Interview Questions
If you could have changed things in your past job, what would you have changed?
I enjoyed working for my last job, but I would have loved the opportunity to change and improve communication between the two rank structures in the organization, officers and enlisted marines.
What questions do you have for us?
1. What would a typical work day be like for me in this position? 2. What kinds of advancement opportunities are there for someone in this position?
How would you describe yourself as a worker?
As a worker, I can describe myself as someone who is consistently growing, humble, hardworking, and someone with a need to produce results.
What do you think your most recent supervisor would say about your job performance?
He would recommend me to this organization based on my past work performance because I left the organization in good terms. On my last day of work, I was recognized with The Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal which is the highest non-combat decoration awarded by the department of the Navy. This medal request was submitted by my supervisor based on my work performance in the organization. And it got approved.
Tell us why you are interested in this position?
I am interested in this position because It connects to my career path. I want to start with this position and hopefully move up the latter and take on more responsibilities within this organization.
What part of the job did you feel you did particularly well?
I feel like I did very well in all parts of my job. But If I were to choose only one of them I would say I did particularly well in communicating with people, vendors, suppliers, departments and overall everyone in my organization. Communication played a huge role in my last job.
Tell us about your computer skills (or other technical skills, as appropriate to the position).
I have good data entry skills, I'm an excellent typist, and I'm skillful in Microsoft Office including word, excel, and power point. I'm very comfortable using these programs and have a lot of experience doing so.
Why did you leave your last job (or previous job)?
I left my previous job because It was the end of my contract in the military, I got out with an honorable discharge. I didn't want to renew my contract because I wanted to get my education and find a job relevant to what I did in the military near my home.
What additional information do you think we should have that would help us evaluate you for this position?
I think we have covered most of my information, but just to summarize, it sounds like you are looking for someone who can really put some work for this organization, someone that is skilled and experienced. And with my previous experience in Supply and Administration, I think that I will be a great fit for this job position.
What kinds of things are you hoping to avoid in a job?
I wish to avoid miscommunication and misunderstandings in the job caused by poor or unclear communication.
What are some of your reasons for seeking employment with South Texas College?
I'm seeking employment with South Texas College because it is a perfect fit for me. I'm able to work during the day and right after work, I would be able to attend night classes here in South Texas College. Another reason for seeking employment here is so that I can get more experience in this field to hopefully acquire a higher level position in the future. And also, to help this organization maintain an accurate and up to date inventory of the college assets.
Of all the positions you have had, which did you like best? Why?
In my last job I picked up the rank of Sergeant. With that came more responsibilities and I liked that because I was able to expand my knowledge and leadership skills in my organization.
What were your duties in your last job?
In my last job my duties consist of procurement, requisition, and purchasing orders. I would buy equipment for departments and several organizations in different states surrounding Pennsylvania. Other responsibilities include, Tracking equipment, issuing equipment, shipping, record keeping, and administrative paper work.
In the last year, what have you done to develop your skills?
In the last year I have been unemployed, but my skills have been developed by knowledge. I have been a full-time student in South Texas College where I have learned valuable knowledge in business and especially in organizational leadership.
What aspects of a job are important to you?
Job security, works safety, and opportunity for use of skills and abilities
What things were difficult to do?
Other than the physical training that was part of being a Marine. I believe the difficult things to do at my last job were none, the tasks and things I would do in my job were challenging but not difficult because I knew my job.
How does the position for which you are applying related to what you have done in the past?
The position for which I'm applying relates in all areas of the duties and responsibilities I have done in my past jobs. All the duties and responsibilities for this job position are relevant to my job experience in the past.
Of all the positions you have had, which did you like least? Why?
To be honest, at the entry level in the military you are at lowest rank position. Which is a private. This is the position is the one I liked least because I had very few responsibilities, but this position came positive opportunities to enhance my job knowledge and learn from mentors.
What do you do to get a job or project completed? (referring to overtime, etc.)
To complete a job or a project, I have always been successful by breaking down the job or project into small pieces and doing a step by step guide, of what needs to get done, what materials are needed, how much man power is needed, and setting the date on which the job or project needs to get done by. Once I have answered all these steps than I start the job or project on the right direction.
Do you have any customer service experience? i.e. with other departments/customers/faculty/members/students and, if so, describe a difficult situation and how you handled it.
Yes, I have immense customer service under my belt. I have been practicing customer service since a young age when I used to work in restaurants. I have developed my customer skills ever since. A difficult situation that I have encountered was with other departments in the military. They would show up at my office requesting for me to buy their equipment and I would always respectfully provide them with information and data on why I couldn't buy they're equipment. Sometimes It was because of budget cuts other times was because their parts where not priority. But I have always found a way to back up my responses and keep the customers well informed to prevent conflict.
What do you consider your biggest challenge will be if you are selected for this position?
the biggest challenge will be getting to know the members of the team. I'm used to working with a large and diverse team and thrive on finding the best in my colleagues.
Tell us about your work history (i.e. Positions and responsibilities).
• At the young age of 15, I started working in the restaurant industry were I developed my patience, communication, and customer service skills. • At age 21 I left the restaurant industry as an assistant manager to serve in the military. My first duty station was overseas in Japan. There my job was in supply administration. My duties and responsibilities there were too purchase items and equipment for departments in my organization, track equipment, ship and transfer equipment, distribute equipment to departments, assign equipment to the responsible officers, and record keeping. All my work was done through an oracle supply system called GCSS similar to banner workflow. • In my last duty station in Pennsylvania I worked as a purchasing clerk, I was the only government card holder in my organization. My job consisted procurement, requisition, and purchase orders. Basically, the officers of the departments would fill out purchase order request forms and I would revise the PO to make sure the items that were requested comply with the purchasing order policy and to check if the vendors and supplier carried the items requested, after that, I would route the purchasing order forms to my officer in charge for purchasing approval. The organization I worked in was a headquarters that was responsible for 8 recruiting stations spread out through different states surrounding Pennsylvania. I enjoyed this job very much because I would order items and equipment for all the recruiting stations including my organization and when it was valuable equipment such as: Computers or tablets, I would get the opportunity to travel to each recruiting station at the military's expense. The reason for the travel was to inspect all the valuable inventory, check for any damages, annotate all the serial numbers for tracking purposes, and all the administrative procedures that needed to be done for issuing this equipment. And of course, everything was tracked and done through the oracle supply system GCSS.