How to Answer: Tell me about the last time you worked through a restructure or similar company changes.
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Wayfair job interview.
33. Tell me about the last time you worked through a restructure or similar company changes.
What You Need to Know
It is not uncommon for a company to re-evaluate its goals periodically and adapt to changing consumer climates or recent technological developments to compete for relevancy in an ever-changing global market. Despite how effective a company is in its messaging, such events frequently result in exposing character-revealing behaviors among its workforce. For example, during times of transition, restructuring, or upheaval, a percentage of the workforce will band together and support the company's vision. Then there will also be a percentage who resent such change and experience a sense of job insecurity, gravitating towards dissent. So with this question, your interviewer is curious how well you would embrace Wayfair's values under such circumstances. As they advertise on their site, they expect their employees to "adapt and grow. We value adaptability and self-reflection. We find opportunity in every change, experience, and mistake. We are committed to continuous self-improvement."
Written by Kevin Downey on June 18th, 2023
Experienced Example
"About a year ago, our company looked at certain revealing inputs among our employee surveys about how the structure of the chain of command created too much competition among the supervisory staff. They also considered how many of those supervisors, who were tenured but not management material, were experiencing burnout syndrome since they worked twice as hard yet did not advance with their peers. So, to avoid the fallout of many of those supervisors leaving the company, which would strain the rest of the staff in a leadership void, the company changed the structure. They offered those tenured supervisors more stability in their schedules, less likelihood of being transferred from location to location, and the option of working part-time or full-time without losing their pay grade or title. The company hoped doing so would offer greater job satisfaction and play to their strengths. However, there was a failure in the messaging, which was unclear, and there was a lot left to be interpreted. So many of those supervisors whose titles were changed and were offered these new perks, unsurprisingly, saw this as a demotion. Many of them believed they had the potential to run their own store. So they saw this restructuring as a punishment rather than a reward. I did my part to support the company and spread the accurate portrayal of this restructuring and its aim. But my impact wasn't enough, and as a result, many of those supervisors whose titles were changed left the company, feeling their jobs were at risk or that they were robbed of advancement opportunities. This, ironically, resulted in a leadership void, which put a strain on the rest of our teams."
Written by Kevin Downey on June 18th, 2023
About the Author
Interviewing and hiring someone is a huge responsibility. You not only need to find someone with the right skills and qualifications but someone who will get along with everyone else on the team and will be able to represent the company and its core values. That hire needs to be diligent and trustworthy while following the standards and processes everyone else adheres to. They need to perform with consistency, be emotionally intelligent, and be respectful of the needs and concerns of the others on the team. They need to seek out proactively a deeper understanding of the nature of the company and their teammates. That’s a tall order to determine when interviewing anyone. But it’s all part of the recruiter’s job.
If the team doesn’t get along with that hire, or that hire introduces an unwelcome attitude to the workplace. One person’s consistent attendance issues can impact the job satisfaction of everyone else on the team, lower productivity, and negatively impact the performance of the company as a whole on either a micro or macro scale. So when an interviewer decides to hire any person, they are putting their reputation on the line.
Looking for the perfect hire requires strong attention to detail. So there were a variety of things I would look for. I’d examine their cover letter, resume, or application for inconsistencies, from formatting to punctuation. I would scrutinize the consistency of their answers from one question to the next. But, I would first and foremost evaluate why they wanted to work for us. If they were playing the numbers game trying to find a job anywhere, it was pretty evident.
But, it was those applicants who seemed to have an inside view, or inherent understanding, of the real qualifications of the job that I’d put at the top of the pile. They understood the job expectations and the culture and already seemed like they were one of the team. So much of this comes through in one simple thing: their enthusiasm. They had an energy that fit right in. This is something that can rarely be faked.
If you invest the time to gain a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what life is like working somewhere, and when the more you learn, the more you get emotionally invested in that opportunity, the better your chances will be for winning that job. For the interviewer, when it comes to identifying how consistent a candidate’s work performance would be, the truest test is determining how well they understand the job and how enthusiastic they are to work there, even after everything they learned. That alone suggests they’ll consistently do whatever it takes to win the job and, once hired, go the extra mile for the team.
Learn more about Kevin Downey