Discuss a time when you explored organizational gaps and created new opportunities for employees.
"I recently assisted my senior HR Manager after she discovered a significant performance gap in our warehousing department. Being newer to my career at the time, I should point out that I was not the one to discover the organizational performance gap; however, I did assist with the recovery plan. After performing employee testing, we created a list of the top 6 behaviors and habits causing concern. We then developed a performance strategy with a timeline attached to the behavior corrections. Additional training opportunities were provided to many employees, as were other resources for professional development. All in all, we were able to repair the majority of the performance issues with minimal employee eliminations."
Often, meeting organizational gaps may not require a workforce increase. Sometimes, these issues can be solved by creating new opportunities and thinking outside of the box. Discuss with the interviewer a time when you met the needs of a company, addressing a specific gap. The example you give of organizational gaps can include skills, profit, or performance gaps. In the end, you need to prove your ability to diagnose a performance gap and take action to improve.
"My current company had a glaring skills gap when I first started around five years ago. Some critical roles had been reduced from two employees down to one to save on workforce expenses. However, there was never an offer of additional training to the remaining person in the role. I identified this gap through employee skills testing and benchmarking. With those results, I created a plan for employee development and training. Eight months later, I performed another company-wide employee skills test and found that we performed over the previous benchmark. The project was a success, and I was able to fill those skill gaps with minimal expense and zero new hires."
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
I noticed that there was a gap in candidates to fill middle management positions (vacant postings). Yet, we had co-op graduates expressing that they wanted to be GM in five years. Still, they were not qualified for the jobs as posted. I created a leadership development program targeted to develop these internal individuals and groom them to fill these roles. The two-year program was very comprehensive.
Rachelle's Feedback
Wow, this is a wonderful solution for a very challenging talent situation. This answer shows a lot of care and creativity on your part.
