Interviewer: Tell me about a time when you worked with a team and it was a good experience.
Interviewee: As part of the public relations department, working with a team is very typical for me. I remember the time during which I was tasked to spearhead a team in-charged of conducting a research study that is to be presented in a conference that was scheduled in 2 weeks. I particularly remembered a member of the team I was assigned to for being hesitant to participate in the project because it was something that was opposing his own principles. I had to sit with the member and explained to him that there will be times when we will be asked to do something that we do not necessarily like. However, we should set our personal biases aside in such instances because we would hope to deliver facts that are the result of a scientific process of inquiry than presenting one that is influenced by our own beliefs and perception. Furthermore, I explained to the member that what if he found out that the energy drink he loved to drink had substances that is in fact harmful to him, but since the producers of the drink believe their products are okay didn’t bother to run some test. They simply made false assumption. Eventually, the truth would come out and this would affect the company which might cost them their credibility. This is similar to the situation we are at, because his refusal to work because of his personal biases might compromise the validity and reliability of the study we are conducting which could significantly affect the success of our participation in the conference. After the short talk the member of my team all began to work together.
Interviewer: Tell me about the time that you had to make a tough decision.
Interviewee: Recently, my company assigned me to monitor employee performance because the organization was contemplating on cutting down on the number of workforce because the organization has been tight of budget. So instead of closing the organization and letting it go bankrupt, the owners were thinking of just cutting down on cost and that includes removing employees who are not efficient. While this would mean that many people will lose their job I have to weigh which is more advantageous—retain the workers and run the risk of closure that would affect everyone or select the employees who are not performing. In the end, I decided on sacrificing the people who were not performing well. It was tough because some people who were laid-off were mad at me but I had to think of what is best for the greater majority.
Interviewer: Define leadership. Based on your definition, can you say you are a leader?
Interviewee: Leadership is the special ability to command respect from the followers and give them reason to be inspired and motivated towards compliance. Given this definition, I can say I am a leader because I receive the same amount of respect I show and people tells me that they become inspired by me and by my dedication.
Question for the Recruiter:
What is expected from the person who will fill this position to excel?
What role does the management have in fostering the growth of their employees and what can the employees do in return for this?
