This is a routine question and the person asking is usually looking for some very specific information in your answer.

1. What was the specific *task* or *situation* that prompted you to improve the process?

2. What did you, the candidate, say or do in response to that situation or task. Basically, what *actions* did you take. (Tip: Use “I” in your response, not “we”.)

3. The most important part your interviewer is looking for is the *result*. The result is the effect/improvement made by the candidate’s actions. It tells the interviewer what change or difference your actions made and whether those actions were effective and appropriate.

Here is an example of an answer to this interview question:

Situation: Part of my job was to update the inventory database for my company. When we lost the lease on our largest storage facility, we had to reconsider what and how much we were going to keep on hand.

Action: When I realized that our storage capacity would be cut in half, I contacted our largest distributors and foun out how much it would cost if we purchased the same amount from them but had it delivered in smaller quantities and biweekly instead of monthly.

Result: The extra money we spent for the bimonthly deliveries was far less than we had been spending for leading storage space. Even when an unexpected order came in and we had to have the parts sent by overnight express, our costs were still far less than when we kept a month’s inventory on hand. Our accountant figured that my plan saved the company almost $400,000 a year.

This is a routine question and the person asking is usually looking for some very specific information in your answer.

1. What was the specific *task* or *situation* that prompted you to improve the process?

2. What did you, the candidate, say or do in response to that situation or task. Basically, what *actions* did you take. (Tip: Use “I” in your response, not “we”.)

3. The most important part your interviewer is looking for is the *result*. The result is the effect/improvement made by the candidate’s actions. It tells the interviewer what change or difference your actions made and whether those actions were effective and appropriate.

Here is an example of an answer to this interview question:

Situation: Part of my job was to update the inventory database for my company. When we lost the lease on our largest storage facility, we had to reconsider what and how much we were going to keep on hand.

Action: When I realized that our storage capacity would be cut in half, I contacted our largest distributors and foun out how much it would cost if we purchased the same amount from them but had it delivered in smaller quantities and biweekly instead of monthly.

Result: The extra money we spent for the bimonthly deliveries was far less than we had been spending for leading storage space. Even when an unexpected order came in and we had to have the parts sent by overnight express, our costs were still far less than when we kept a month’s inventory on hand. Our accountant figured that my plan saved the company almost $400,000 a year.