英语完美面试宝典

Initiative

“Give me an example of a recent incident where you took the initiative on a project.”

• “We were having a problem with our ordering procedure with one particular customer. I went to the Web site and researched it frame-by-frame until I found the problem. I presented the problem to our technical department, and we worked out the problem together. I then went to the customers and trained them on the use of the system. I sat with them and went through the procedure step by step until they were able to get the hang of it. Afterward I continued to follow up until I knew the problem was resolved.”
  
• “I volunteer as an assistant coach of a basketball team for youths at risk. I observed that the stronger players were playing more than the other players but that they were not necessarily winning. I also observed that the mediocre players had some talent in other ways, like shooting and defending, and they weren’t being used. I thought that if we could mix the strengths of all of the players,we would have a stronger chance of winning. I took the idea to the head coach, and he gave me the go-ahead. I held a team meeting and explained my idea that was met with some resistance but was eventually accepted on a trial basis. We practiced and practiced and then began winning games. We ranked second that year, but if I hadn’t taken the initiative, we would have ranked in the teens. But more than winning, in the end the players had a real sense of ‘team.’”
  
• “One successful idea I initiated was a way of encouraging people to pay their payments on time during the holidays. I suggested rewarding people who sent on-time payments by contributing a portion of their payments to their favorite charity. Because it was the holiday season, people were more into helping others. Senior managers agreed to the idea because they could write off the contribution. It was implemented with an announcement to card holders and met with a surprising 10 percent increase in on-time payments. Everybody won on that venture.”