Interview Questions… Emily's style!

Here are some questions I found on Monster.com.  These are my brief answers followed by what really will be going through my head.

• What was the last project you headed up, and what was its outcome? 

The last project I headed up was the Fast Break Clinic for 450 area children in grades k-8.  I organized the event and recruited 170 student-athletes to assist.  (I learned 10 bathroom escorts are necessary for 450 kids.)

• Give me an example of a time that you felt you went above and beyond the call of duty at work. 

In the summer of 2008 I was an intern with the SF Canaries, an Independent Baseball team.  Our full-time mascot got injured, and so as the promotions intern I suited up.  However I didn't stop with just signing autographs and playing with kids, I took it to the next level.  I learned to drive a mo-ped with the costume, re-enacted Bull Durham, and was pulled on a sled behind a moving vehicle on the test track.  (I learned a boy bird costume while being a girl can cause an identity crisis on who to interact with!)

• Can you describe a time when your work was criticized? 

 Announcing at the Canaries I was constantly criticized by the public.  I took the criticism such as "you talked too fast" or "how about playing Black Betty" to heart and made conscious efforts to change it.  Having an open mind and good sense of humor was the only way I survived the public's eyes.  (I did a lot of "promotion gone bad.")

• Have you ever been on a team where someone was not pulling their own weight? How did you handle it? 

Yes. I yelled at them.  aka I need to think about this...

• Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback. How did you handle it? 

Tell them how wonderful they are doing in an aspect and than don't critize… suggest!  

• What is your greatest failure, and what did you learn from it? 

I don't fail.  I stumble, but don't fall.  Yes, I'm cocky :).

• If I were your supervisor and asked you to do something that you disagreed with, what would you do?

It depends on the ethical status of the situation.  If it was completely unethical I would say NO WAY BUSTER.  But if was something I just didn't care for like printing off 100 pages of dumbness, I would probably just suggest another way.  (Guilty - Kuhn always did this to me.  Sometimes I ignored him.) 

• Give me an example of a time you did something wrong. How did you handle it? 

I busted a window this summer…. LONG story. (I cried… do you see a re-accuring theme of tears?!)

• What irritates you about other people, and how do you deal with it? 

Lack of consideration.  Everyone needs to work together, even if it is to boost the confidence of someone.  Telling someone thank you can put a bounce back in their step.  People try their best and recognizing it can do wonders.  When I felt college I wrote each of my professors or workplace I had worked for a thank you note - EVERY PROFESSOR SINCE FRESHMAN YEAR.  I had over 40 thank you's that I hand delivered.  I subtly spread the consideration through my random acts, hoping it will spark them to pay it forward. (Each note I receive… even if it is on a napkin I put it in a folder… I remember).

• Tell me about a time where you had to deal with conflict on the job. 

hmmmmmmmm…..

• If you were at a business lunch and you ordered a rare steak and they brought it to you well done, what would you do? 

If the steak was not endangering my life, than I would not make a fuss.  I would just tell the waiter/waitress that it was something else I ordered, but I would be fine.  The small details in life are important and people need to be aware of them.  If the detail is something that will not hurt anyone or anything or minuet than fretting about it will just waste time.  Address the situation, but don't dwell on it.  (However if you are announcing the SDSU softball game, do not repeatedly say the wrong date for the biggest fundraising event in SDSU athletics.  Some details are very important.  My superiors addressed me.  I felt bad.  And than told the crowd over the mic I can't read.)

• If you found out your company was doing something against the law, like fraud, what would you do? 

Unfortunately I have been involved with a company where this has occurred.  When I was the director at the Canaries, the mascot intern I hired stole from the canaries and myself.  I did not realize this was going on until almost the end of the season when all the lottery tickets for our game had disappeared.  I did not want to point fingers right away, so I notified my superiors and SD Lottery.  After an investigation we had solid proof and took the appropriate measures.  Any company that is unethical needs to be addressed, which may mean reporting to the top person.  At the end of the day, I need to live with my conscious, which will be clean. (I fired my mascot… weirdest feeling EVER!)

• What assignment was too difficult for you, and how did you resolve the issue? 

I am learning to step back and assess situations.  If it is something that I would be better at supporting rather than leading, than I need to admit that.  The company will benefit if it does not struggle early on in the project.  I can relate this back to my school work.  When I came to Grad School in January, my department wanted me to have my first three chapters of my thesis finished right away.  I had NO IDEA what I wanted to study or how to write it.  I knew I had to do it though.  So I enlisted the help of my classmates and mentor.  The mentor was able to give me past thesis and my classmates would have thesis writing nights.  It was a time when we would focus on the thesis and they would advise me how to do a section better.  I used my resources before me.  (I cried ALOT!!)

• What's the most difficult decision you've made in the last two years and how did you come to that decision?

When I was laid off my job at the Canaries, I had to make a decision: cry or job hunt.  I decided to make it a full time job.  Within a week I had a job offer with Key Staffing in SF.  It was a great opportunity, but felt there was more out there.  A week later SDSU contacted me and offered me a graduate assistantship.  This was great!  However, now I had to decide to stay in SF or move back to Webster.  Within a week I had moved back to Webster and was subbing at the Waubay School.  I realized subbing once a week was not ideal for my future living expenses… so again I moved.  This time I was going to live with my 81-yr old grandma in Aberdeen.  I was able to get two seasonal jobs and work 70 hours a week.  I had the choice to sit at home and live off my mom and enjoy a few months to myself OR I could support myself and prepare for the future.  As pettily as this sounds it was huge for me because I was not able to travel to the holidays in the Twin Cities with my family because of my work schedule.  (This was the best responsibility experience I had in a long time).

• Describe how you would handle a situation if you were required to finish multiple tasks by the end of the day, and there was no conceivable way that you could finish them. 

I did the most important first or asked what could wait until tomorrow.  Or I admitted my defeat and took it home with me.