12 Dimensions Flashcards
12 Dimensions are:
- Composure
- Cultural Adaptability
- Experience and Motivation
- Information Integration and Analysis
- Initiative and Leadership
- Judgement
- Objective and Integrity
- Oral Communication
- Planning and Organization
- Resourcefulness
- Working with Others
- Written Communication
- Active listening!
Composure
Dimension 1
To stay calm, poised, and effective in stressful or difficult situation; to think on one’s feet, adjusting quickly to changing situations; to maintain self-control.
Q: List a time when you were faced with an emergency situation. How did you organize your plans and what steps did you take?
A: NYU: Hurricane: Sandy was going to hit NYC early Nov 2012 as we had about 10 resources scheduled to be in town for the last push of work before Thanksgiving/Christmas break and then the new year. There were key meetings scheduled and work that is best done side-by-side instead of remotely. The team had goals and deadlines and it would have been understandable but a setback if we had canceled work that week. So I came up with a plan to let those who were comfortable to travel, to travel. I ran it by my supervisor and then the team. I presented the plan and risks and let them know that those who were worried or didn’t want to, could work remotely. I then tracked the flights of those traveling that week had daily calls with those who traveled and provided remote support and logistics (which public transportation was open, etc.), I reserved rooms at a single hotel for everyone and checked to make sure someone on the team had a hotspot. The outcome was incredible. About half of the team ended up traveling and no one was injured. The customer was estatic that despite a hurricane, we still delivered what we had commited to. Budget: I was added to the project after some work had already been done and a PM was needed. I created and started sending weekly project status reports which covered financial progress to show current status and projected state when all deliverables were provided. At a certain point, I discovered that there was a bunch of hours spent on the project but not logged correctly thus, putting the project 11.8% overbudget from what I had been stating. I was immediately alarmed and stayed up late that night reviewing the financials to make sure the gap infact was real. Once I was confident it was real, I created an update financial report to walk stakeholders through the series of events and how the missing hours are now added to the report. I then sent the information (alaysis, updated report, etc.) to my direct supervisor letting him know of the issue and let him know what steps I had taken thus far. I then apologized profusely but outlined possible next steps.
Q: Describe a time you feel you were treated unfairly and how you dealt with it.
A: With Lavinia when Brits were here?
Q: Describe a time when your workload seemed overwhelming and you felt that you had more work to do than time allowed.
A: Eleos: at the beginning of testing, I often have the writing of test cases and coordination of testing (which is more invovled at the beginning) on my plate in addition to customer support tickets. Ahead of time, I coordinate with Erika to reduce the ticket impact. I review and prioritize work (in our ticket system I assign a priority to each ticket).
Q: Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.
A: Farm house negotiations.
Q: Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.
A: Angry drive axle customer. I mostly listened and took notes. I was empathetic and told them I understood because the issue was they hadn’t received a call back from our company despite leaving several messages. When appropriate, I did let them know we did send several follow up emails that perhaps they didnt’ receive.
Cultural adaptability
Dimension 2
To work and communicate effectively and harmoniously with persons of other cultures, value systems, political beliefs, and economic circumstances; to recognize and respect differences in new and different cultural environments.
Q: What have you learned from your cross-cultural experiences which has helped prepare you for the FS?
A: I have learned that being able to speak the language of another (even in broken form) builds a foundation of trust and provides a springboard of empathy and goodwill. Whether in McDonalds speaking spanish (hamburgaza con queso), or teaching English in China (ni how) or Morocco (Salam wally koom), or in visiting museums in France (bonjour!) trying to speak the language of another is like giving a gift from the heart and really the thought is more important than the perfection of the speaking.
How have your perceptions of others changed by being abroad? I have learned that there are kind, genuine, respectful, helpful, sincere, etc. people everywhere. The news leads you to believe sterotypes about certain countries or cities but at a personal level, we are all human who are working through maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Q: In terms of your cross- cultural experience, how has your life to date prepared you?
A: Working at McDonalds in HS gave me exposure to a wide range of different people. Retirees who were married and just needed a supplemental paycheck. Immigrants who spoke spanish at home and just enough english to get by. Mid-career single parents who were living a hard life and this was the best job they could get with their GED. Teaching english in China (Skyline Language School) showed me the power of being adaptable and flexibile as not every student can learn at the same speed and each student struggles in different areas. So being able to adjust the curriclum to the needs of the students was the key to their success. Providing Prisoner Support was difficult in college because I had little in common with the inmates who I met with and tried to encourage. I think what kept me coming back was the fact that they felt encouraged that we hadn’t given up on them when they felt the rest of society had. It was like we recognized them as having value and respected the dignity they had as humans, despite whatever crime they might have done. Teaching english in Morocco (my wife has gone twice, myself once). Visiting France and Itally for pleasure. My wife has been to Agentina, U.K., and American Samoa. Foster parenting has brought us into contact with many different situations which typically involve someone from a different culture, even if the person is a baby or a child. In many ways, a baby who can’t speak or a child who can barely speak is no different than working with someone who speaks a language you cannot understand at all. Linda - foreign exchange student.
Q: List a time when you had contact with someone from another economic background. How did you adapt? A: Foster care. Truck drivers. British family on welfare. Linda. Money and status isn’t a big deal for me. People are created unique and special with value from The Creator. With someone who is far better off than me economically, I would say the same thing. I will probably be more reserved and let them take the lead or go first more often but I would still be able to relate to them.
Q: Talk about a time you had to change to fit a subtle cultural difference.
A: British family. Tea drinking multiple times a day. Smoking frequently throughout the day. I had to adjust my expectations of “let’s leave for X activity” in 10 minutes to let’s leave in 20 minutes so they could get a tea or smoke before we actually left.
Q: Describe a time when you had to work with a person who had different values than you. Dan White: Sound Reinforcement.
Q: Describe a time when your (political, religious, cultural, personal) beliefs/values were challenged. How did you deal with the situation?
Q: What do you find most challenging in adapting to a different culture?
A: Learning the language (and/or idioms) would be the most difficult and more immediate issue faced. Being able to express the most basic of ideas can be a challenge when languages are different. With Linda, I used a translation app to help.
Experience and motivation
Dimension 3
To demonstrate knowledge, skills or other attributes gained from previous experience of revelance to the foreign service; to articulate appropriate motivation for joining the foreign service.
Q: Why do you want to be an FSS at this time?
A: We are done having kids and our youngest is now 3. I’m also in mid-career. Coming to the realization that money isn’t everything and certainly cannot buy meaningful experiences, I’m interested in working for a cause greater than myself and exposing myself and family to different cultures, languages, geographies, and ways of thinking.
Q: Why do you want to join the FS?
A: To serve my country, but more specifically, the great people of my country. The US is engaged in regional and global conflicts that are at least as political as they are military. I believe that whenever and wherever we can, we should shape events to our own advantage. (pg. 3)
Q: Why are you particularly interested in your cone?
A: My work experience thus far has given me broad technical experience. I think I’m good at it and so being able to serve my country as an IMS is a win-win.
Q: What plans do you have if you do not pass?
A: I will continue in my current job with my current company and same profession. I will probably take the FSOT again and see how I do taking the test for a second time.
Q: How did you hear of the FS?
A: State Department website.
Q: When did you think about becoming a FSO?
A: 3 years ago. I applied for the first time and missed one item on my application that disqualified me from moving forward.
Q: How will you feel going from being an executive to a junior officer? Given your experience how do think you will handle working as a Junior Officer? What do you think about the pay cut you will be taking?
A: In my current role as director of operations I “oversee” or manage 3 employees and 24 contractors yet I view my role as successful when they have the tools, decisions, direction, and input needed to get their jobs done. So my role is largely one of service. If I don’t perform well, the work they are doing will start to fall apart and cause other issues across the organization. So I don’t really see a difference in my approach to my current role and the one as an FSS - IMS. I expect there to be more rigor around decision making through regulations, policies, standards, and procedures that must be followed. At times that might feel limiting but it also provides structure which helps with scalability (something that I love). I am not worried about the paycut. My wife and I rely on a single income today and we have been strategic and smart with how we spend our money. We have no debts except for our house so to us the benefits of travel and expsoure to all that the FSS life has to offer is worth the decrease in take-home pay.
Q: Why do you want to work for the county?
A: First, the United States of America stands as a beacon of hope and liberty around the world and I want to help represent it to the world. Two, my family loves to travel and experiencing different cultures is a priority of ours. Three, working as an IMS in the Foreign Service would allow me to use my Bachelors of Political Science education along with my Computer Management Information Systems (CMIS) minor. It would allow me to make a small contribution to the world of diplomacy.
Q: What are the things you look for in a job?
A: Structure, responsibility, challenges, prestige, ability to make a difference,
Q: Describe your three greatest accomplishments to date.
A: Professionally: ITIL Gap Assessment. Tranformational Change via ITIL at Liberty. Program Mgmt at Fruition. Personally: 3 kids.
Q: In what ways would our agency benefit from hiring you?
A: I have vast technical and project management experience so I bring a wealthy of diverse knowledge and experiences. From installing post office systems, desktop mgmt systems (SMS), installing and deploying SharePoint, TestCase management systems, campus financial card system implementation, Change Management & Project Management systems, process improvement projects, budget projects, IT audits (COBIT, ITIL, HIPPA, FERPA, GLBA, SOX, etc.), computer refresh cycle, etc. This would bring immediate lessons learned and value to the DOS that wouldn’t need training.
Q: If hired, where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
A: In 5 years, I see myself getting tenure and on my third tour. At this point, I will be mentoring or coaching new junior specialists as I will have a good idea on how the FS works, what is expected, and how to work with all levels of the organization. In 10 years, I will be mid-career and taking on strategic and critical assignments.
Q: What goals, including career goals, have you set for your life?
Q: How would you define “success” for your career? At the end of your work life, what must have been present for you to feel as if you had a successful career?
Q: Why do you want to change jobs at this time?
A: Our youngest child is now 3 so we are just getting to the stage where we can be more flexible again. So we are looking for experiences that we can do as a family.
Q: What work experience do you have abroad?
A: NYU ServiceDesk implementation with AbuDhabi and Shanghai. Teaching english in Casablanca Morocco and Guong Zhou, China.
Q: What is your greatest weakness? If we asked your boss to say something negative about you, what would he say?
A: I have been told that I can be too hard on myself and at times, others.
Information integration and analysis
Dimension 4
To absorb and retain complex information drawn from a variety of sources; to draw recent conclusions from analysis and synthesis of available information; to evaluate the importance, reliability, and usefulness of information; to remember details of a meeting or event without the benefit of notes.
Q: Give an example of a time when you had to use your fact-finding skills to get information to solve a problem - then describe how you analyzed the information to come to a decision.
A: (Eleos) TestRail: Identified (integration and analysis) a gap in where maturity needed to be and where we could get with our current tools. Communicated the gap to others so get buy in and feedback. Created a survey to solicit requirements (resourcefulness) about what a new tool would entail. Prioritized requirements based on importance/value. Presented all data to stakeholders for decision buy-in. Then take responsibility of planning and executing the plan to procure and implement the new tool (TestRail).
Q: Tell me about a recent situation in which you received a significant assignment that was confusing or unclear.
A: (Eleos) I was asked to start managing our Support and Testing teams in January 2019. I as told that developers are spending 80 hours a month doing support and so there was significant opportunity to reduce that amount. Second, testing work is very cyclical, hard to staff for, and also takes a lot of time from development. I was asked to help improve in both areas but not provided any targets or starting guidance. So I set off to do analysis and more fully flesh out the problem. 1) I found that if we could staff up our testing team we could have them handle support in-between testing cycles. Further, I determined with analysis that we could reduce developer support work by 40% which equates to 32 hours a month. I then outlined a plan to hire more testers, a process review and improvement plan for support, and a training plan for cross training the testers in support work. 2) I analyzed and found that we could hire more testers which would: reduce our testing time from 8 days per sprint to 5 days and would free up development to focus on development work. I then presented this plan to management along with the impact of me taking on this role would be to my current workload. I also documented other decisions or questions that would need their input. One management approved, I executed the plan using continual review and improvement of the plan. The result was a significant reduction in testing work for developers. The duration did get cut to 5 days. But the lessons learned were that the new testing team was so skilled at finding bugs that they found bugs that had been lurking for years and they found so many that it took the dev team 10 days to remediate and fix the huge list of bugs found. So the plan was successful but not in the way that it was intended to be.
Q: Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.
Q: Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
A: (Eleos) Asana: Identified (integration and analysis) a gap in where maturity needed to be and where we could get with our current tools (pre-Asana). Communicated the gap to the Director of Engineering to get buy in and feedback. Created a prioritized list of requirements (resourcefulness) for the director to review. Presented all data to stakeholders for decision buy-in. Then take responsibility of administering the new tool.
Initiative and leadership
Dimension 5
To recognize and assume responsibility for work that needs to be done; to persist in the completion of a task; to influence significantly a groups activity, direction, or opinion; to motivate others to participate in the activity one is leading.
Judgment
Dimension 6
To discern what is appropriate, practical, and realistic in a given situation; two weigh relative merits of competing demands.
Q: What would you do if one of your employees complained that one of her coworkers was sexually harassing her? A: 1) Inform supervisor. 2) Review HR procedure. 3) Meet with revelant people to verify information and discuss next steps. 4) Take appropriate actions. 5) Follow up when all is complete. 6) Inform supervisor.
Q: Have you had to manage a personnel situation that had a potential legal impact? Please describe what your role was and what you learned from it.
A: (LU) We had a Program Management contractor who was hired to oversee deliverables of programs including those by other company/vendor. The overall deliverables proceeded on schedule at first but then slowed to the point where asking for updates, trying to get staff onsite, and trying to hold people accountable failed to get the deliverables over the finish line. When 11 months overdue hit, I noticed there was a section of the work where the program manager had not paid the other company/vendor for work we had signed off on. This lack of payment was causing harm to the company/vendor and raised suspicion that there might be more going on behind scenes than we were being told. So I notified my supervisor of the situation and performed analysis to account for the entire payment history of the program. I then presented this information to my supervisor and we came up with a plan of addressing the situation: we would direct the program manager to make payment to the company/vendor up to 69% of deliverables being satisifed. That caused the program manager to send a letter to the company/vendor about quality issues with the deliverables. We ended up having to enlist our legal counsel to pursue legal actions against the program manager who in the end owed us (or their company/vendor) $36k. My role was to oversee the program manager’s deliverables thus I was responsible to wind down the program with that individual, ensure we recovered as much money as we could, pursue legal action by working with legal, log a complaint with BBB, and keep all parties (including supervisor) updated on all developments and progress. Learned: you have to track and manage all plans, tasks, assets, and financials against a baseline and be able to explain differences no matter how small they may be. I learned to trust my experience (i.e. gut) that if something seemed off, it was worth investigating early. Problems are not like wine: they don’t get better with time.
Q: Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
Q: Tell me about a difficult decision you’ve made in the last year.
Q: Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low).
A: Hiring QA team for Eleos?
W: What was your most difficult decision in the last 6 months? What made it difficult?
A: We were under contract on a dream house in a great location with great schools that was on 12 acres BUT through 4 different inspections (because we aren’t experts) the inspectors found it had some significant issues. Knowing which issues we should demand the owners take care of or those that we would inherit was stressful. We enlisted the help of a realtor to guide us through the decision making. Many “normal wear and tear” issues come with a house and property but we were dealing with termites in the barn, pool that was near end of life for many components, roofing slope issues, septic that was very old and couldn’t be found, etc. These were major issues but we needed to be able to understand how big of a deal some of these issues were. And if asked, would be willing to take money off the purchase of the house to cover them? So I came up with estimates of the major issues of what it would cost to fix each issue (with a low and a high estimate). My wife and I ended up using the estimates and input from our realtor to decide ahead of the final negitation how flexibile and what adjustments we were willing to take.
Q: What kind of decisions do you make rapidly? What kind takes more time? Give examples.
A: When the risk or consequenes are small and consensus is shared, the decision is fast. When risk or consequences are medium to high and consensus isn’t achieved, then analsys and research or input is needed.
Objectivity and integrity
Dimension 7
To be fair and honest; to avoid deceit, favoritism, and discrimination; to present issues frankly and fully, without injecting subjective bias; to work without letting personal bias prejudice actions.
Prejudice: preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.
Q: Tell us about a specific occasion in which you conformed to a policy with which you did not agree.
A: Eleos business model: free environments but cost for app builds. I presented the pros/cons of both sides as best as I could and made my recommended but ultimately the decision wasn’t mine to make. The CEO decided and I felt I had the chance to argue my case. I trust in the decision making process where I can provide input and then ultimately those at higher levels have more information and competition demands they must weigh (which I might not have visibility into.)
Q: What is the most unpopular stand you have taken? Please describe the situation and tell us specifically what you did and what the outcome was.
Q: Describe a time when you had to “sell” a decision or policy to your employees when you did not agree with it.
Q: Please tell me about a time you had to fire a friend.
Q: Give me an example of a bad decision that you made and what you learned from that mistake?
A: Used Agile Scrum to lead a project where I did not have decidated resources. I had just finished Scrum training and was set on finding a project to use it with. The methodology didn’t work well and the project suffered. I switched project methodologies. I learned that scrum projects really need to have decidated staff in order to be successful within that methodology. That also helped inform my agile waterfall project management because it blended the best of both methodologies.
Q: Please tell me about one or two unpopular decisions you have made. What were the positive and negative outcomes of those decisions?
Q: Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it.
A: At LU, we had 350 computers that faculty were using that were leased. I took the lead on analyzing what to do when they came off lease. My analysis showed that buying those computers at the end of the lease (given their specs, components, and remaining useful life over 5, 10, 15 years) would be a worse financial deal for the university. If we replaced the computers with newly purchased computers and sent back the leased computers, the university would be in a better position financially. I knew this decision would be unpopular with faculty who resisted change because they had the devices setup just like they wanted. So I knew we had to figure out a way to make the change be positive for the faculty. The best way to do that was to get their input so I worked with our Desktop Mgmt Group manager to identify new features in new laptops (lighter, bigger screen, better ports, better battery life, etc.) within our price range and I used that information to identify survey questions to ask faculty about. I then worked with our marketing team to create an email to announce the change (they would be loosing their laptop - so they knew it was coming) but also ask for their input on which new features they would want (giving them some say and input without giving them the ability to make a decision). With the survey results in, I analyzed, and then reviewed with Desk Mgmt manager. We then joinly presented chosen device to the CIO for final decision. With final decision, I then lead the team through the project of identifying who had the devices, setting up a schedule to get them in to get their new device, transfer data from old to new, etc. Final deliverable was reviewing that all devices had been turned in and we had a few that were MIA that we had to purchase outright.
Oral communication
Dimension 8
To speak fluently in a concise, grammatically correct, organized, precise, and persuasive manner; to convey nuances of meaning accurately; to use appropriate styles of communication to fit the audience and purpose.
Planning and organizing
Dimension 9
To prioritize and order tasks effectively, to employ a systematic approach to achieving objectives, to make appropriate use of limited resources.
Resourcefulness
Dimension 10
To formulate creative alternatives or solutions to resolve problems, to show flexibility in response to unanticipated circumstances.
Q: Tell us about an idea you had to improve something on the job. What did you do and what happened?
A: (Eleos) In my prior role as a Project Manager for client implementation projects, I was responsible for status reports so that management stay up to date on the status of all our current projects. Yet, projects often contain a lot of information and many data points which can consume a considerable amount of time to receive, digest and synthesize by busy people. The results is that senior leaders often have to reactively ask for project updates and manage as issues arise. I came up with an innovative solution that used my knowledge of personal computers, local area networks, and software to help overcome the problem of senior management not usually having enough time to review project status reports. So, I created a shared network drive whereby I could save an overview of project status for each project. I then used software connected a television in the primary Conference Room to continually display project status summary from the shared drive when the television was not used for other purposes. This provided senior leaders with a constant stream of project status information that they could easily digest throughout the day and in-between their other important activities of the day. This resulted in better understanding of project status, higher productivity, and proactive management of client projects by senior management.
Q: Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.
Q: Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.
A: Risk Spair?
Q: What do you do when your time schedule or project plan is upset by unforeseen circumstances? Give an example.
Q: Tell me about a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed. What did you learn from that failure? A: Scrum project at LU.
Q: How have you most constructively dealt with disappointment and turned it into a learning experience? Please give me a concrete example in your life.
A: Miscarriages = intensive emotions. The grief cycle affects everyone differently but usually people go through the same stages: Denial. Anger/frustration. Depression. Bargaining. Acceptance.
Working with others
Dimension 11
To interact in a constructive, cooperative, and harmonious manner; to work effectively as a team player; to establish positive relationships and gain the confidence of others; to use humor as appropriate.
Written Communication
Dimension 12
To write concise, well organized, grammatically correct, affective and persuasive English in a limited amount of time.
Q: Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete.
A: Project business cases 3-20 pages in length. I was responsible for writing 12-15 of them for the first 2 budget years until we hired staff to help with this. They are created by technical people but need to have the audience of Finance and senior management in view. So they covered: background, purpose, scope, and what policies/processes/procedures/standards were being met or were impacting. So writing them to be understandable but detailed enough to analysis the technical aspects is a challenge. (USC Upstate) Syllabus for Engineering Project Management. 8 pages covering: basic information, description, objectives, assessment, grading, requirements, policies (late, absent, sickness, etc.), & Help/Support.
Q: Describe the most significant written document, report or presentation which you had to complete.
A: (LU) ITIL Gap assessment findings report. I surveyed mid-level managers on a variety of IT disciplines or functional areas (service desk, change mgmt, incident mgmt, configuration mgmt). Each section ended up being 12-14 pages in lenght where I covered: goal/objectives of the assessment, Overview of how the assement was conducted, scoring (management intent, process capability, internal integration, products, quality, mgmt information, external integration, customer interface), results against best practice score by area, explanation of each score with application. This report, which I iniatied, led, analyzed, and wrote won me a one-on-one presentation with the CIO (who had previously been a congressman in MN) after only working in the organization for 8 months.
Active listening
Dimension 13!
This is the unofficial 13th dimension. Active listening to assessors and colleagues. Take notes! Just do exactly what the lead assessor tells you to do. Don’t do more than you’re asked, and especially do no less!
