What was the biggest change you have had to deal with in your career?
"The biggest change I have dealt with in my career is when my company closed their PA location, and I was asked to relocate to VA. It was a risk on my part, but I chose to follow the company to their new location. It paid off as I continued another five years of success there."
"The most prominent change in my career was when I transferred from strategic national account rollout to local market rollout. This move taught me a lot about myself. I learned how to be more adaptable and resilient."
"The biggest change in my career was learning to report to an entirely new management team when we merged with a competitor. It's difficult to adjust, but I was able to keep an open mind, and met some great new people."
"The biggest change in my career came when my company experienced major layoffs. One-third of my production team experienced layoffs even though our work volume remained nearly the same. I adjusted the schedule, introduced a new overtime policy, and worked very hard to maintain morale despite the changes."
"The biggest change I have had to deal with in my career was when my Spanish curriculum was cut, and I was transferred to a new school where I was to teach English and Mathematics. The new role was slightly out of my wheelhouse, so I spent a lot of time refreshing my knowledge in these areas."
"I went through a large change last year when our company purchases another small competitor. We integrated systems, some staff, and a few policies. The corporate head office did the best they could to make the change a smooth one."
The interviewer would like to know the types of challenges you have had to face in your career. You need to show the interviewer that you can remain productive in the face of change and that you are resilient. Assure the interviewer that you can adapt to significant changes in a professional manner.
"The biggest change that I have faced in my career so far would be when my previous company went through a major merger. We had to adapt to new processes and management which was quite challenging. In the end, it worked out well for the company, in a financial perspective, so the changes were well worth the challenges we faced initially."
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Anonymous Answer
During my technology internship, I was introduced to the process of completing large quantities of repetitive testing. I had to adjust and create a system that worked for me. It gave me a whole new appreciation of what it takes to implement new technology.
Cindy's Feedback
Ok, good start. Can you expand on how you adjusted? What system did you develop? These details will help the interviewer see your problem-solving skills in action and envision how you'd handle similar problems.
Anonymous Answer
The biggest change in my career in higher education is a new supervisor/management. I work directly with the Dean and every couple of years a new Dean is hired for the School of Education. It can be difficult to adjust while the Dean is learning a new role and I myself trying to continue my daily task while needing input from the Dean. But I always give grace and ask a set of questions about how in the future we can work together.
Marcie's Feedback
This definitely sounds challenging, and it's understandably difficult to have to adjust to a new supervisor every few years. It sounds as though you make it a point to be patient and you're proactive in asking questions so you can learn about the new Dean. Excellent answer!
Anonymous Answer
The biggest change in my career has been switching from corporate to education. I worked directly with the Principal and every couple of years a new Principal is hired for the school. It can be difficult to adjust while the Principal is learning a new role and I myself try to continue my daily task while needing input from the Principal. But I always give grace and ask a set of questions about how in the future we can work together.
Marcie's Feedback
It sounds like the biggest change was adjusting to a new principal every few years, which makes your corporate comment a bit confusing. Consider clarifying that the biggest change was going from corporate - where you had one consistent boss - to education - where the principal changed frequently. Either way, it's great that you strived to be understanding and that you discussed with them how you could best work together. Good job!
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