aggressive volunteer program. Because of my ability to
come up with new ideas, we were able to continue our
classes, seminars, and workshops in a seamless manner
without raising the costs of the classes.”“Give me an example of how your uniqueness has
helped you in your work.”
■“I’m known for my ability to ‘think outside the box.’ I came
up with an original idea to raise funds for the police
children’s annual toy drive. I contracted with the local
movie theater to give a free movie ticket to every person
who brought in a toy over the cost of $5. The results were
like none we’ve ever had before. We had a record
contribution, and the donors received a gift in return. It
was a very successful year.”
■“It was when I was a student. I used a unique way to get
around campus and the city; I rollerskate everywhere. I
figured I was getting more exercise skating than I would
get walking. I didn’t have time to exercise, so I kept fit by
using this method to commute. I was also able to listen to
my class tapes while I skated. It was a great way to get
around and study at the same time.”
■“The unique part of this example is that I was able to lead a
cross-functional team in a company that had never used
cross-functional teams before. As the lead engineer I
decided to try an experiment, and took people from
various functions and cross-trained them. We were able to
do twice the design, testing, and production in a shorter
period and saved the company money in the process. It
was received well and is now a common practice at the
company.”