Common Interview Questions



 GENERAL QUESTIONS

    What do you do for fun?

         A variety of different things. Time with family & friends is always time well spent.

        Learning new things, travel, playing sports, being outdoors, 4 wheel driving, and

        motorcycle rides!

    What do you like to do when you are not at work?
         I like to have fun!

    What is your favorite TV program?
         I'm not much in to TV but I would have to say that I am a bit of a Sci-Fi geek!

    Why did you leave your last job?
         After two restructuring’s and still unacceptable profit margins. It was time to wipe

        the slate clean so we closed the doors.



  ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE

    Describe the job you have held in the past that was most gratifying.

         I got the most gratification from knowing that I was able to give my clients such

        superior products & services. And to still have this brought to my attention even now

        from clients contacting me & thanking me for my work.

    Describe your previous job experience.
        It would have to be classified a lot like a Renaissance man. I have managed many

        different areas and in doing so I have been forced to learn so many different things

        that it is hard to describe my experience, it is almost as though I have to be a jack of

        all trades. I have had to learn & understand so many different areas in order to

        manage those departments. Officially I can say: Management, production

        Management, Project Coordinator, Project Manager, HR, Imaging, Graphics

        Department Mgr, Seminar Coordinator, Seminar Speaker, Customer Service

        Manager, Warehouse Management, Lifeguard, Swim Instructor, Swim Coach, and

        Parts Driver

    How can you help our company be more profitable?
        I have been responsible in part for making two companies that I have been with grow

        anywhere from 25% to 100% growth 2 years in a row. Productivity has been a great

        part of that. At Aspire we were able to increase our production facilities output by    

        almost 375%.

    Tell me how you would handle multiple projects in the job.
        Every job is unique & therefore would be handled differently. At Data Services/

        Orange Legal I successfully managed 3 & 4 different production facilities

        simultaneously that were in different states. At Nichols/Moss our normal work load

        included 20-30 unique projects.

    What aspects of your job do you consider most crucial?
        To develop the people around me, so that we can reach the common goals of the

        company.

    What did you like most about your last job?
        There is nothing more satisfying about being put into a situation that you need to start

        from scratch & develop everything from root products all the way through to shipping

        labels and everything in between. Aspire's business model was flawed however the two

        areas that I was in charge of were not only the first to be up & functioning they were

        also the areas that used the least ongoing resources.



  ABOUT MY SKILLS

    Describe a professional skill you have developed in your most recent job.

        Adaptation. With any conceptual business idea you run into barriers. Some avoidable

        some immovable. What made our team so great was the ability we had to adapt to the

        barriers that were put in front of our path.

    Describe a situation in which you've applied your skills to solve a problem.
        We were on a job where we had 3 stations to finish a job and 1 station went down. We

        had a deadline that could not be moved and the 2 stations could not finish the job on

        time. So the only way that we could finish on time was to start a second shift. & do this

        in 3 days. I was able to get the employees from a local University, train them & get

        production up to speed in 2 days thus finishing the job in what turned out to be 3 days    

        early.

    Describe your ability to solve problems in the workplace.
        I have always believed that there is never only one way to finish a job correctly. If

        anything happens to hinder the end result I quickly look for another route to finish

        the job on task & on schedule.

    How have your technical skills been an asset?
        I am such an advocate of knowledge & continued learning. With the rapid change that

        is so prevalent in any computer related job. I can not stress how knowing about the

        equipment & the IT knowledge has not only saved me so many times but also

        increased our total productivity.

    How much experience have you had with computers?
        I was very fortunate to be introduced to computers back in the early 80s, from there I

        added the knowledge of different platforms & also added knowledge of different types

        of applications from the basic OFFICE programs to the GRAPHIC applications to

        other job specific applications.

    How well can you multi-task?
        This seems to be a favorite topic! I think that you can see that I believe that I can

        multi-task very well. Above average than most.

    How would you rate your communication skills?
        Communication skills are a necessity. I could not have managed 4 different job sites in

        3 different states without being able to communicate well with my site managers.

    What new skills or ideas do you bring to the job that other candidates aren't likely to offer?
        I would have to say that it's the way that I use all the skills that I have together that

        will benefit the company I work for. If i was asked to give only one word, it would be

        Organization.

    What would your colleagues tell me about your attention to detail?
        I believe that it is the attention to the details NOW that make things work smoother

        LATER. So they would probably say that I am dead on.



  ABOUT MY WORK STYLE

    Can you work under pressure?

        Yes. Some of my best work is done under severe pressure.

    Do you like working alone or in a team environment?
        I think that everyone can work best in a team environment. But some work I prefer

        doing on my own.

    Do you like working in large groups?
        I feel very comfortable working in a large group. I have worked in large groups for

        many years where we were all part of the larger team effort.

    Do you prefer continuity in structure or frequent change in your daily work?
        I like to know what the structure of the work environment is. But like to get new

        challenges sent my way.

    Do you work well alone?
        Yes. I can work very well alone it allows me to get very focused on my tasks & really

        get into my zone.

    Do you work well under pressure?
        Yes. Some of my best work is done under severe pressure.

    How do you go about making important decisions?
        By evaluating all the options & weighing the outcome.

    How do you handle change?
        As Evan Frost said: "The only constant in the Universe is CHANGE!" So we have    

        learned to handle it all our life. So for someone not to be able to handle change is for

        someone not to be able to live.

    How do you measure the success of your work?
        The easiest way is profits for the company.

    Tell me about the way you work.
        I work until the job is done & done right.



  ABOUT MY RESUME

    Tell me something about yourself that I didn't know from reading your resume.

        In the time I was at my last job our company grew over 400%, & I believe that I had a

        large part of that growth.

    Why are you currently unemployed?
        After we concluded that Aspire was not going to be profitable I wanted to take care of

        come of the things around my home that could be improved & spend a great Holiday

        season with my family before really engrossing myself into finding the right company

        to work for.

    Why have you held so many jobs in recent times?
        I think that I have an excellent track history for staying at a job for a long period of

        time. Seven years working for the same boss & before that five years before he bought

        me out. Since moving to the Salt Lake Vally my average is about 5 years per job. I

        would love to find the right company that I could stay at for the duration of my career

        if possible.



  EDUCATION AND TRAINING

    Everyone has a favorite class in college. What was yours?

        Physics & Pre Med classes. I love knowing how things work. And after all our bodies

        are almost a perfect machine.

    Have you taken any classes since college to bring your skills up to date?
        I try to stay up on things as I am able, even if it is not in a classroom. My last class

        room experience was learning more about a computer program.

    Is there anything you would change about your college education?
        Sticking with one major rather than skipping around undecided.

    Were you involved in any other activities during college?
        Student Teaching, Student Teaching & Outdoor Recreation, Volleyball & Outdoor

        Recreation.



  SOME ACCOMPLISHMENTS

    Have you ever managed a project for your previous employer? & What was the result?

        Many! & All were profitable.

    Tell me about a contribution you have made to a team.
        Bouncing ideas around and asking: What if? Not being afraid that it was a silly idea.

        Some of the silliest ideas sprout int the most profitable results.

    Tell me about a past achievement that you attained in your last job.
        The biggest thing that I can say that I did for the company is that I trained the people

        under me to be able to do their very best. In fact I trained them to the point that I

        could leave & the company would not suffer at all by not having me gone.

    Tell me about a project you completed ahead of schedule.
        At Data Services there was a short one that was scheduled for 2 weeks in St Louis that

        we were able to finish 4 days ahead of schedule because I was able to get all of my best

        employees that I had personally trained. They were my best.

    What makes you unique and why should we hire you over any of our other candidates?
        My vast experience & extreme dedication to the company. As well as my commitment

        to teaching the people under me to reach their highest potential.

    What were the most rewarding aspects of your most recent job?
        Seeing what a difference I could make in the lives & attitudes of the new young people

        that we hired straight out of high school & looking at the difference that myself & the

        company had on their lives.

    What would you like to accomplish that you weren't able to accomplish in your last position?
         It usually always goes back to knowledge. Learn anything & everything that I can.

        With each new position I am able to learn more.

    Which of your accomplishments have brought you the greatest satisfaction?
        My employees. I always go into a new position looking for the people that are willing

        to teach me what they can. As I try to do for my employees and it is hard some times

        to find individuals that are willing to teach what they know. Most fear that if they

        teach me what they know they will be out of a job. My thought is that I want to train

        my employees right into my position so I can move into another.



  ABOUT MY CHARACTER

    How do you maintain your composure when you are in the hot seat?

        By keeping calm

    How do you usually handle criticism?
        I look forward to it. I think that it is a very good way to learn. You can learn more

        from one failure than you can from fifty accomplishments.

    Tell me one of your pet peeves.
        People that take advantage of other people! & people that say that they are going to

        do something but never do.

    What are some of the things that motivate you?
        Praise & acknowledgement for a job well done.

    What are your top strengths?
         Organizational & People skills.

    What are your weaknesses?
         I am very Detail oriented. I like to do things the right way the first time. Some times

        this might be a problem due to time restraints.

    What do you do in your spare time?
        Family, computer stuff or outdoor activities.

    What is your definition of success? How have you been successful in the past?
        Personal happiness.

    What makes you tick?
        My drive for Perfection. If something is not done right, it eats at me till it is fixed. So I

        would have to say my desire to have everything done right, so that I don’t have

        anything weighing on my mind.

    What one word best describes you?
        Dedicated



  CAREER GOAL QUESTIONS

    Describe your ideal job.

        One that challenges me to learn new things or find solutions to problems.

    What are your work-related goals for the next few years?
        I am looking for a company that can give me a place to grow & learn.




  MANAGEMENT QUESTIONS

    Describe a situation in which you demonstrated independent initiative.

        In my last job Most every problem that came up I made the decisions on what was to

        be done. I was the person that made all the decisions without going to anyone else.

        That was my job. To keep things running.

    Describe a time when you had to alter your leadership style to be more effective.
        I believe that I had to alter my style with every new employee that we hired. Every

        person is different & needs to be treated in a little different way than any other

        employee.

    Describe the situation in which you are most comfortable as a leader.
        I am the most comfortable once I know that my employees have the knowledge that

        they need to do their job.

    Describe your management style.
        Mentoring! I like to teach my employees what they need to do & know. Then be their

        for any questions that they may have. Yet all the time holding them accountable for

        their assigned duties.

    Have you ever hired anyone?
        I did the hiring reviews and terminations for all my employees.

    Have you managed people in any of the positions you have held?
        Most of my professional career has been in management. Anywhere from 3

        employees. All the way up to 80+ employees.

    How do you deal with difficult people?
        I first listen to their side to get a feel for why they would be disgruntled. Then I try to

        let them see management’s point of view. Then make what changes need to be made,

        for or against the employee.

    How would you define "leadership"? How would you rate yourself as a leader?
         A person that gives direction to a group of people. Thus making the group more

        organized & productive. I would have to say that I have proven myself to be a good

        leader.

    How would you describe your philosophy about management?
        First learning the capabilities of my employees then pushing them to the best job that

        they can. And if that is not good enough for the position that they are in then I have to

        make a position change.

    Tell me about a time that you made a critical decision without supervision?
        In the last 2 positions that I have been in, I was the last point of supervision so all the

        decisions that were made I had to weigh the options & make the final decision.

    Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a challenging project in your job.
        I truly feel that the job & what needed to get done were never the most challenging for

        me. It was always the employees that threw me for a loop or two.