Personal
Effectiveness

Challenges

Seek out opportunities where you can…

1. Talk with people who have a different native language or communication style.
2. Collaborate with people who have different personalities, abilities, and/or perspectives.
3. Develop a high degree of trust and credibility with a group of peers.

Interview Practice Questions
Tell me about a time when you...

1. Develop a productive working relationship with someone who is difficult to work with.
2. Work towards a consensus group decision when other group members disagree with you but you have strong evidence for your position.
3. Change your behavior or perspective based on awareness of prejudice, bias or stereotyping.

Challenges
Seek out opportunities where you can…

1. Make decisions or take action in ways that stand up for what you think is right.
2. Take on your fair share of work in a group and follow through.
3. Advocate for fair treatment of a person or group that is being treated unfairly.

Interview Practice Questions
Tell me about a time when you...

1. Had to tell your boss or supervisor you couldn’t meet a deadline or other expectation.
2. Were asked by someone whom you wanted to please to do something that you didn’t agree with.
3. Observed someone doing something inappropriate or unethical.

Challenges
Seek out opportunities where you can…

1. Receive constructive feedback with a positive attitude and a growth mindset.
2. Keep your emotions in check during stressful or challenging situations.
3. Positively influence a group or situation by your attitude and presence.

Interview Practice Questions
Tell me about a time when you...

1. Were overwhelmed with stress related to a project or work.
2. Had your hard work misrepresented or dismissed by others.
3. Disagreed with someone in authority about an important matter.

1. Independently figure out what needs to be done and do it.
2. Try a new approach or a new technology to solve a problem.
3. Go beyond competence to master an important task or skill.

Interview Practice Questions
Tell me about a time when you...

1. Took on an assignment without being asked that was beyond your responsibilities.
2. Encountered an unexpected roadblock during a project.
3. Challenged the status quo, or the “that’s the way it has always been done” attitude.

1. Balance focus and effort between multiple projects or issues.
2. Adopt plans, actions, or priorities in response to unexpected events and demands.
3. Make assumptions and move forward amidst incomplete or uncertain information.

Interview Practice Questions
Tell me about a time when you...

1. Had to improvise when something in a job or project didn’t go as expected.
2. Had to deal with conflicting information.
3. Had to think on your toes and make a decision right away.

Challenges
Seek out opportunities where you can…

1. Arrive on time and fully prepared in order to effectively participate in a meeting or event.
2. Reliably follow through on commitments and consistently complete assignments on time.
3. Follow directions and pay attention to detail in order to be successful.

Interview Practice Questions
Tell me about a time when you...

1. Verify your solutions or check your work.
2. Honestly address a situation where you let a group or a supervisor down by not meeting expectations.
3. Understand and follow a set of rules, policies or procedures.

Challenges
Seek out opportunities where you can…

1. Use results from a peer review or self-evaluation to modify future behavior.
2. Experience a variety of engineering roles and industries to explore career options.
3. Transfer something you learned in class or in a prior experience to a new problem in a different area.

Interview Practice Questions
Tell me about a time when you…

1. Had to teach yourself something new to complete a project.
2. Purposefully chose to enter an uncomfortable situation in order to learn and grow.
3. Set a goal for personal growth and took steps to achieve that goal.