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170 COMPETENCY-BASED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Question 187. Recall a time when you did not communicate well. What

were the results?

Situation: Earlier in my career, I was assigned a project for which I

was given minimal direction. Because I was green in the industry, I was un-
sure of where to start. My manager never asked if I had questions. Even
though I was in over my head, I never let on and never asked for clarification.

Action: I dived into the project without a clue of what to do. Because

the project was on deadline, I worked on it at home, conducting research.

Result: I met the deadline, but only with a tremendous amount of

stress. As I have matured into my career, I have come to understand that ask-
ing questions is not a sign of vulnerability. I ask questions whenever necessary.

Question 188. Describe a situation when you had to tell someone

bad news.

Situation: When I was a manager for Process Improvements Incor-

porated, I had to announce the layoff of six people in my department. In my
years in management, I had terminated employees for poor performance, but
I never had to let people go because of a financial downswing.

Action: I consulted an outplacement expert, who trained me on the

type of employee reactions I should expect and how I should handle each sit-
uation. We did a few role-plays and I came up with a plan for how to deliver
the news.

Result: As difficult as it was to let employees go, I kept calm and ef-

fectively delivered the message to the displaced employees. The situation
went off without a hitch.

Question 189. Tell me about a time when you used your presentation

skills to influence a client.

Situation: As the new account representative for Ballet Fashions, I

was challenged to build strategic business relationships with senior execu-
tives in the fashion industry.

Action: Through effective networking techniques, I landed the oppor-

tunity to present our offerings to the director of marketing for a major cloth-
ing distributor. I developed a PowerPoint presentation focusing on the
features and benefits of our line.

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