Describe a time you had to overcome a significant obstacle on a job.
The interviewer is interested in learning what you consider a significant obstacle, how relevant your answer will be to the job you're interviewing for, and what you learned from the experience you share. Determining these will help them ascertain whether you're a good fit for the advertised position.
Use the STAR method here. Describe the work-related Situation, the Task required, the Action you took, and the Result of your actions. Keep your example relevant to the kinds of challenges an intern or employee would likely face at Abbott. Exhibit emotional maturity and leadership skills to make yourself more appealing.
As they state on their website, "We need dynamic people to do things better, differently, with a curiosity and drive to learn." And from the interview with Vildan Stidham, the vice president of Abbott's Global Talent Acquisition, "Through these processes, they're receiving constant feedback and assurance. Beyond the structured program, interns know Abbott is an inclusive and open environment. We tell them that if there's something they don't understand, it's better to ask a question upfront rather than plow ahead and get it wrong." Consider these points when presenting your answer.
"I had a temp research job in college. I enjoyed the team and the research work. They offered me a permanent position with some nice incentives. I was transparent with them that my priority was my studies, and I could only work during the summer when I had a lighter course load. They assured me that this was no problem.
Within three weeks, they phased out my department and offered me a management position in another department. There were clues that led me to believe they'd planned this all along. This new position drew too much of my focus from my studies, so I asked if there was any other position I could fill more akin to my last. They took a hardline approach and tried to intimidate me to step in line. I struggled with this but determined this development was an obstacle of my own making, so I offered them two weeks' notice. I was polite, having communicated my expectations from the start. I learned at that moment the temp agency was more on my team than that firm. Before I knew it, the temp agency found me another research position that fell more in line with my studies."
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