How to Answer: You will often be working cross-departmentally. Tell me about a time you worked successfully with people outside of your department.
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Occidental Petroleum Corporation job interview.
2. You will often be working cross-departmentally. Tell me about a time you worked successfully with people outside of your department.
How to Answer
Collaboration and teamwork are significant topics in the oil and gas industry. There will be many opportunities for you to work alongside different people in varying roles, functions, and departments. The interviewer would like to know that you can work closely with others even when their job functions may not be exactly like yours. Your ability to work with cross-functional teams will be a significant asset to Occidental Petroleum Corporation.
Maybe you headed a project which required you to collaborate with the members of the engineering and HR teams. You may have had the opportunity to organize a volunteer activity or team building exercise, company-wide. Share any challenges that came up and what you learned from the experience.
1st Answer Example
"I have worked in a cross-functional setting for many years. Primarily with the Engineering department and the HR department, arranging various contractors and agreements. Clear communication and clarity in expectations are of huge importance to me, and you can rest assured that I would work cohesively with any department."
2nd Answer Example
"I bring experience in cross-functional teamwork in my current chemical engineering position. I believe that when expectations are communicated clearly from the beginning, a cross-functional team project can be very successful. I go into these types of projects with an understanding that everyone has their strengths and limitations based on their expertise and job function."