Interview Questions
When is a time you used data to drive the most beneficial improvement?
Error investigation Background: Errors logged for interface/communication errors. Issue: These are worked but in no particular order. Action: I generated a list of errors and their frequencies. Also indicated whether the errors completely prevented the message information from being sent/received (which are more important to work), or whether just some information is sent/received. Also led my customer through the top 3 issues before moving on to the next top 3. Resolution: Reduced error volume by 75% over several months.
In what environment do you thrive?
I enjoy digging in, getting my hands dirty, and seeing rapid results, which is all part of working in a high-pressure (heavy workload) environment. i.e. where I'm the leader... i.e. Materials Management - making install materials more easy to understand... i.e. upgrade group, reducing after hours calls.
Are you more of a detailed person or big-picture person?
I understand that both keeping track of critical details and seeing how the pieces fit together are critical to success. So I pay careful attention to both of these sides. I see unique connections between ideas that create new big possibilities. I keep things organized and make sure all pieces are in the right place. Keeping things organized sometimes takes knowing the details. i.e. persoal software project
How will you stay interested over the long haul?
I want to become a leader in the company.
What can you do for this company?
I will learn things quickly and be a leader you can rely on to expand Vecna's products.
Tell me about yourself.
I'm a hard-worker, I'm creative, and I like solving problems. I work at Epic Systems, a software company. I'm involved in implementing the software over 6 month to 2 year long projects. I'm also involved in supporting customers live on Epic software. I've learned lots about project management. I want to get into robotics because my passion is with robotics. I also want to work at a startup because I love finding ways to solve problems to rapidly achieve a company's goals.
When is a time you showed attention to detail?
2017071 project Background: Customer was integrating with a new system. Issue: Customer was on tight timelines. Also, I had not done this integration before but I had a build guide. Action: I read through the guide and closely read all of the items to make sure I understood what they were and how long they would take. On some occasions my attention to details and finding out exactly what each of these tasks called for allowed us to perform certain tasks earlier (like getting production environment ready with certain settings) or start tasks earlier (like testing certain Resolution: My customer was able to successfully complete the project on time.
What is your biggest weakness?
As someone who is highly proactive, I tend to take on a lot of responsibility myself and not delegate out to others. Instead of doing things myself and aiming for perfection, I've learned that it's more important to get momentum on a project by delegating out to others and working as a team... i.e. sharing how-to guides or reference material with analysts before giving them the answer. I also have a lot of grit, which allows me to spend the necessary time and effort into solving a problem, far past others would have given up. But if I'm not careful, I can be trying to solve a problem the hard way when there's an easier way to solve the problem... i.e. pause every 30 minutes and take a break.
What is your biggest strength?
Based on my past experiences, I would have to say that among my strengths and abilities, the most notable would be that I make things happen proactively. In other words, I don't wait to be told to improve something, I just do it myself. i.e. spider diagram generator.
How do you solve problems?
Define, Generate, Decide, Implement, Evaluate i.e. Customer says "how do we send/receive X piece of data"... asking why? Because this... ask why that? Because ... etc... Implementation is a large part of the work. This involves planning, delegation, follow-through.
What personal characteristics make you effective? How would your co-workers describe you?
Other co-workers consider me someone who is imaginative and open-minded. I generate new ideas and have intuitive insights that build on and strengthen what's been done before. i.e. Video education videos: At my job I noticed that it would be helpful for there to be video education tools. Outside of classes there weren't a lot of visual references to help explain concepts. I generated ideas for new videos and added them to a new video repository. The new hires I asked for feedback said they helped make sense of concepts that they didn't understand before. In this role this will enable me to come up with new ideas for doing things that others haven't considered before. I'll be able to take my insights to generate ideas for better positioning the company's products.
How do you handle pressure?
Prioritizing and communicating. I enjoy digging in, getting my hands dirty, and seeing rapid results, which is all part of working in a high-pressure (heavy workload) environment. In challenging situations, I am someone who will step up and take on greater responsibility as needed. My strengths enable me to deliver results in these situations. I keep a conscientious eye so that quality is maintained and the work product is error-free. i.e. i.e. Sometimes I just laugh.
What's a time you had to come up with a creative solution?
Spider diagram generator
When is a time you automated something?
Spider diagram generator.
Describe in detail a project you led?
Surescripts 2017071 project.
How do you organize and plan for major projects?
With any major project, I believe it is critical to understand - the project goals - the available resources (in terms of budget, people, or other resources) - and the key parameters (deadlines, who I report to, other guidelines). I set aside time to clear my plate of distractions and thoroughly evaluate what needs to get done. I look for opportunities to approach the project innovatively and to think about the work in a new way. With this background work done, (my team and) I (are) am ready to put the pieces in place. I set project benchmarks, assign roles, allocate budgets, and consider various what-ifs. i.e. Suresripts project
When is a time you had to troubleshoot a complex problem?
X-ray report rebound issue: Background: At one of my customers, the doctors perform X-rays, write a report in Epic software, save it, and then the report is supposed to get sent to another software system through a message that Epic pushes out. Issue: Every week, one or two messages would send out of Epic with just the patient information and not the actual report portion of the message. Action: I came up with a tested several different hypotheses: - Tried reproducing the issue in a testing environment but unable to do so. Compared the testing and production environments and they were the same. - The doctors with the bad reports are using a different workflow or activity in the software (verified not the case as there's only one workflow). - Maybe some filtering with the type of patient (verified not the case by verifying filters on the interface). - Finally, proposed it is a race condition (verified by retriggering message after the first message, and all information was there. Also verified by checking the journal files that describe when information gets saved. Info wasn't getting saved in time). Resolution: Brought issue to developers who are working on resolution. In the meantime, implemented a delay between when the doctor clicks save report and when the message sends.