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74 COMPETENCY-BASED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Obstacle: While working at Amore International and Company, my

supervisor was set to go on maternity leave. Before her departure, we went
over the tasks that I was to manage in her absence.

Action: During one of our meetings, I broached the subject of rewriting

job descriptions while she was away. This was a project she had on her to-do
list for quite some time but had never gotten around to starting. Without hes-
itation she agreed. Together we drew up a plan of action that I was to follow.

Result: When she came back from her leave, she reviewed the rewrit-

ten job descriptions and approved each after making only minor changes.
Soon thereafter, the employees were provided with the new descriptions and,
in most cases, a raise as well.

Question 17. Describe a time when you felt constraints placed on you

that worked against completing your job effectively.

Situation: Over the last few years, the public school system has

changed from a student-centered curriculum to being state-based. Instead of
teaching phonics and grammar, my main responsibility is to prepare the class
for mandatory tests. Such requirements do not allow room for originality in the
classroom.

Action: For an opportunity to put my teaching skills to full use, I applied

to The Science Forum Charter School.

Result: There, I have the opportunity to engage students in learning,

in a way that I was not able to in the past. Successfully, I instilled a love for sci-
ence in the students that will carry them through to adulthood.

Question 18. Give an example of a situation in which you were se-

lected over your peers to complete a project.

Situation: At Mallory Paints, we had several divisions that com-

peted in the marketplace. For example, one division marketed premium paint
and another had second-rate paint. Instead of the brand managers’ struc-
turing their prices to rival outside competition, they competed with each
other.

Action: As part of a special project, I was chosen to conduct external

competitive intelligence. I took special care in analyzing the competitors’
products and used the information to also evaluate internal price points.

American Management Association
www.amanet.org