解決問題的能力
第一部分(1～5問)
問：你的專業技能如何成為你寶貴的財富？
答：盡管我從未想過要當作家或出版商，但我在市場推廣部的大量工作都要靠良好的寫作技巧和富有創意的設計才能。大學時在報社的兼職工作讓我學會許多出版方麵的知識，如何排版和如何寫最有影響力的短句等技巧。市場推廣方麵的工作使我必須向圖形設計師說明我的目標，以避免大量的複查工作。
描述你如何用專業技能解決問題。舉個具體的例子，說明相同的技能怎樣才能在不同情況或在你負責的工作中變得實用。如果你被聘用，在什麽樣的環境下你會發揮得最好。
Q:How have your technical skills been an asset?
A:Although I never planned on a career as a writer or publisher,much of my job in marketing has depended on good writing and creative layout skills.My parttime college job with a newspaper taught me a lot about desktop publishing,how to position something on a page effectively,and how to write short sentences with maximum impact.In all of my marketing jobs,Ive been able to explain my goals clearly to graphic designers,which has helped me avoid costly design revisions.
問：描述你運用專業技能解決問題的情形。
答：在運送部件到達目的地時總是出現裂痕。我用原料學方麵的知識判斷這與航運期間的存放溫度有關，盡管我們的儀器都安全地存放在兩端封閉的地方，但在到達目的地之前，儀器要放在無空調設備的船艙裏30個小時。現在我們用另一家航運公司運送貨物，我們用貼在貨物上的標簽顯示極高或極低溫度都是不允許的。
迅速向麵試官說明問題，然後集中在你的專業技能如何幫你解決問題。你采取了什麽行動?取得什麽效果？
Q:Describe a situation in which youve applied technical skills to solve a problem.
A:One of our components kept arriving at distribution points with stress cracks.My materialsscience background helped me to diagnose the problem as one of storage temperature during shipping.Although our equipment was safely stored at both end points,it had been sitting in unairconditioned cargo space for up to thirty hours before reaching its destination. We're now using a different shipping company,and we've improved our labeling on large shipments to reflect the users warning about temperature extremes.
問：你的專業技巧和其他技巧結合起來如何能提高工作效率？
答：良好的經濟學知識和電腦銷售經驗，為我提供了綜合的技能並使我能在電腦行業方麵從事金融調查工作。我的大部分熟人和他們的興趣都與高新科技有關，因此很自然我有好奇心，而這有助我與行業的變革同步前進。
這個問題給你一次推銷你自己的機會，即為何你獨特的複合技能奏效？舉出一兩個例子說明你常被要求去處理的事項。
Q:How do your technical skills,combined with other skills,add to your effectiveness on the job?
A:My strong economics background,along with my computersales experience,provide a balanced set of skills to perform financial research on the computer industry.
Most of my contacts and hobbies are also related to high tech,so I offer a natural curiosity that helps me stay abreast of changes in the industry.
問：描述你如何運用解決問題的步驟。
答：一次我們接待了幾個客人，他們被安排在地區周圍免費的酒店住宿。我建議成立一個電腦小組建立一個預告係統，顧客的名字與先前的不滿記錄或免費服務相對應。現在，當顧客登記入住時，我們輸入名字，就馬上知道這個顧客在我們的任意一家酒店中有過不愉快的經曆。我們小心地對待這位顧客，承認我們意識到問題所在，並承諾盡可能地向他們提供完美的服務。這一做法既預防了那些想欺詐的顧客，又告誡了我們職員要特別小心對待那些再次光顧我們酒店的顧客。我們酒店的滿意率提升了，欺詐事例減少了。
向麵試官說明你如何一步步解決問題，如何做到圓滿的成功。你用什麽措施或準則來控製解決問題的步驟？結果如何？
Q:Describe how youve used a problemsolving process.
A:We once had several customers who'd arranged numerous free hotel stays around the country using our 100 percent atisfaction guarantee.I suggested leading a PC task force to set up a warning system that flags any guest name corresponding to a revious reported complaint or free service.Now when a guest checks in and we type in a name,we know immediately that the person has had an unpleasant experience at one of our hotels.We proactively approach the guest,acknowledge were aware of the problem,and offer our commitment to do everything possible to provide them with impeccable service.This practice warns the potentially fraudulent guest;at the same time,it warns our staff to be especially careful with any guest whos giving our hotel a second chance.Our satisfaction rate has improved,and fraudulent cases have decreased.
問：你怎樣著手處理問題？
答：當要處理問題的時候，我通常會盡可能把所想到問題的原因寫下來。
然後找出原因之間的關係，以此來歸納主要問題的共同特征。通常，研究完這些問題後，真正的原因就顯而易見了。
麵試官除了想知道你取得的成果外，還想知道你解決問題所用的邏輯。你辦事果斷嗎？你如何縮小選擇範圍來作出抉擇？別人如何評價你的推理技巧？他們會用什麽樣的例子來說明你具備有效的決策方式呢？
Q:How do you usually go about solving a problem?
A:When I need to solve a problem,I generally start by writing down as many ideas as I can think of about possible causes.Next I look for relationships among causes so I can group together symptoms of bigger problems.Usually,after I study these groups of problems,the real cause becomes readily apparent.
第二部分(6～10問)
問：你如何衡量你工作中的成功？
答：我憑顧客的反映來衡量。顧客打電話向我推薦新客戶時，我知道他們覺得與我合作愉快。但我認為拉住老客戶比贏得新客戶更令我感到滿足。人們有嚐試新公司的趨向，因為那類新公司擁有良好的聲譽或產品，但顧客再次光顧是出於他們信任已建立起的合作關係。
你要依據什麽樣的結果或證據評估工作的成功？哪類反饋或獎賞製度對你重要？麵試官想證實這些要求能在工作中得到滿足。
Q:How do you measure the success of your work?
A:I measure reactions of customers.When my customers call me with a referral,I know theyre happy.And I have to say that repeat business to me is more satisfying than winning a new account.People have a tendency to try a new company because of that companys reputation or product,but they come back because of the relationship theyve learned to trust.
問：你做事切合實際嗎？
答：通常我能找出潛在的問題，即使問題並不顯眼。我想起一位投資銀行家，他聽過我們的金融不動產課程，並問我們為什麽東京投資集團難以吸引當地投資。許多工商管理碩士嚐試從一係列複雜的原因去思考，但我認為這與迅速擺脫市場不利因素有關，是非流動性投資引發的問題。我是說，如果主要投資當地不動產且通貨膨脹已經使貨幣價遠高於黑市價，投資者會感到不穩定，這樣一來，結束投資就成為投資者的首選了。
向麵試官舉例說明你用過的實際可行的方法。怎樣才算是簡單明了且又是最佳的解決方法？其他人忽略了明顯的問題嗎？在這個事例中，你要更多地顯示出常識性技能而非專業技能。
Q:How practical or pragmatic are you?
A:I can usually pick up on an underlying problem,even of its not too obvious.I recall an investment banker who visited our realestatefinance class and asked us what might cause the Tokyo investment community a problem in attracting local investment dollars.A number of finance M.B.A.s in the class started trying to think of some complicated set of reasons.I decided it would have to do with getting out of a bad market quickly,and that a nonliquid investment would create problems.I said investors would be unsettled if the primary investment is local real setate and inflation has caused the paper value to exaggerate the real street value.As it ended up,that was the answer he wanted.
問：你如何把握對事實和對直覺的判斷？
答：事實確實重要，但人們通常忽略了時效的影響，特別是在做市場調查時。在一次調查中，我對涉及到的價格數據感到不對頭，我懷疑顧
客是否會像調查所示的那樣花大量的金錢購買新車。因此，我們停下來並等候最後一季的價格結構。當利率攀升時，我們賣出了更多的車，而我們的對手卻隻能等待。
描述你曾靠直覺來處理問題，那類問題如果按照事實或常規步驟來處理的話，將會處理得一團糟。說明你具備突破常規去解決問題的能力。
Q:How do you balance your reliance on facts with your reliance on intuition?
A:Facts are important but often neglect pointb intime influences,especially with market research.One survey that I was uncomfortable with involved pricing data that was collected just after a major presidential election.The timing caused me
to doubt that consumers would really spend as much as the survey indicated they would for new cars.So we ended up holding on to the last quarters pricing structure.We sold more cars while,as interest rates climbed,some of our competitors had expensive inventory carryover.
問：在你上一份工作中最大的困難是什麽？
答：我要讓對電腦一竅不通的老雇員接受電子郵件係統。首先，我說明了減少用紙的要求；然後，我決定建立一個臨時的電子郵件賬戶，這個係統設有每日一謎，誰要是答對了就把誰的名字記在該周的圖表上。每周圖表上有名字的職員可以到當地一家很不錯的餐館享用四人套餐。這個方法就如一個很好的設計方案一樣促使大家使用電子郵件係統。
麵試官想了解應試者在他上一份工作中改進的地方。如果你被問到這類問題，不要隻是抱怨而不說明解決方案。不要僅僅指出問題，更要證明你有能力提出解決方案。
Q:What was your greatest problem in your last job?
A:I had to get longtime employees with few or no computer skills to embrace a new email system.I started by explaining the need for less paper in everyones job.Then I decided to create a temporary email account with one daily riddle on the system;everyone who responded correctly got their name put in a weekly drawing.Each week for one month a person from the drawing got dinner for four at a nice local restaurant.This approach went over well as a device to get people to use the system.
問：談談你沒有預料到的問題？
答：我的上司要我解決正在執行的時間表的問題。我沒有意識到在這些問題下工作的人會把我當成敵人。當我意識到的時候，我已做了一部分基礎工作了。如果我先問一下他們的想法，我就能早一點讓他們支持我的做法。
這個問題要求你謙遜，但也使你能從這件事情得到教訓。你還明白了什麽？這次經曆如何使你的判斷力得以提高？
Q:Tell me about a problem that you failed to anticipate.
A:My boss asked me to solve an ongoing scheduling problem.I failed to realize that the person who had lived with the problem would see me as an antagonist.By the time I realized it,Id already done some of the groundwork.If I'd started by asking for the persons opinion,I would have been able to get him on my side early on.
第三部分(11～15問)
問：你解決過長期存在的問題嗎？
答：以往，我們一批一批地向顧客發傳真件，有時每小時多達10份。所以有的客戶對此感到不滿。我設置了客戶自助服務的租賃傳真機係統，這讓職員有更多時間處理傳入的文件、保存信息，直到他們能親自找到特定的顧客。
告訴麵試官你在工作環境中或其他機構中所戰勝的難題。麵對困難你如何克服或智勝？
結果如何？什麽促使你著手處理問題？
Q:Have you ever resolved a longstanding problem?
A:We used to batch our guests personal faxes sometimes as many as ten outgoing fax requests per hourto put less strain on our administrative staff.We had guests who werent happy about that.I arranged a lease deal on an outgoing fax machine for guest selfserve access.This freed up more time for staff,and they were able to maintain control of incoming axes,protecting incoming information until they could locate the appropriate guest in person.
問：描述一次你認為有必要作出不受歡迎決定的情形。
答：我製定規章禁止攜帶食品進入工作區，包括私人辦公室，為了安全起見，工人不能帶食物靠近昂貴的精密儀器。現在這已被遺忘了，但那段時期許多監管員對我生氣。我認為這件事很重要而且解決方法也和其他新條例一樣要堅續下去，如廢除給高級職員分配車位的做法等。到目前為止，我們還能不斷改進，使公司團結一致。
有時候重要的、長期的成果隻需作出短期努力就能獲得。這樣的問題用來考察應試者對帶有長期成果的重大價值作出判斷的能力，如果你被問及這樣的問題務必給出具體的例子。
Q:Describe a time you found it necessary to make an unpopular decision.
A:I had to start a policy of no food in work areas,including private offices,because the production workers were unhappy with the inequity.For safety reasons workers couldnt have food anywhere near expensive equipment.Now its forgotten,but at the time a number of supervisors were angry at me.I thought the matter was important and that the solution was consistent with other new policies,like doing away with assigned parking spaces for highlevel employees.So far we've been progressive enough to keep unions out of our company.
問：談談你處理過的最難的問題。
答：我被提拔管理一個新的部門。那個部門有一位職員一開始就對我很反感。很快我知道了原因：她的好朋友剛剛從我現在做的職位離開。我當麵與她談這件事；我解釋說我也曾讓友誼麵臨考驗，因為我與一位朋友工作交往過於密切，我們倆甚至花業餘時間談工作。談話過後幾周，她承認她沒有想過與私人朋友工作交往過密潛在的後果。
從那以能，我們把工作關係處理得很恰當。談這樣的問題要說得簡練，重點談你采取的措施和取得的成果，要坦率，為何這樣的問題對你來說難以應付？如何保持客觀並具有專業水準？
Q:Tell me about the most difficult problem you've ever dealt with.
A:I was promoted to manage a new department.A coworker in that group resented me from the beginning.I soon learned that her best friend had been turned down for the position.I actually confronted her about it;I explained that I had once put a friendship to the test because Id worked too closely with someone and we found that we spent our leisure time talking about work.A few weeks after our talk,she admitted that shed never thought about the potential results of working too closely with a personal friend.Our working relationship was fine after that.
問：描述你對問題的處理不滿意的一次經曆。
答：我想起因為我們曾因沒有迅速答複顧客而令他失望。假期中我們的生產能力滿足不了客戶提出的發送全部定貨的要求。最後那位客戶要求打折。我覺得我方應該先提出給予折扣，不應等顧客提出。如果我方先提出的話，這件事處理得會好一些。
這個問題集中在應試者的素質水平上。描述你從一個處理不好的問題中看到長期隱患的情形。你有沒有采取措施來處理這個問題？
Q:Describe a time when a problem wasnt resolved to your satisfaction.
A:I thought once that wed let a customer down by not responding quickly enough to resolve a problem;our production capacity wasnt sufficient to deliver the customers complete order during the holiday season.That customer ended up asking for a discount,and I thought we should have offered the discount first,without waiting to be asked.The sense of goodwill would have been stronger.
問：談談你在沒有規則及先例可循的情況下處理問題的經曆。
答：我所擔任的職務是最近才設置的。我用了一周時間弄清楚創設這個職位的原由。惟有這樣，為該工作設立優先權的方法才能更清楚。
沒有指導的情況下你能處理問題嗎？描述你解決問題的過程，尤其是你采取的步驟和在特定嚐試環境下使用的方法。表現出你麵對挑戰的信心和意誌。
Q:Tell me about a time when there was no rule or precedent to help you attack a problem.
A:I was the first employee in a newly created position.I spent the first week developing an understanding of the history that had led to creation of the position.Only then did a method for setting priorities on the job become clear.
第四部分(16～20問)
問：什麽情況下你對作出抉擇感到困難？
答：我特別不太擅長解說調查數據，我盡量與調查人員和圖書管理員溝通，我需要他們的幫助，而我也在公司副總麵前鄭重地感謝他們。我們確實是同一個團隊的，而且我很謹慎，並沒有把公司在太平洋地區出版工業報告歸功於自己？
一定要坦誠，什麽樣的情況會令你難以處理？你會召集哪些人，收集哪些材料來幫助自己作出抉擇？
Q:When do you have difficulty making choices?
A:Im not particularly good at interpreting survey data.Ive really worked to get to know our research staff and librarians.I rely on them and am careful to thank them formally in front of my vice president.Were definitely a team,and I'm careful not to take credit for our industry reports,which we publish for the Pacific region of our firm.
問：描述一次機遇，這次機遇讓你覺得承擔的風險比所得的回報要高。
答：有一次，我們有機會從一家解散了的公司手中購買廉價運輸設備。盡管我們知道五年後要對分布的設備進行大檢修，但我覺得花錢購買一些五年中閑置的設備不切實際。
如果市場情報能預示在最近兩年內有新的廉價商品的話，我會抓住機會的。麵試官想看到應試者樂於承擔理性的風險而不是幹蠢事。舉例說明你作出反對某項計劃或抉擇的理由？如何使結果比原計劃處理得更好？
Q:Describe an opportunity in which you felt the risks far outweighed the rewards.
A:At one point we had an opportunity to purchase conveyor equipment at thirty cents on the dollar from a company that had dissolved.Although we anticipated an overhaul of our distribution facility five years down the road,I felt it was
too far into the future to spend money only to have idle capacity for a fiveyear period.If market conditions had shown more promise for new sales in the initial twoyear period,I would have gone ahead with it.
問：告訴我一個曾令你對自己的表現感到失望的項目。
答：我以前在一家製造業公司工作時，必須對所有供應商的開價（發盤）作出分析，然後把建議提交給後勤部副部長。由於供應商開價並不統一，我的分析報告通常要對不同的項目作比較，這就令報告顯得有點混亂，直到我把報告重新整理並提交給副部長時，我們已經錯過了對價格進行審批的關鍵時刻。事後回想起來，我想我本該采取簡單的方法解決問題，而不是把所有的東西都放在一起考慮，把問題複雜化。自那以後，我更加注意及時地提出建議。
描述你工作中遇到的一些阻礙，以及你是怎樣盡力去克服它們的。你的技能起到怎樣的作用？事後回想起來，你當時該采取什麽不同的做法？吸取了什麽樣的教訓？
Q:Tell me about a project in which you were disappointed with your personal performance.
A:In my last job for a manufacturing company, I had to analyze all of the supplier bids and present recommendations to the vice president of logistics. Because the supplier bids werent in a uniform format, my analysis often consisted of comparing dissimilar items. This caused some confusion in my final report, and by the time Id reworked it and presented it to the ice president, we'd lost the critical time we needed to improve our approval process for these bids. In hindsight I should have taken a simpler approach to the problem and not tried to make it so complex or all inclusive. Ever since, Ive paid more attention to making recommendations in a timely manner.
問：請舉例說明有一次你被要求完成一項任務，但卻沒有得到足夠的資料，你怎樣解決這種問題？ 答：在上一次實習期間，我的上司—— 一個主管賬目的行政人員，叫我收集好500份宣傳稿去郵寄。我不是很確定宣傳稿的次序和該往哪裏寄，而我的上司已經出去與客戶會麵了。我擔心把資料堆在一塊會把次序弄亂，於是想方設法找到她的移動電話。
在電話裏她向我詳細說明了資料的次序。最後，我設法避免了有可能花費更多的工作時間，並且可能耽擱郵寄時間的錯誤，更別提一些令人頭痛的事情。
雖然這個例子聽似很瑣碎，但卻證明了應聘者的成熟和理性處理工作問題的能力。麵試官想弄清楚你是否知道僅僅把工作完成是不夠的。你的回答應該表現出你隨機應變的能力和積極主動的特質。
Q:Give an example of a time when you were asked to accomplish a task but werent given enough information. How did you resolve this problem.
A:At my last internship, my supervisor, an account executive, asked me to assemble five hundred press kits for a mailing. I wasn't sure in what order the pages and press releases should go, but my supervisor had already left for a client meeting. Afraid of putting the information together in the wrong order, I managed to track down her cellphone number and called her in her car. She explained the order of the materials over the phone, and in the end I managed to prevent a mistake that would have cost hours of work and a delay in the mailingnot to mention a few headaches.
問：談談一次你不能解決的矛盾衝突。
答：有一次，我沒能挽留一個在我的製造工廠裏幹了10年的優秀員工。由於他的工作漸漸需要掌握電腦技術，於是我試著讓他進夜校進修，但他卻拒絕了。所以除了換掉他之外，我沒有其他辦法。回想起來，如果我鼓勵他和其他員工定期接受技能培訓，當他重新上崗時，也許他就不會被淘汰了。現在我很注重鼓勵我的員工們參與一些研討會和課程學習來提高他們自身的工作技能，避免變得落伍。
在這裏，最好的方法就是談一個不是該由你來解決的矛盾衝突。如果必須談你個人所遇到的矛盾衝突，那就重點談一下如果時光倒流，你能再做一次的話，你會采取的積極措施及你從這次經曆中學到了什麽。
Q:Describe a time when you failed to resolve a conflict.
A:I wasnt able to keep a good employee once who'd been in our manufacturing facility for ten years. His job description was rewritten to require computer skills. I offered to send him to night classes, but he refused the help. I had no option but to replace him. In retrospect, if Id encouraged him and other employees to acquire new training periodically, he might not have been overwhelmed by the time his position was reworked. Now Im vigilant about encouraging my group to attend seminars and urses to enhance their job skills and to avoid becoming outdated.
第五部分(21～22問)
問：如果計劃內某些事情出錯，你感受如何？怎樣去處理？
答：嗯，當然，我寧願我的計劃無論什麽時候都能順利進行。然而，生物技術行業的性質意味著任何的計劃在任何時候都有可能發生變化。從一開始我就意識到了這一點，所以每當我遇上這樣的事時，我都要努力去克服它。我經常都會預備好候補的計劃以防萬一，但有時你不可能預先對問題的發生做好準備，直到問題擺在你麵前時，你才知道如何去做。我基本上總能從容對付問題。
這個問題很巧妙，但應聘者還是明白了，並已使麵試官相信他或她可以不失專業的冷靜去應付計劃中遇到的挫折。麵試官不會直接地問你“你能在壓力下工作嗎？”盡管這是他或她想知道的。若回答“我不能在壓力下工作”，這並不是回答這個問題的最佳方法。
Q:How do you feel when things go wrong with a project? How do you handle it?
A:Well, of course I would prefer that my projects run smoothly at all times. However, the very nature of the biotechnology industry means that many changes can and probably will happen to any plan at any time. I try to realize this from the outset and cross each bridge when I come to it. Often I try to have alternate plans ready to go in case of such an event. But sometimes you can't prepare for a problem until its right there in front of you. Basically I just take it in stride.
問：一家不履行合約的公司Z-65走後門要求重新簽訂合同，如果你的經理要求你重新簽訂，而執行董事會的政策是決定再進行審查，那麽你將怎樣回複這家公司？
有時候，麵試官問一些表麵上看是不可能的問題，隻是想看看你的反應。他們並不是要讓你局促不安，而是要判斷你是怎樣去對待工作上的壓力。不論你當時的感覺如何，被問到這個荒謬的問題也許是個好征兆。如果你被問到一個難以回答的問題時，思考一會兒，然後自信地微笑，但不必道歉，簡單地說一說，例如“我不知道，但如果你們聘用了我，我肯定可以為你們找出應付的方法。”
Q:How would you respond to a defaulted form Z65counterderivative renewal request if your manager ordered you to do so, and if the policy under which the executive board resolves such issues were currently under review?
sometimes recruiters ask seemingly impossible questions just to see how you'll respond.It's not so much that they want to see you squirm in your seat as that they want to judge how you might respond to pressure or tension on the job.No matter how you may feel at the time,being subjected to a ridiculous question like this one is probably a very good sign.If youre asked a tough question that you simply cant answer,think about it for a few seconds.Then,with a confident smile and without apology,simply say something like“I dont know,but if you hire me,I'll sure find out for you.”