Talk about a data integration project where you encountered an issue with completing tasks due to the negligence of others. How did you handle this issue to ensure solid completion of the project?
Because Fast Enterprises operates in a team based atmosphere, this question is allowing your interviewer to gain insight into how you will work as part of a larger team. Large data integration projects at Fast Enterprises will require you to work with many people, so use a prior experience where you took the bull by the horns with others to ensure successful completion of a project. Make sure to clearly outline the situation and what you had to do to overcome it to produce a positive outcome.
"Last year, I was working on a data consolidation project for a roll out of a new software program we were developing. Because the project was working with several of our existing systems, I was coordinating with several different engineers from our staff that were experts on their respective systems. As the project was going along smoothly from the start, I wasn't getting a response from one of our engineers that had key information for me to move forward. With fully understanding that people are very busy in their day to day duties, I gave him three additional days to respond with no success. Once I didn't receive a response, I went directly to his office to speak directly to him. He immediately apologized for his delay and we spoke at great length about the information that I needed to move forward. I'm glad I took this direct approach in this situation and would never hesitate to do this moving forward in a tactful manner."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
Last year, when I was taking a course on web programming, I had to work on a group project as a part of the course. We were a team of four people and had divided the work to be done at the beginning of the course itself. One of the team members used to show up for team meetings and take responsibility for the tasks, but always failed to submit on time. For the first two times, another teammate and I divided the work amongst ourselves, as the deadline was near. I then decided to gather courage and speak up to him in a calm way. I told him that if he was facing some issues, we could help him through that, but he needed to do some work to get credit. He told me how he was struggling with javascript and hence could not get the work done. In the next team meeting, all of us sat down and talked about our weak points and strategized on how to overcome them. We ended up receiving an A on the project.
Stephanie's Feedback
Wonderful response! You clearly articulate what the challenge was, how you addressed it, how you collaborated, and how you arrived at a positive outcome. Good for you!
