At Stryker, we believe in quality first in all that we do. Do you have any formal training in quality initiatives and, if so, how have you applied them to your work?

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Community Answers

Be sure to familiarize yourself with Stryker's quality policy which can be found on their website. The company is well aware that today's challenging healthcare environment requires solutions that focus on quality, efficiency, and safety and the organization puts quality first in everything that they do. In asking this question, your interviewer is trying to get a feel for formal quality training and initiatives you had to follow in your past. Come prepared to discuss these things, while also highlighting your admiration for their focus on quality management systems and regulatory affairs in the medical devices and information industry.

"Yes, I would come to Stryker with years of experience in quality assurance processes and many different formal trainings in quality. The top trainings that come to mind include regulatory compliance training I've had in the healthcare and food processing industries and quality control trainings on many different pieces of equipment. In today's R&D and manufacturing worlds, quality spans the entire spectrum of what a company develops and I want you to be assured that I would always have a focus on quality processes here as part of the Stryker team."

Anonymous Answer

"As you can see from my resume, I have many years of experience in pharmaceutical and medical sales. This industry is highly regulated, and I have been trained in compliance yearly since the start of my career. It is this training in compliance and ethics that I would love to bring to the team here at Stryker."

Rachelle's Feedback

Try adding in a sentence re: your willingness to add to your training through continued education opportunities. Also, a side note: phrases like 'as you can see from my resume' can seem like you're pointing out that their question is already answered on your resume. It can seem sassy. Similar to sayings such as, 'like I said.' I have tweaked your response below.

"I have X years of experience in pharmaceutical and medical sales. This industry is highly regulated, and I have been trained in compliance and ethics yearly since the start of my career. I look forward to continued education opportunities as I build my career with Stryker."

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Anonymous Answer

"I have received and conducted training on the provision of exceptional service and the preparation of high-quality food. Quality is a key contributor to the overall experience we endeavor to create for our clients so that they will continue to choose our brands over others, and are prepared to pay a premium for this brand."

Rachelle's Feedback

You show a complete understanding of the importance of training quality and a dedication to providing excellence. Nicely done.

Anonymous Answer

"I have taken six sigma training in the past. I like to use the five why practice of determining a root cause. In this you would ask the question 5 times to help you determine what the root cause was for your failure. In past roles, I have also worked in the process improvement of a service department. In this, we completed time studies to help us increase the efficacy of the department."

Rachelle's Feedback

Awesome approach to determining root cause and troubleshooting. Try also discussing how you could apply this 5 why practice to the role with Stryker.

Anonymous Answer

"I got specific training in Lean Six Sigma and I applied it to work in the reduction of product returns by analyzing a few customers' returns, their reasons to return products, especially when they are expired. I implemented a monthly forecast for customers based on their history and reduced their stock so to avoid massive returns."

Cindy's Feedback

Good! Your answer is concrete and specific, which makes it very persuasive.

Anonymous Answer

"I'm a certified facilitator for DDI - developmental dimensions international and I used to train our employees within the call center on customer service excellence and quality assurance. The course focused on providing quality customer service to our customers."

Stephanie's Feedback

It sounds like you've had meaningful formal training and on-the-ground experience in this area. To strengthen your response, I suggest adding an additional sentence as a means to really "pitch" yourself. For example: "I have had extensive experience in quality initiatives and feel confident in bringing these skills into my next role."

Anonymous Answer

"I have received Lean Six Sigma training in the past. I was able to apply some Value Stream Mapping, 5S/6S, and 8 Wastes. Also on a weekly basis, we would select candidates from our production teams to participate in PCI teams which would then utilize the DMAIC process. As a lead on these teams, I would introduce new members to the DMAIC tool as a systematic way of problem solving. This allows us to both improve our LEAN culture as well as resolving a problem in the process."

Amanda's Feedback

It sounds like you have significant training in lean manufacturing. Consider strengthening this answer further by sharing more about how or where you applied Value Stream Mapping, 5S/6S, and 8 Wastes. Talking about the results of those efforts can also better highlight how you've applied those concepts to your work. Similarly, you can talk about a problem you were able to solve by applying the DMAIC tool to your work. This shows the interviewer that you not only have the training, you have the ability to apply them in helpful ways.