Mgt 311 - Exam 1

Front 1

_____ interview questions are fairly abstract and do not ask for examples.

Back 1

Traditional

Front 2

Traditional or Behavioral: Tell me about your career goals.

Back 2

Traditional

Front 3

Traditional or Behavioral: What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Back 3

Traditional

Front 4

Traditional or Behavioral: Why are you interested in working here?

Back 4

Traditional

Front 5

_____ interview questions ask for specific examples (assumes that past behavior offers the best predictor of future behavior, and therefore the technique requires applicants to describe how they handled specific problems and situations in the past).

Back 5

Behavioral

Front 6

Traditional or Behavioral: Give an example of how you did a project that took more than a month.

Back 6

Behavioral

Front 7

Traditional or Behavioral: Tell me about a situation where you had to deal with an upset customer or co-worker.

Back 7

Behavioral

Front 8

Traditional or Behavioral: Give me an example of when you showed leadership.

Back 8

Behavioral

Front 9

Traditional or Behavioral: Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty.

Back 9

Behavioral

Front 10

The PAR-B formula is used in _____ interview questions.

Back 10

Behavioral

Front 11

Name the four parts of PAR-B.

Back 11

1. Problem: Identify a problem situation you encountered. (What job were you trying to do? What was going wrong? Why was this undesirable?)
2. Action: Tell the action you took to resolve the problem.
3. Results: Tell the results. (What started going right?)
4. Benefits: Last, explain what benefits were enjoyed by others once the results were in place. (The benefit must be for others, including co-workers, the company, the managers, or the customers. That is, you are contributing to the business as a team player. Benefits that flow only to yourself do not make you look like a team player.)

Front 12

What do good Benefits focus on?

Back 12

Productivity
Profit
Customer retention
Employee retention

Front 13

Define production.

Back 13

The total amount produced (output); does not take efficiency into account.

Front 14

Define productivity.

Back 14

An input-to-output ratio that tells you how efficiently an operation is running (includes both outputs and inputs).

Front 15

What is the formula for calculating productivity?

Back 15

Outputs divided by inputs

Front 16

Why do service manufacturers focus heavily on labor inputs?

Back 16

Because the payroll is the largest expense category in most service organizations (about 2/3 or 66%), and managers want to keep the payroll as small as possible while maintaining good quality output.

Front 17

What is the difference between increased production and increased productivity?

Back 17

Increased production - increase in revenues (outputs)
Increased productivity - decrease in expenses (inputs), thereby improving the productivity ratio (boosting outputs while reducing inputs)

Front 18

Name the two levers for improving productivity.

Back 18

1. Boosting outputs
2. Reducing inputs

Front 19

Name the five components of professionalism.

Back 19

1. Expert knowledge (has genuine expertise or highly specialized knowledge in an area; this expertise usually requires advanced training and/or a decade of progressive experience)
2. Proper behavior and ethics (has high standards for personal conduct)
3. Independent work ability (can work with minimal supervision and exercise independent judgment)
4. Client needs first (puts the client's needs or mission first)
5. Quality work done right (has high standards for the quality of work or advice)

Front 20

Define profit.

Back 20

The total amount of money left over after you subtract expenses from revenue.

Front 21

Define profitability.

Back 21

The proportion of revenue you keep as profit.

Front 22

What happens in the Profitless Growth scenario?

Back 22

Increase in revenue, but expenses also grow in parallel; the result is no gain in profits

Front 23

_____ is a common result of attempts to grow the size of a company.

Back 23

Profitless growth

Front 24

What happens in the ↑Revenue scenario?

Back 24

Revenue increases; expenses stay the same; profits increase

Front 25

What happens in the ↓Expense scenario?

Back 25

Revenue stays the same; expenses decrease; profits increase

Front 26

Explain this statement: Understanding how to improve profitability will help you develop examples of your past behavior that will impress interviewers.

Back 26

Interviewers want to see how you've contributed to organizational success - need to show that you're going to be a contributor (increasing revenue and/or decreasing expenses)

Front 27

Define informational interviews.

Back 27

Informal background conversations with industry insiders to gather intelligence for the job search.

Front 28

Name the three goals of informational interviewing.

Back 28

1. Find out if you are a good fit for the industry, role, or company
2. Find out how to prepare yourself now so you'll be a strong candidate later
3. Find out how to conduct your search process

Front 29

Name three example of questions to ask in order to find out if you're a good fit for the industry, role, or company.

Back 29

-What are the different jobs in the field, and what duties does each involve?
-Are there opportunities for advancement, professional development, and growth?
-What are the rewards and frustrations of this work? What's the lifestyle like?
-What is the atmosphere or culture of this company? Is it friendly to women?
-What kinds of characters or personalities thrive in the field?

Front 30

Name three examples of questions to ask in order to find out how to prepare yourself now so you'll be a strong candidate later.

Back 30

-Do employers in the field look for certain educational credentials or GPA levels?
-What kinds of work or internship experience should I try to get before applying?
-What are some ways that a student can build their appeal as a candidate?
-What kinds of specific knowledge, skills, and abilities do employers look for?
-How does this company differ from competitors? Are the employers different also?

Front 31

Name three examples of questions to ask in order to find out how to conduct your job search process.

Back 31

-What are the most common entry-level jobs and how can I find openings?
-How and where do these companies recruit? Who typically does the hiring?
-Who else can I contact - maybe someone who recently started out in the field?
-What companies or roles are hiring these days?
-What advice do you have for a young person trying to get started in this field?

Front 32

Define project.

Back 32

An outcome that will require multiple Next Actions over a time span of up to a year.

Front 33

Define next action.

Back 33

A specific physical result that you can accomplish in one sitting or less (often 1-4 hours of effort), and which can move a Project forward.

Front 34

How do Next Actions relate to Projects?

Back 34

Multistage Projects are broken down into discrete Next Actions, making the Project seem more feasible, and increasing your confidence and motivation so you can actually begin working

Front 35

Define leadership.

Back 35

The ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals.

Front 36

How is the definition of leadership useful for a person who has NOT held formal leadership or management positions (i.e. team captain, store manager)?

Back 36

-No title necessary - can be at work, socially, or in school projects
-Influence via behaviors (i.e. develop meeting agenda) not traits (i.e. dominant, extroverted) - traits tend to predict leader emergence, not impact (most dominant or extroverted doesn't necessarily equal "most beneficial")

Front 37

Name the four traps to avoid when managing effective meetings (NATO).

Back 37

1. No-shows (slows progress; lowers unity)
2. Agenda-less-ness (meetings become a waste of time; lowers interest)
3. Tangents (wastes time; increases frustration)
4. Orphaned tasks (slows progress; lowers unity)

Front 38

What are the remedies for dealing with no-shows?

Back 38

Short-term: keep people in the loop
Long-term: set meetings far in advance; remind

Front 39

What is the remedy for dealing with agenda-less-ness?

Back 39

At the end of each meeting, draft the next agenda

Front 40

What are the remedies for dealing with tangents?

Back 40

-Redirect ("let's get back to the agenda")
-Defer and return (parking lot list - the issue can be taken up again later)

Front 41

What is the remedy for dealing with orphaned tasks?

Back 41

Make someone accountable