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COMPETENCY #4—ANALYTICAL SKILLS 141

upon their skills, I suggested that the IT department begin developing a pa-
tient-management software system that would allow the process to run
smoother and faster.

Result: The software solution slashed thirty minutes off patient-

processing times. An added benefit was that the buzz in the community
about the shorter wait time built greater local support and enhanced the rep-
utation for the facility.

Question 135. Give me an example about a time when a routine pro-

cedure presented a challenge.

Situation: One of my responsibilities with Minerals Title Company

was to run in-depth title searches. To gather the information needed for clear-
ances, I visited courthouses, tax appraisal offices, county clerk offices, and
abstract offices. Most of the time the information was easy to find. However,
sometimes there were discrepancies regarding who owned the property and
further research was required.

Action: One specific title search was especially complicated and I

conducted Internet searches to track down public and private information
on ownership. Identifying the correct owner was more difficult than usual
because the property had been handed down from generation to gen-
eration.

Result: My persistence paid off, and I identified the rightful owners. In

fact, in the three years that I was a title searcher, I always managed to identify
the property owner without resorting to soliciting help from a peer in the office.

Question 136. Describe a time when you stumbled on a problem you

did not know existed.

Situation: My employment with MRI Technologies ranged from being

so busy that taking a lunch break was impossible to being so quiet that the
day was boring.

Action: During the downtimes, I did not spend my time browsing the

Internet for the latest gadgets. Instead, I spoke with department heads to dis-
cover ways that I could improve our processes.

Result: It came to my attention that the problem of multiple data-

entry errors needed to be addressed. After careful research, I oversaw the se-

American Management Association
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