3M Mock Interview
Practice 33 3M interview questions covering innovation, technical problem-solving, and collaboration.
Question 4 of 33
Tell me about a time when you experienced a disruption, major change, or restructure at work.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Experienced 1
Experienced 2
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Community Answers
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
It is not uncommon for a company, in their pursuit to keep up with their competition, trends, innovation, or evolving technology to undergo modernizations, restructures, or rebrandings. When this happens, a company needs to rely on the support of their teams to help them move forward into their next chapter of organizational growth. This requires strong communication skills, adaptability, and an ability to learn, grow, and lead by example.
How you answer will help your interviewer assess whether you are a voice of consent who supports your company's vision, or a voice of dissent, as someone who is more resistant to change. Your interviewer will perceive those individuals who resist change as under-performers whose job security feels threatened when the limitiations of their performance are exposed, only being able to meet expectations within unchanging work conditions.
"I went through a merger in 2010 with Company ABC. The transition during their mass layoff was not handled as professionally as many would have liked; however, I believe that the leadership team did the best they could. I was lucky enough to stay on board with the company and my experience during the transition was certainly eye-opening. I learned a lot through the process."
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
"I have been fortunate enough to have had very few disruptive changes in my previous places of employment. With that said, my current company went through a rebranding which, to remain consistent required a bit of a restructure with the structure of our chain of command. The messaging behind this was a bit unclear and confusing, however, and generated some unrest among our teams. So I asked for my manager's time to discuss this and asked for clarification so that I could be a unifying voice. They gladly shared all of the details of our new direction and where we were heading as a company. I then imparted this to the rest of the staff anytime anyone expressed a voice of dissent. Soon, we were back on track as a team and things proceeded in a smooth and mindful manner."
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
On their careers site, 3M explains that many of their interviews will be behavior-based. "In behavioral-based interviews, you would be asked to give examples of times you have exhibited a certain skill or behavior. Questions in this type of interview would be framed as 'Tell me about a time when...." So, they recommend that you "come prepared to your interview! Do some research and be prepared to explain what interests you about the role and the team you'd be joining. When answering questions, be concise but detailed, and be sure to pause and think before you speak to ensure you are answering the question asked."
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
Talk to the interviewer about your experience. They are looking for an idea of your attitude when it comes to change in a corporate environment. Maintain a positive attitude and avoid speaking negatively about any previous employers.
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