Cedars-Sinai Medical Center seeks to hire those with strong problem-solving skills. What was the most complex problem you had to solve in the workplace?

"In my most recent position, we had a consistent problem with employees arriving late for their shifts or calling in sick at the very last moment. Rather than the typical documenting and reprimanding style that management usually takes, I decided to track the results of an accountability reward system. For 180 days, my employees were rewarded for coming to work 10 minutes early. Also, a bonus was added for every month with zero sick days. Ultimately, we awarded those with perfect attendance a 600 bonus. In the end, the bonus cost us less money than the cost of lowered productivity due to absent employees. The program was successful, and upper management chose to keep it implemented for another six months. We will re-assess in December, but it seems to be working very well."

"I worked in a clinic where the primary population was low income. We had a lot of concerns with patients not showing up for appointments when expected due to a lack of access to reliable transportation. The staff wanted to start double-booking patient time slots. Instead, I got permission to spend a day in a highly-rated clinic serving the same population. Instead of scheduling, they had these 'drop-in mornings' with a shared waiting room. I took these methods and incorporated them into our setting. We did that twice weekly, which completely solved our scheduling problem."

The interviewer wants to see that you have a systematic approach to solving problems and can think on your feet when a problem arises. Describe the most complex issue you have had to solve in the workplace and the result.