My last project involved a goal to reduce our employee turnover rate at XYZ Health Industries. I designed a unique hiring process and training, which began to show positive results by the following quarter.

Simultaneously, my team crunched the numbers and reworked the employee compensation plans.

I also led a team of experienced trainers and coaches as we established a learning and development program.

Together, these steps reduced the employee turnover rate from 32% to 14%, cutting it into less than half.

The development program was even rated #1 by Training Magazine last year.

When I was at ABC Company, we went through company-wide layoffs, which greatly affected our department.

The team of five that remained in the department had to absorb the duties of the two who had left. As a result, people were overworked and morale suffered.

More mistakes were being made because attention was so scattered. As the manager, it was my job to get performance back on track.

I’m only human, so I can definitely admit to receiving criticism of my work in the past. Honestly, the only thing you can do at that point is to thank the person for pointing out the flaw.

It’s like when you have to tell a friend they have food on their face. Some people don’t like that, but I see it as a way to protect them from greater embarrassment with someone else.

Last year, I received criticism from a coworker on my report writing.

She did not like how I sent each report in a separate email. Instead, she requested that all emails be sent in one email.

I had no idea this was what she preferred. As soon as she told me, I was easily able to make the change by compiling all documents into one email.

Ever since then, everything has been fantastic between the two of us.

It would depend entirely on what they were asking me to do. If a supervisor told me to do something that contradicts my moral beliefs, I would try my best to explain my feelings and then find a solution we both agreed with.

If it was an issue where I disagreed with the approach my manager took to doing something, I might politely recommend an alternative way and explain its advantages.

Regardless of the situation, I would take a closer look at what is being asked to ensure that I understand the details of the matter.

If needed, I would speak with my manager to find a solution that would achieve the same results without contradicting any opposing values.

About a year ago, a coworker and I had a disagreement about whom a specific account belonged to.

I requested to meet with my coworker one-on-one to discuss the situation.

First, I asked her to explain to me why she thought the account belonged to her.

After listening and understanding her side, we both agreed that the best way to resolve the issue would be to work the account together.

Both of us were happy to work on the account and we actually became very close friends after working together so closely.

I was a bank teller when a customer came in requesting a sheet of checks. When I went to print them out, another banker printed similar checks for another client.

Without looking, I handed the wrong checks to the client. She then wrote a check to pay her rent and the funds were eventually pulled from the other client’s account.

This was not figured out until the customer called and complained that their funds were missing. The clients actually reconciled this between themselves and were able to laugh afterward.

I then developed a system to make sure that I triple check the name before handing any client a sheet of checks.

A couple of years ago, I gave a new staff member the task of compiling and sending out our monthly e-newsletter.

She used images with very high resolution, which affected the newsletter’s formatting, making it unreadable for subscribers. We had several people unsubscribe as a result.

Rather than immediately confronting her, I put together a folder of lower-resolution images that she could use for future newsletters.

Absolutely. Having worked in teams quite frequently in my previous position, it was inevitable that this situation would arise.

Last year, I was assigned to work with the marketing team to create a marketing plan for a large account. Each member of this team was assigned a specific task that was to be completed by our set deadline.

One of the members was way behind and said that he probably could not finish his section of the project in time. I sat down with him to understand why he was unable to finish his portion of the project. After all, this was what we committed to and we all had equal parts.

He explained to me that he had been having internet trouble, and was unable to complete his research at home. For the next couple minutes, we brainstormed different places he could go to use the internet. After addressing this situation, he had agreed to work in Starbucks, in order to complete his portion by the deadline.

Taking the time to understand his situation, and figure out a solution was critical to our project completion. At the end, we were all able to finish our work on time, and the project was completed successfully.

While working with my last company as a sales representative, I had a meeting with a potential client.

In earlier discussions, the client had expressed their love for jelly beans. On my way to their office, I picked up a bag of jelly beans and a gift bag and wrote our company name on it.

Because of this, I was able to close the deal without using my normal pitch! My supervisors were very appreciative and as far as I know, the company still serves that client to this day.

I have been lucky enough to have a string of great employers. Each has pushed me to become a better professional while sharpening my skills in this industry.

I can remember specifically when Mr. XYZ was mentoring me as I was struggling with making cold calls. He didn’t let me off the hook and gave me some great tips.

Now I am one of the most efficient people I know with turning cold calls into long-term clients.

The first thing I’d want to do if I was approached by a difficult customer would be to understand their situation.

I’d want to sympathize with the customer and let them know that despite their negative feelings, I want to help them.

I’d patiently work with them to try and resolve any of their problems. Killing them with kindness.

I have a pretty solid track record of turning difficult customers into raving advocates and feel more than capable of doing this for ABC Company.

At my previous place of employment, we would have weekly board meetings. It probably goes without saying that tensions would sometimes rise due to different perspectives on matters.

Unfortunately, there were times when people would begin raising their voices and on some occasions, even crying.

I made it a point to check my emotions at the door before these meetings. If voices were raised and it was my turn to talk, I would be sure to speak in a professional manner and at a normal speaking volume.

This usually calmed the room and we were able to get back to a productive meeting atmosphere.

I take pride in my ability, even as a junior employee, to calm the room if necessary. I believe this is one of my strongest traits!