Interview Q&As

Describe a time you went above and beyond.

1) Writing MATLAB code to automate certain analysis. 2) Creating a document naming and handling convention. 3) Creating a sensor calibration protocol.

How honest are you on a scale of 1 to 10?

10, for sure.

On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being highest, how honest are you?

5.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being highest, how dependable are you?

5.

Describe a contest.

A contest is a competition between a group of people to attain supremacy in a sport, activity, or quality.

What type of environment do you flourish in?

A fast-paced environment that pushes and challenges me.

Define a good manager.

A good manager is optimistic and driven to reach a certain objective, and has the ability to direct, motivate, and lead a team towards that objective.

Define short-term vs long-term goals.

A short-term goal is something you want to accomplish soon, be it a day, a week or a month. A long-term goal is something you want to accomplish a long time for now, possibly several years down the road.

Describe a situation where you demonstrated team spirit.

About a month or two into my last job, at the orthopedic start-up, I wanted to get to know the team a bit better so I organized a group hiking trip in upstate NY, and it was a huge bonding moment for our team.

Do you deliver in crunch-time?

Always, I find I do my best work under-pressure.

Give an example of making a tough choice.

An example of a touch choice I made was about a year ago when I left my job at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases to work at a start-up orthopaedic company. I had made a lot of close friends in that workplace and I felt like I was abandoning my loyalty to that environment. Ultimately, I chose to pursue the start-up because it meant furthering my career and stepping outside of my comfort zone so I can grow further.

Do you like to think of many things at the same time?

At a given time, I prefer to focus on one thing. I find that focusing on one thing produces a better results and is a more efficient use of my brain power.

Describe a situation where you demonstrated leadership.

At my last job, we were developing several medical device products. It became clear, when I started, that the members of the company had no experience in orthopedic medical devices. I quickly recognized several key errors they were making and things they were overlooking and took action. Over the course of my time there, I voiced my concern and provided possible solutions for various aspects of the company that led to many improvements in the day to day operations.

What is most important to you: work, people, or ethics?

Ethics are most important to me because ethics define your relationship and values within the work environment and with how you interact with people.

What is ethics?

Ethics are the notions, ideas and feelings that guide a persons behavior, actions, words, and conduct.

Are you a quick thinker? Give an example of quick thinking.

I am a quick thinker. When I was a TA for the math department, I would often hold review sessions for groups of up to 100 students. There would always be a question or two that would come up that I had never seen before. Without fail, I was able to use my knowledge and insight accumulated to that point to find a solution to those questions on the spot.

Are you dependable? Given an example of how you are dependable.

I am dependable, because I always deliver on a deadline. While working at the start-up, our CEO asked the full-time engineers to draft several patent disclosures in a very short amount of time. The group of engineers split up, and came up with deadlines. I delivered my portions of the patent disclosures well before the deadline and we all successfully completed the task.

How do you communicate clearly?

I communicate clearly by speaking loudly, with emotion, and taking my time with my words, making sure I don't rush or slur. I make eye contact with the individual I'm communicating, and direct them with confidence. I stick to the message and ensure that my message is getting across by repeating.

Do you communicate well?

I do communicate well.

Do you consider yourself to be politically savvy?

I do consider myself to be politically savvy.

Do you hate to lose?

I do hate to lose.

Do you have problem solving skills? Give a recent example of when you used problem solving skills.

I do have problem solving skills. At the moment, my fiancee and I are actually looking for wedding venues. I noticed that, as we were touring some wedding venues, it was difficult for us to agree on any particular venue. It became clear that finding the "perfect" venue would be difficult. So I asked that each of us, individually, write down the 5 things we want out of the venue in order of importance. This helped us understand what mattered most to each of us and narrow down something we can both be happy with.

Do you keep records? Describe how you keep records.

I do keep records. I'm a vigorous note-taker. I typically use Microsoft OneNote if I'm at my computer and organize my notes by day. If I'm not by a computer, I will hand-write my notes and then digitize them afterward. If I've culminated some sort of task, research or project, I will summarize that work with a report in either a PowerPoint or Word format.

Do you like to have many balls in the air? Describe a time when you had many balls in the air and how you handled them.

I do like to have many balls in the air. In my third year working at the lab at the Hospital for Joint Diseases, I was in charge of several projects: namely supervising two master's student theses as well as managing the FDA testing of two knee prostheses. I would prioritize the tasks in order of importance, and schedule weekly meetings with all parties involved to ensure that all the tasks related to each project was progressing accordingly.

Do you usually seek out the leadership position? Describe a time when you sought a leadership position.

I do often seek out the leadership position. In my second year at NYU, a master's student began working at the lab and I volunteered to mentor him and guide him through his thesis project. I was not the most senior person at the time, but I felt comfortable in that role.

Do you speak to people with candor? Describe a time when you spoke to someone with candor.

I do speak to people with candor. When I worked in the lab at NYU, there was a master's student that I was mentoring who would consistently not meet my expectations and would do things in the lab that I thought were inappropriate, such as falling asleep at his desk. When the two of us were alone, I confronted him and told him that he needs to step up, change his behavior, and work harder if he wants to be successful.

Do you think you accomplish more than others? Given an example of when you've accomplished more than others.

I do think I accomplish more than others. During my time working at the research lab in the Hospital for Joint Diseases, within 1 year time I quickly rose to a Senior Engineer in the lab. Some colleagues that had been there longer than I had, hadn't managed to reach that title. I was also able to author several papers and conference abstracts, more than some of my colleagues who had been in the lab for a longer period of time.

Do you do what is right even when faced with opposition? Given an example of when you did what was right in the face of adversity.

I do what is right even when faced with adversity. While working at the start-up, the founder of the company presented a vision that I knew would be impractical given my experience with the FDA. The other members of the company were very excited about his vision, but I stood my ground and voice my opinion on the matter. I provided them with clear arguments as to why the vision was impractical and possible solutions to the problem. My beliefs were certainly unpopular but I knew they were right.

What is your greatest weakness?

I don't think I'm myself on a public stage yet. I still get nervous.

What trends do you foresee in the business? How will this affect the business?

I foresee that the desired cost of healthcare will diminish, which will lead to the need for lowered cost in the products and services. I also foresee that the frequency of younger patients getting joint arthroplasty will increase, which will lead to the need for higher quality products and services.

Do you keep up to date in your industry/field? How do you keep up to date?

I frequently read the latest journals and research that comes out in the field of Orthopedics. I'm also subscribed to a weekly newsletter that informs me of any breaking news related to the major orthopedic companies. I make an attempt to go to at least one major conference in my industry every year as well.

Have you ever had someone champion your cause? Describe a time when someone championed your cause.

I have had someone champion my cause. While working at the start-up, I was faced with a problem. Namely, the founder of our company had a vision for a product that I believed was very impractical. My beliefs were very unpopular, but I presented evidence and reasons why as well as possible solutions. One of the full-time engineers that I worked with eventually understood that I was right and began to support my vision. Soon enough, with the support of several of my colleagues there, we were able to convince the founder and move in a more practical direction.

What do you know about the company?

I know that the mission of the company is to improve healthcare, together with patients. I know that the core values are accountability, integrity, people, and performance. I also know that the CEO is Kevin Lobo and in 2017, Stryker made a record 12 billion in sales.

Why do you lead?

I lead because I'm passionate about what I know and believe and because I can share that passion with others, motivating them to learn, grow and be successful.

How do you organize your day?

I like to start my days with a to-do list ordered by importance. I will also, if time permitting, add things to the list that I hadn't planned to do.

What do you look for in a company you work for?

I look for the quality of the products or services they produce. I look to see if the values and code of ethics of the company fall in line with my own. I also look to see how successful and established the company is and the trajectory of the company.

Do you like contests? Describe a contest you have been in.

I love contests. When I worked at the research lab in the Hospital for Joint Diseases, my colleague's and I joined the annual JP Morgan Chase 5K run that takes place in central park. We had about 10 people in a our group who were competing for the best time. Six months leading up to the event, I would consistently train and go running to make sure that I was prepared. I even ran the route in central park several times before the event. I was able to complete the 5K in 30 minutes, not the best time, but I came in 2nd in our group.

Do you like to work?

I love working.

Describe the pace you keep.

I pace I keep is very fast-paced. I always have something schedules and I always have something else I need to do. I hate not having something to do; it always feels like a waste of time.

Describe a person with common sense.

I person with common sense is someone who has a basic ability to perceive, understand and judge that is shared by nearly all people.

Do you prefer a slow/medium/fast paced environment and why?

I prefer a fast-paced environment because I hate feeling like there is nothing to do. I want to constantly be doing something and constantly working towards achieving my goals and that's done most efficiently in a fast-paced environment.

Do you prefer to be part of a group or to lead a group and why?

I prefer to lead a group because I'm very motivated to see the success of others around me and to see them learn and thrive.

How do you attain your goals?

I think about what I want to achieve and when, and I break that down into a series of manageable steps that will help me get closer to my goals.

What does it mean to be politically savvy?

I think being politically savvy means understanding the environment that you are in, reading the people and personalities that you interact with so that you can better communicate with them and successfully navigate that environment.

What does it mean to be professional?

I think being professional means being honest, being dependable and responsible, and being respectful to the people around you.

Define work-life balance.

I think work-life balance is finding the right amount of time for an individual to devote to work and to personal life that can sufficiently provide that individual with both achievement and enjoyment.

Demonstrate how you deal with disappointment.

I typically reflect on what led to that disappointment and determine the aspects of that disappointment that I can learn and improve from.

Describe some of the progress you search for everyday.

I typically start my day's with a checklist or a plan of things I'd like to accomplish but in my work life and persona life. The progress I search for is checking things off that list.

What are your core values?

I value honesty, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and constantly learning and challenging myself.

Would you rather stick with the plan or go with the flow? Why?

I would rather stick with the plan because when a plan is laid out, the road to success is defined and the steps necessary to achieve it are clear. I've found that for me personally, going with the flow can often cause confusion and angst.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how competitive are you and why?

I'm a 10. I hate losing and I'm always striving to be better than others and be the best.

What is your greatest strength?

I'm a hard-worker.

Are you better at leading others or being part of a team?

I'm better at leading others.

What are your three best qualities?

I'm honest, detail-oriented, and responsible.

Why are you interested in this position?

I'm interested in this position because it's a great opportunity to advance my career doing something that I truly enjoy, hands-on lab work. It's also an opportunity for me to grow in an established company in Stryker.

What makes you satisfied at the end of the day?

I'm never truly satisfied because there's always more to be done. But, I will settle for completing the goals that I've set for myself that day.

What are your three worst qualities?

In certain situations, I can be shy, nervous, and sometimes anxious, particularly in a new environment or in front of a large group of people.

Describe a situation where you were given leadership.

In my senior year of engineering school, I was assigned to be president of an honor's club. It was one my first leadership opportunities and I was assigned to organize a ceremony for the honor's club. I quickly came up with a plan and assigned responsibilities to the team members and we successfully achieved our goal.

Do you ever take on too many tasks?

No I don't. I welcome as many tasks as I can handle but I'm never afraid to say no when there's too many.

Are you a pushy person?

Yes I am, when I need to be.

Can you communicate clearly? Describe a time you communicated clearly.

Yes I can communicate clearly. In my last year working at the research lab in Hospital for Joint Diseases, I was honored to have a podium presentation at a very well-known orthopedic conference, ISTA. I knew it would be important to present my work clearly to the audience. I made sure to take my time and speak loud and directly to the audience, and maintain eye-contact as much as possible. When necessary, I supplemented my dialogue with clear figures and tables, and at times animations. I made sure to conclude with the key elements of my presentation I was trying to get across. The presentation went very well and the feedback I got from my peers was overall positive.

Do you have a certain routine you live by?

Yes I do have a routine.

Do you think that discipline helps you to be efficient and why?

Yes I do think that being disciplined helps me be efficient. Having discipline helps my plan my life and ensures that I don't waste time doing things that are not contributing to my short term and long term goals.

Do you always deliver in crunch time? Describe a time you delivered in crunch time.

Yes, I always deliver in crunch time. During my time at Monogram Orthopedics, our CEO gave our team a tight deadline to complete a task. The task was to prepare, using the technique we developed, 9 implant femurs so that we can ship them out to our CRO for testing. Our team worked around the clock. I often came in on weekends to prepare the samples, and worked 12 hours days to make sure the task was complete. We managed to prepare all the specimens and ship them to our CRO for testing, and ultimately we got very positive results in our proof of concept test.

Are you disciplined?

Yes, I am.

Can you paint visual pictures with words?

Yes, I can paint visual pictures with words.

Do you go the extra mile for a customer or work? Describe a time when you went the extra mile.

Yes, I do go the extra mile for work. During my time in the lab at the NYU, I was working on a very repetitive and time-consuming data analysis. Without anyone asking, I created a computer program to automate the process which saved a lot of time for my own work and any future work on the same subject matter. At my last job, working in the start-up, without anyone asking, I created a document naming convention and handling system to organize the many reports and protocols we were creating. I also began creating a design control framework to guide the design process for the products we were creating.

Do you ever outperform others? Tell me a time that demonstrates this.

Yes, I do outperform others. Throughout my college career, I outperformed my fellow students in grades and out of a group of very intelligent students, I graduated with the highest GPA in my class, while maintaining a healthy social life and holding a TA job within the math department.

Do you consider yourself a person with common sense?

Yes, I do.

Do you have to have some kind of progress everyday?

Yes, I do.

Do you need to be liked?

Yes, I do.

Do you set goals for yourself?

Yes, I do.

When you speak, do you speak with authority?

Yes, I do.

Do you have a code of ethics? Describe your code of ethics.

Yes, I do. My code of ethics centers around social responsibility. It's imperative to act for the benefit of others around me, to have integrity by being honest and impartial, and to be accountable for my actions.

Have you ever changed your personal life for work? Describe.

Yes, I have. In my previous company, there was an important trade show that my CEO wanted me to attend. He asked me, at the last minute to go to the conference and help pitch to possible investors. I had plans to go to a show with my fiancee and various friends of ours but I cancelled that to attend the conference and give the talks.

Do you know what is right and wrong?

Yes, I know what is right and wrong. A sense of right and wrong is the motivation deriving logically from ethical and moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions.

Do you often lead the conversation?

Yes, I often lead the conversation.

Are you honest?

Yes, I'm very honest.

Do you stand up for what is right?

Yes, always.

Do you ever get angry? Do others know it when you're angry?

Yes, at times I do get angry. Yes, others do know it when I'm angry.

Is it important to work for a well-known established company?

Yes, it's very important.

Do people come to you for answers and why?

Yes, people do come to me for answers because they know that I will either know the answer or do anything I can to help figure it out.

Do you trust others to do your work?

Yes, until they fail me.

Name three adjectives that others would use to describe you.

dependable, intelligent, calm

Name three adjectives that you use to describe yourself.

honest, hard-working, detail-oriented

Give an example of being aggressive.

Story of working with UCLA lab, aggressively following-up.

Describe a time when you managed others to accomplish a goal.

Story with mentoring a master's student.

Define teamwork and results-oriented team.

Team work is a group effect, when multiple people work together to accomplish a task. Results-oriented team is when individual efforts are merged to achieve an overall goal.

Was there a time you didn't follow through?

There was one time, about 4 years ago, where my grandmother passed away and I couldn't attend work and so had to reschedule certain tasks. But besides that, I always follow through.

How do you go about accomplishing your goals?

To accomplish my goals, I typically make a plan. I break down what I want to achieve in a series of manageable steps and I assign priority to those steps as well as a deadline for when I want to complete it. I think go about checking off each step, adding and removing steps if necessary, until my goal is achieved.

Demonstrate how you deal with the failures of others.

Unless its egregious or completely unacceptable, I am typically calm and I confront the failures of others head on, not to diminish them but to provide constructive criticism and to help them learn from the failure. I like to point out things that they could have done better and things that they can learn from.

How important is it for you to be "liked" by your peers?

Very important.

How important is it for you to be the best?

Very important.

What is a negative thing that people think about you but isn't true?

People sometimes think that I'm arrogant or a know-it-all, but that's far from the truth.

Describe a problem you solved and how you came up with the ideas.

Possible problems: 1) designing the locking mechanism for the uni. 2) Designing the smart knee fixture.

Tell me about yourself.

Well, I've worked in the orthopedic medical device space for 5 fruitful years. Four of those was at Hospital for Joint Diseases under the tutelage of Dr. Peter Walker, a pioneer in knee design. During those years, I've presented several works of research at various conferences as well as published 4 peer-reviewed journals. Most recently, I spent 1 year at an orthopedic medical device start-up, which gave me a higher-level appreciation of the field and the inner workings of the orthopedic industry. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm very dependable, honest and detail-oriented.

Describe a time when someone championed your cause.

Well, in my previous job, we were going through the process of designing a product. However, I believed that we weren't taking the necessary steps to outline key elements of the design process and to define certain design requirements. I argued that the key individuals in the company should get certain documents together, that from a higher level perspective, will define the various requirements of our product. The two other engineers that I worked with on a day-to-day basis whole-heartedly agreed and we confronted our CEO. The key individuals in the company, including myself and the two other engineers, then started a to outline certain aspects of the design that were missing. This eventually led to us hiring an independent contractor to organize our design documents in a systematic fashion, allowing use to see aspects of our products that we were overlooking.

Give an example of quick thinking.

When I was a math TA at NYU, I would often give lectures to groups of students, sometimes as large as 100. There would always be someone who would ask a difficult question or present a difficult problem. I was pretty much always able to use my training and knowledge of the subject matter to solve anything thrown my way on the spot.

When are you happiest?

When I'm challenging myself, and when I'm learning new things.