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COMPETENCY #1—INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY 89

Fortune Ten company. I wrote a proposal outlining the reasons I would be an
asset to the team. The head of the department was impressed by my initia-
tive, and agreed to let me serve on the team.

Action: I took great care in researching and putting together my part

of the presentation. Since this was the first of its kind that I had participated
in, I ran a few notes by the team leader for his constructive feedback.

Result: He added his thoughts on how to make the presentation even

stronger, but overall, I was on the right track.

Question 45. Sometimes people have to take up opportunities to

achieve professional success. Tell me about a time when you took a chance
in your career and the result.

Situation: Throughout my career I worked for stable companies.

However, when an opportunity to work with a construction startup pre-
sented itself, I was drawn in by the calculated risk involved. In addition, the
role as construction manager intrigued me, since it meant greater respon-
sibility as well.

Action: As part of the startup initiative, I established a market pres-

ence, developed OSHA guidelines, and created the budget workflow.

Result: Single-handedly I accelerated territory growth and cultivated

a customer database, growing annual sales from zero to $11 million in a year.

Question 46. Describe an occasion when you expanded your knowl-

edge base to further your career.

Situation: I enjoy technical writing, but it is formulaic. With the

growing popularity of blogs, I wanted to take a crack at writing a TV show
review site. After reviewing several well-known blogs in the same general
area, I found a niche that could balance professionalism with a snarky
approach.

Action: Since that type of writing was new to me, I contacted several

blog sites and agreed to write for a nonpaying Web site about the first sea-
son of The Comedy Hour. I figured that the experience and exposure would
pave the way to a paying job.

Result: Once I developed an online portfolio, I used it to apply for top

reviewer sites. For the past three years, I have been writing part time for Rate
This, one of the most popular online review sites.

American Management Association
www.amanet.org