Boeing Interview
Questions

Collaboration versus isolation is a key message you can drive home with your response.

"When I have received difficult feedback, I use it as an opportunity to collaborate with the person reviewing my performance. Creating an action plan helps my problem-solving nature and, together, my manager and I have a working document to visualize my progress and remain accountable."

It sounds as though you readily accept feedback and quickly implement improvements. Try to give a specific example of a time when you faced this situation.

Great response! Your experience with training courses makes you a stand out candidate. All the trainings you have attended should be reflected on your resume. Be ready to name another weakness in the event you are asked in an interview.

"In the past, I struggled with time management. When I notice deficits, I try to better myself through continued education and training. I took a Management course that introduced me to the Eisenhower Matrix, which was very helpful and I use on a daily basis along with a mobile time management app. I took the necessary steps to better that particular weakness."

It's good that you have shown what you are doing to move away from this weakness.

Great response! It's clear you have experience working with diverse cultures, and you thrive in building relationships with people from various cultures. I reworded your answer in places to help with clarity.

"I have worked in a few different countries and developed good work relationships with people from different cultures. In Germany, I worked with French, German, Spanish, and Indian co-workers, as well as with American and Japanese co-workers for remote support. I like to take time to get to know people and where they are from, and I am interested in traveling and finding out about other countries and cultures. I always go out for a meal with people from different cultures, particularly since a lot of different cultures are based around food, and people feel more comfortable. They open up when they are enjoying food from their home countries."

I altered some of the wording in your response. I don’t want to imply that you speak clearly and the other person does not (which is not your intent).

"I respect people of all cultures and backgrounds. When communicating with someone of a different cultural background, I listen carefully and intently. In return, I try to clearly convey my response to ensure I am adequately handling their needs."

Good start! Try adding a bit more about some projects that you would have been working on in the past year or so.

Fantastic response. I changed the wording slightly.

"I have worked in the Aerospace field for 11 years and Operations for 20 years. My vast experience can be highly valuable for your team at Boeing."

Great example. There is a way to highlight your leadership and problem-solving skills that were required for this scenario. I want to create a consistent flow of highlighting your strongest skills. Reiteration of Leadership and problem-solving will help you stand out and be more memorable.

"There was a time when I had to think quickly to resolve a change in a target deadline. A supplier was making a large delivery in half the time we anticipated. Thankfully, I was able to increase manpower to clear the delivery location. When leading a team, it is important to rely on clear communication and problem-solving. I managed to allocate a handful of employees to the new, expedited task to meet the tight deadline."

It sounds as though you have a lot going on! Try speaking about one specific instance for this 'Tell me about a time' style question. These situational questions generally require a specific story to be most impactful.

Great answer! You explain the situation and focus on your response and decisive handling of it. I reworded slightly for clarity.

"During VIP conversion, it became apparent there was a miscommunication problem in terms of the positioning of the interior. Hence the fundamental assumptions of the layout had to be changed, which had a significant impact on the loading on the aircraft. So, I highlighted the error and made sure to address the lines of the communication. I also reported the impact of the delay and how the miscommunication had happened, such as lack of control over the positioning of ornaments. Instead of focusing on my frustration, I concentrated my efforts on communicating about the issue, replanning, and ensuring the same error didn't happen again, which would require more management control."

This is a very solid response. You explained the situation that occurred, but be sure to answer all parts of the question.

"Our Medical Director left the company abruptly. At the time, I was in a new position the MD created. I had to maintain poise and perform my normal functions in spite of that difficult period. This is a circumstance I managed to handle. I handled my workload by focusing on each task at hand versus the bigger picture of the staff loss."

Your response shows a lot of insight and a desire to up-skill. Very nice work!

That is fantastic! I added some depth to your response.

"I have enrolled in a Leadership course to help sharpen my pre-existing skills and open my skillset to new techniques. Continued Education is extremely important, and I would like to continue learning and building my career."

Good example of how you handle current stress levels.

This is a great response. Your example demonstrates a methodical way you approve challenges. You can carry this example onto your work approach so the interviewer gets to know your personal work style.

"When facing stressors, I use a journal as a resource. At the end of a stressful day, I will write all of the issues out in order to examine, reflect, and problem-solve. Processing ways I can reduce the stress helps me feel proactive versus reactive. I am very much a problem-solver, and I carry this outlook with my personal and professional life."

Great response! You show you would approach the decision carefully and you value the input of others. I reworded your answers slightly for clarity.

"When making an important decision, it's important to get buy-in. I would engage others to know whether they would agree with the decision. I would also consider the possible consequences, risks, and value to the company. So before making a decision, I would mitigate risks where possible, communicate with others involved, get buy-in, and have a plan in place for possible outcomes, including a plan B."

Great example; you sought several avenues to arrive at a final decision, which demonstrates tact. I would caution the way you explain “[consulting] with those who would be affected.” You don’t want this to be viewed as office gossip or discussing sensitive HR issues with the person’s coworkers versus discussing the situation with other team leaders and managers (which is acceptable).

"There was a time when I need to weigh the pros and cons of terminating an employee. Time and sensitivity was needed to review the implications and arrive at the most logical decision. I explored all possible options, and consulted with proper staff. Ultimately, terminating the employee and hiring a new person was the right decision for staff culture and morale."

Fantastic response! You have obviously done your homework on Boeing. The interviewer will greatly appreciate the effort.

This is a great start! Researching your interviewer’s company is key, but you can also use it as an opportunity to highlight other skills.

"When looking for new employment opportunities, I research companies who have a positive mission, value, and cultural fit. From my research of Boeing Co. online, I was struck by the active and supportive environment. I thrive best in work environments that have a team atmosphere, and have quality products to back superior customer service. A large, fiscally sound company such as Boeing is highly appealing as well."

Good answer! Your response makes it evident you displayed respect and courtesy with a difficult client. I revised slightly for clarity.

"We faced a potentially delicate situation when we took over work from a partner with Boeing. While we took over the project, we still had to work with the partner as they supported the project with design remotely. It turned out the calcs the partner provided to us were not complete, so we had to ask them some questions and salvage what we could. We also had to assess and report how much needed to be done and plan for a way forward. The partner was perhaps not too forthcoming with information due to not wanting to lose face. So we asked the questions as polite as we could and made a point not to get frustrated or take it personally and stay focused on maintaining a good working relationship."

Great example. When answering this question (and questions like this), be sure to round out your response. I added language around what you do in a general sense, then backed it up with an example.

"When dealing with a difficult client, I listen to the grievance and do not take the issue personally. I deescalate issues by being proactive in problem-solving quickly and thoughtfully. I once dealt with a difficult client who was dissatisfied with our delivery performance. I listened to the grievance, and reviewed the data associated with the order. I took it a step further by visiting their site and reviewing the data with the client. Ultimately, it was not my team’s error, and the client was pleased with my approach."

Great answer! The interviewer will be impressed you took the lead in asking questions about the material in your online course. I assisted slightly with wording.

"Recently I was studying a computer language module on my HDIP as part of an online learning course, and I found recursion quite difficult to grasp. So, I asked questions via the online forum and found that other students taking the course had similar issues. The lecturer shared additional links to engage with the material, and other students also shared some video sources."

This is a solid answer. You are demonstrating resourcefulness and eagerness to learn. Awesome job. I made very minor grammatical edits.

"In my last role, I was presented with an Excel file that was difficult to understand. I sought out the person who created the file, and asked for clarification."

This is a fantastic response! The example you gave (again) provided measurable results and the method with which you were able to be successful. I made minor grammar and sentence structure edits. Be prepared to give your interviewer specific examples of the “fun and humorous” techniques that aided your efforts with the staff. This example demonstrates your ability to lead and think outside the box to get the job done. Again, great example!

"At my most recent employer, I was tasked with boosting quality improvement department-wide. At the time, the vast majority of the staff group (40 individuals) struggled with continuous improvement. I knew a modality such as “5S” would be effective, but it was a matter of delivering the information in a way that aided the staff’s daily work rather than viewed as an added task. I partnered with an influential team member to present the 5S technique in a fun and humorous way, thus gaining the attention and buy-in of the group. As a result, continuous improvement increased from 10% to 100%. Leadership and out-of-box thinking created the desired outcome."

It sounds like you did an excellent job taking everyone's needs into account for the creation of this green sheet. This is a great example!

I like that you referred back to the Boeing job description, mentioning that you check all the boxes! Energetic and eager response.

Good start. I would be more specific to ensure the interviewer knows you are a strong candidate. Think back to all of your previous roles and what knowledge and skill sets would be the most transferable.

"I am highly qualified for this role because I have numerous transferable skills from (put number of years in the industry here) X years in this industry. (These are all examples, but I would use the job description to be specific). I have excellent communication skills; I pride myself on building rapport with customers and maintaining positive relationships with team members. I love being in a leadership role and have a lot to offer with staff team training and continued education. If given the opportunity, I would like to share my unique skills with Boeing."

If I were the interviewer, I may need more clarification to fully understand your response.

"(This is an example that can be revised) I once worked in an extremely fast-paced environment where I was working on multiple projects at once. At any given time, I had to change my prioritization to accommodate new and changing conditions. I can assess situations quickly in order to provide the best service."

This is a short amount of time to get up to speed on these frameworks! This answers shows a great capability to handle a lot of new information at one time. Try to expand your answer a bit by speaking further on the final outcome.