. I felt my manager respected my operations and we moved forward.
Describe a time when you had to complete a complex problem from start to finish
Oranges from China shipping to Seattle but transported to Vancouver. Product couldn’t be taken out of the container in Seattle so the cons doesn’t have to pay import taxes. Product was stuck at the border because the customs paperwork had incorrect information. Product ends up being the wrong oranges and rejects the load. We couldn’t avoid the claim but we didn’t want our shipper to completely lose all their money and the trucking company wanted to dump the trailer so the driver can get home. I ended up calling a carrier service and several farmers markets in the Vancouver area that would take the orange pennies of a dollar. It wasn’t a complete loss and the customer was appreciative of what we did. We ended up keeping the customer and working on servicing their Christmas tree business during the holiday, a very lucrative time of the year.
What is the job description?
Coordinate middle-mile P&D within various metros throughout Deliverr’s service area
Compile and deep dive daily exception reporting for undeliverable packages
File and manage claims process for both FTL / LTL and Small Parcel shipments
Review and analyze data points with Carrier Partners to monitor performance on a recurring basis
Collaborate with both internal and external customers to facilitate successful load planning
Multi-task throughout the day to handle ad hoc requests regarding booking, dispatching, tracking / tracing responsibilities
What is Deliverr looking for in candidates?
Self-starter mentality who requires minimal supervision to get the job done
Extreme attention to detail, process-oriented mindset, a bias for action, and an ability to make quick decisions even with limited information
Entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to think “outside the box”
Proven history of developing carrier relationships resulting in consistent month-over-month growth
Ability to contribute to strategic decisions on future expansions in new Deliverr markets
