How would you deal with a difficult situation?
If it involves an issue with a person, I discuss it with her in private, let her know how her behavior or action affects the working of the team, ask her to come up with a solution or work with her to find a solution, agree with her on a follow-up plan then give her feedback during the following period.
For example:
[SITUATION] What was the circumstance?
There was a member of my team, let’s call her Anna, who was often late for work. Her lateness caused irritation in the team because often she was not there to provide the information when other team members need her input. She was otherwise a very good employee; she does her job well, complete her tasks on time, and was pleasant to work with, except for her tardiness.
[TASK]: What I had to do
The situation had to be dealt with, so I asked her to see me in my office. I made her feel at ease, told her how I appreciated her work and how valuable her contribution was to the team; however, her frequent lateness is causing irritation in the team, and we need to find a solution.
[ACTION]: What I did to resolve the problem
She explained to me that she took the bus to work, and the bus schedule is infrequent in her area. It either leaves too early, or too close to her office time. She has a young child whom she has to take to school, and can’t leave earlier, so she takes the later bus, and if there is a traffic problem, she gets to the office late.
We discussed a way to fix that situation, and she agreed that in the future she would send an email from the bus if it’s going to be late, to let the team know, and she would provide answers by phone if it’s urgent.
I agreed to discuss that solution with the rest of the team and will provide her with feedback.
I explained her situation to the rest of the team. They understood her difficult situation and accepted to accommodate her.
[RESULT]:
Things worked out very well, the tension in the team disappeared, and now everyone is getting along very well. Anna seems to feel less guilty, and more relaxed; her performance has also improved. She thanked me for my understanding and said she was really glad we talked about it.
Tell me about the time you have failed
[SITUATION] What was the circumstance?
When I started working, I was eager to please my new boss and colleagues.
I was part of a project team that was in charge of building a new plant. My job was to secure the environmental permit for the project.
[TASK] What I was asked to do
I was asked to provide the deadline to get that permit.
I was too optimistic in my estimation and gave a deadline that a month later, after having submitted that permit application, I realized it was impossible to get the permit in the short time I promised.
[ACTION]: What I did to correct the situation
As soon as I realized my mistake, I asked my manager for the best way to resolve the problem.
He was not too happy, but he advised me that there was no alternative but to modify the project schedule and try to catch up for some lost time in other areas.
My boss convened a meeting. I explained to the team my mistake. Luckily, they were very understanding of my situation and accepted to work on ways to rearrange the schedule to account for the longer delay in the permit, without affecting the project completion time too much.
I thanked them for their understanding and promised to monitor the progress of the permit approval process diligently to make sure there is no other delay, as well as provide more realistic deadlines in the future.
[RESULT]:
We completed the project within 2 weeks of the original completion date. It was a good lesson learned for me, and ever since then, I always research carefully the time it takes to obtain permits and provide the project team with a range of dates and the corresponding probabilities, instead of a single date, so that they can make informed decisions on the project completion date.
What did you dislike about your last job?
I like most things about my current job. The company is great, the corporate culture is excellent, and the people are really great to work with. However, after having spent 5 years in this job, I would like to take up some new challenges. I feel like I can do much more, but the possibilities for increased responsibilities are limited where I am because the people who are in the positions that I would like to occupy are not ready to move on, and I am not ready to move to another location within the company because of family reasons. Your job posting is an opportunity that I have been waiting for.