Page 81 - Boost Your Hiring

The Manager’s Hiring IQ Test 67

INTERVIEWER’S QUESTION
30. Tell me about a time when you used strategic thinking to
solve a problem.
Which response actually answers the question? Which answer
should you be wary of? Are there any red flags?

(A) “At my last company I developed a strategic plan that reduced
the payroll costs by 8 percent in the first year. It involved de-
veloping and implementing ongoing efficiency training.”
(B) “I was the project manager responsible for the implementation
of a project with a tight deadline. Unfortunately, in the middle
of everything we had a problem with one of our computer sys-
tems. The first thing I did was to research and find the prob-
lem. I consulted with the IT department and shared my
research with them. Based on the recommendations of the ex-
perts, I put together a plan to attack the problem.We were able
to retrace the breakdown and determine the source and solu-
tion with a minimum amount of downtime. We met the dead-
line but had to put in some extra hours to accomplish the
task.”
(C) “I have led the strategic planning team for my company that
successfully generated $3 million over the last quarter. My re-
sponsibility was to build a long-range strategic plan. I worked
with a diverse team and came up with plans that have been ex-
tremely successful. We implemented a state-of-the-art infor-
mation system to automate core business. This was met with
great enthusiasm and support and was a huge success.”

I think the strongest answer is _____.