Page 111 - Boost Your Hiring

The Manager’s Hiring IQ Test 97

INTERVIEWER’S QUESTION
45. You say that one of your strengths is follow-through. Can
you give me an example of a time when your follow-through
made a difference in your work?
Which response actually answers the question? Which answer
should you be wary of? Are there any red flags?
(A) “My work ethic is that if I say that I am going to do something,
I do it.The way I have carried out this ethic in my job is to make
a list of things to follow through on. I wouldn’t have survived
without my lists. Between supervising people and keeping track
of their projects, and my own projects to track, I couldn’t do it
without making lists. I put little reminders on everything so
that I remember to follow through. It probably isn’t very so-
phisticated, but this system works for me. I can’t remember a
time when I missed a follow-through on a project.”
(B) “As a human resources supervisor I have to constantly follow
through on details of projects for managers. It seems as though
everythinghappensatonetime.Thereareperformanceappraisals
and raises, and last year we had a mandatory holiday break. The
dateforthesalaryincreasestobesubmittedwastwoweeksearlier
than usual. If you’ve worked with managers who dreaded com-
pleting performance reviews, you will know what I am talking
about when I say it can be ‘like pulling teeth.’ I did everything
short of offering money to the two managers who were behind in
their schedule, but I ended up agreeing to help them by parceling
out a few reviews at a time to get them completed.”

(C) “As a pharmaceutical sales rep I remember an incident when a
doctor wouldn’t see me because he had a bad experience with
my company in the past. My strategy was to get past the office
manager. I befriended him because I would visit once a week
and bring samples for a basket they kept on the desk.We talked
each time I came in, and I found that we had a favorite sports
team in common. One day the doctor walked in and the office
manager introduced me to the doctor and told the doctor that I
was a fan of the same team. The three of us began talking and
connecting. Eventually the doctor agreed to talk to me about
my products. I was able to sell to this doctor after a four-year
standoff because I followed through.”

I think the strongest answer is _____.