Help Regarding Interview.

Pulse · 4 Jun 2013 at 09:16

On Thursday I've got an interview for a position within another company doing a similar job to what I do and I've been asked to do a presentation, and at first I was absolutely bricking it, but now I've received the brief, I just want to confirm what it is I have to do? :confused:

What they've given me is a page long scenario and asked me to do:

• 5 minute Shift brief
• 10 minute presentation to explain the reasons for presenting the content of the shift brief and the manner it was delivered
• 5 minute Q & A

So the last point is obvious, but for the first point are they just asking me to basically re-write the scenario from my point of view highlighting the key facts?
And the 2nd point I'm not sure what it is that they're asking for, are they asking me to explain why I've used the information I have to highlight key points? Or are they asking me to explain what has happened in the scenario and how I would go about solving the problem they have tasked me with?

Pulse · 4 Jun 2013 at 10:09

Thanks Greebo, maybe I've misunderstood it completely. It's for a Warehouse Team Manager position.

Quick brief:

Team has recently moved onto evening shifts rather than mornings and it has affected peoples home lives finishing so late, so they've been performing better than before to get home early as they still get a full shifts pay. They've over performed targets set for the KPI's.

A series of computer errors have meant the warehouse as a whole is behind and I've been given adequate notice to tell my team they have to work a 6th day (Is in their T&C's with reasonable notice and is not optional unless exceptional circumstance.)

Pulse · 4 Jun 2013 at 10:41

Now you put it like that, I get it. Considering the situation and if my staff are on I'm on and we all work the same shift, I'd think that I would need to talk to them as a group to save me repeating it time and time again and it's not something I would do in a noisy environment, so maybe just a quick meeting in the training room should suffice? I mean it doesn't have to be an extremely formal presentation surely? It's not the same as an appraisal per say.

Pulse · 4 Jun 2013 at 10:46

I know I need to say a lot more than that I was just justifying how I would do it as it asks for the explanation of the manner of how it was delivered.

Pulse · 4 Jun 2013 at 10:53

Ok just to make it completely clear, because I don't want to muck this up. Am I explaining it how I would do it, or what I would say... :confused:

E.g.

I'd invite the staff into the training room for a quick meeting, sit them down, thank them for their hard work over the last couple of weeks and explain the situation we're in.

Or, do it as if I was speaking directly to those staff.

Good afternoon guys, I'd like to have a quick word with everyone in the training room, if we could rally round and grab everyone and meet me there. (Once in there) Hello guys, just wanted a quick word... I know we've been performing brilliantly..... etc etc.

Pulse · 4 Jun 2013 at 11:44

Ok guys, thanks for all the help, here is what I've come up with. I've read it through quite a few times and think that it sounds alright, its probably just under both time constraints so I think I'm ok there, just hoping someone can give it a quick read.

Shift Brief:
I’d ask all of my members of staff to meet in the training room, although it’s not a formal presentation, it is something that would need to be explained away from the shop floor so that I can get the point across clearly, and it would give my members of staff the opportunity to voice their opinions back. I would explain that due to unforeseen issues, in the form of the computer systems that the warehouse’s workload as a whole has got behind, and because of our great success rate over the last couple of weeks, we and most likely other teams have been asked to work extra to help get us back on track. I’d explain the fact that we don’t want to come in the following week only to pick up pieces from the previous week as we’d then be further behind and could essentially impact on our great KPIs and then staff would have to stay on rather than being able to finish early. Then my members of staff will be given the chance to voice their opinions, and ask questions they may have for the reasoning for them as individuals having to do a 6th day.

Presentation:
(After asking all members of staff to meet up in the training room)
Good afternoon guys, firstly I’d just like to thank everyone here for the fantastic efforts over the last few weeks, everyone’s really had their head down and got on with it and as such we’ve really exceeded our KPI’s, so again thank you for that. I know we have had a few bits of sickness on the department but that hasn’t slowed us down so let’s just keep up the good work. My main reason for calling you all in here today was that I just wanted to get everyone together quickly just to explain a meeting I’ve had with Glenn*. Due to the computer issues we had yesterday and this morning the warehouse as a whole has got a little behind and we’ve now been asked to do a 6th day on Friday to help get us back to our correct service level. I’ve been told they expect the computer systems to be repaired by some point today if not, tomorrow morning, so we don’t want to fall behind even further on in the week if it doesn’t get fixed, we really need to pull together as a team and get on with it. We’re not the only team to have been asked as other teams have been sent home early and will be expected to make up their hours on Friday as well. We’ve been asked to do it as they have planned additional deliveries to go out Saturday morning to ensure all of our stores still receive their stock in good time, so we just need to be here to make sure that it’s ready to go. I appreciate some of you may have plans, I myself have a friend’s birthday party to get to, so the quicker we get the job done, the quicker we can get out of here. Now I don’t expect people to be literally running around as I don’t want any accidents on the department but let’s really get stuck in and get us back to where we should be. We’ve haven’t been asked to do a 6th day yet this year and so this isn’t a regular occurrence, nor is the problems with the computer system so you know I wouldn’t normally ask this of you, but I am for this week.

It does say at the bottom

NB: You are allowed to make any reasonable assumptions if any facts and figures are required

Thus why some facts are included, it does actually state about me going to the birthday party so I thought I'd include that.

Pulse · 4 Jun 2013 at 11:51

So I've got them round the wrong way... why did I apply again??

Pulse · 4 Jun 2013 at 14:55

OK, thanks guys you've been a massive help! Really appreciate it. Going to finish off the gardening and then get back to this later on, maybe you could stop by tomorrow and make sure I haven't completely balls it and I'm aiming in the right direction. That would be fantastic.

Pulse · 4 Jun 2013 at 18:30

Yeah I've been working on it, I'm up to about 2 pages but considering how tired I am and dehydrated from gardening I'm pretty sure I've been waffling so given up for now. Its quite a bit longer and goes into much greater detail.

Pulse · 5 Jun 2013 at 10:00

Ok guys, thanks for the tips, most helpful.

Here's what I've prepared Link. Hopefully that should work.

Pulse · 5 Jun 2013 at 20:44

No you're right, I hadn't considered that, I was prepared just to stand up with just my sheet for notes and go for it. But now you mention it, I should have a backup(s).

Pulse · 6 Jun 2013 at 13:27

Just wanted to post an update to this....

Wanted to say thank you to everyone for the help, the interviewers really liked the brief that I gave and said that I had good justification for all of my points. The interview itself went rather well I feel but this is yet another round of interviews to take place before someone is selected. Talk about intense!