Questions at Fresenius Medical Care - North America interviews

1. What is your greatest weakness? top question

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   No one is perfect and your interviewer doesn't expect you to be perfect either.

   While it is good to be honest and open, it will not help you to put yourself down.

   What's important is to find a weakness that you have overcome. How you turned what might be considered a negative into a positive.

2. About The Company

   Research the company (website, social media, etc) to learn about the company culture.

   What personal and professional qualities do they value?

3. About The Fit

   This is the time to clearly state a true weakness that you have overcome.

   Be as specific as possible and stay away from vague cliches like “I work too hard.” It would be difficult for anyone to try and explain how they overcame a weakness like that

   Mr. Simon emphasizes the Present-Past-Present method of responding to behavioral questions. When you are asked about your greatest weakness, you should be able to successfully use this approach as well. Here is an example of how someone might answer this question.

   Present - "I have always had a fear of public speaking, and believe this may have held me back in my career, especially when having to make presentations to management."

   Past - "Last year I learned about Toastmasters International and decided to join this group to help me gain confidence in myself and improve my ability to present to others in just about any situation."

   Present - "By overcoming this weakness I believe that it has made me a much stronger candidate for this position, someone you can count on to make presentations to management, conduct training and communicate at a high level."

   It's important to show how well you've overcome a weakness by motivating yourself and learning a new skill to grow professionally.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 87% more frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

2. Tell me about yourself

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   What is your current occupation? Define yourself professionally in one statement.

   Pick 3 key skills that make you great at your work (your Key Selling Points). How have you applied these skills?

   Try to give some numbers to support your statement.

2. About The Company

   Your first step is to Research the company to find out as much as you can about what they do and their approach to their business and their employees.

   Based on what you know about the company and the job description, why are you interested in the position you are applying for?

3. About The Fit

   Now is the right time to show the fit between your skills and the company's requirements. Your answer works best if you emphasize your relevance. How do you do this? You will have already researched the company, studied the job description to identify their needs and possible pain points and prepared the relevant Star Stories that show how you addressed similar issues in the past. Your next step is to develop your Present-Past-Present approach.

   Start with the Present. Focus on the skills and experience from your most recent positions. What has enabled you to get the job done successfully and how this relates to what the employer is looking to accomplish.

   Next go back to the Past. Here is where your Star story comes in. Explain how you were able to use your skills and experience to accomplish a task that relates to an area of concern for the employer.

   Finally come back to the Present – summarizing the lessons you learned and how they shaped your response and approach today.

   Remember, the whole conversation is about the present, not the past. Just one sentence can summarize why your approach works, and its applicability and relevance to this position.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 6% less frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

3. How would you handle a customer with difficult behavior?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Look back on your experience. Have you dealt with a difficult or disruptive customer? Remember how you diffused the situation and how you turned things around.

   • Do you have certain principles, or methodology, to deal with difficult people?
   • Do you have strong people skills, are you good at conflict resolution?
   • Are you high on emotional intelligence? Can you give an example?

2. About The Company

   • What have you found about the company and its culture?
   • What have you learned about how the employees value each other?
   • How do they treat their customers?
   • Knowing their line of business or industry, what can be some examples of difficult customers?

   Do your research.

3. About The Fit

   When a question like this asked in an interview, it is an indication that you will probably encounter difficult customers, or other difficult stakeholders while working for this company.

   This would be an excellent opportunity to use the Present-Past-Present approach to respond to this question.

   Start with the Present. Speak about your “conflict resolution” skills and how you apply these today.

   Next go back to a Past situation - remember your Star Stories to relate a relevant situation that happened in a previous job where you resolved a problem for a difficult customer.

   Finally, come back to the Present, summarizing what you learned from past experiences and how you will apply them to the job you are interviewing for today.

   If you can give an example of how you handled a difficult person in the past in a situation similar to what this company may require from you, this will strongly increase your chances of showing yourself as a good fit.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 94% more frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

4. Tell me about a stressful situation and how you dealt with it

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   In order to form a response to this question, think back to a time when you encountered a stressful situation at work, and answer the following questions.

   • Was the situation a challenge just to you personally or to your entire team?
   • What was your approach to the problem and how did you handle it?
   • What role if any did emotions play in the process of dealing with this situation?
   • What was the outcome, was it successful?
   • Did the outcome meet the company’s expectations as well as your own?

2. About The Company

   • What do you know about the company, where you may encounter a stressful situation?
   • Are they working on a major project which is approaching a due date?
   • Are they going through what appears to be a difficult time where cost-saving is a top priority? Perhaps the company culture is full of negativity and mistrust, or they have gone through massive layoffs. Is there any chance that customers are being neglected?

   Any of these situations may lead to stressful times at the company, and you should try to know more about their expectations, and how realistic those expectations are.

   Or, are they just a dynamic, highly agile company run by smart and creative folks, which may work excellently for some people and be confusing and mind-blowing for others?

   Do your research.

3. About The Fit

   Once you have determined which STAR story will best answer this question, use the Present-Past-Present method for your response. The following is an example of how someone might apply this method.

   The candidate started with the Present by telling the interviewer that she is able to rise to the challenge of the situation regardless of the level of stress that may come with an assignment.

   She then went back to the Past to describe when she and her team had to hit a tight timeline for a customer that depended on the outcome of her team's work. It was an emotional time in which the team worked long, hard hours with lots of overtime. As hard as it was at the time, in the end they successfully completed the assignment and the customer was so pleased with the results that it increased its business with her company.

   Finally, the candidate came back to the Present to explain how much she enjoys taking on challenges because they help her grow as a professional and she knows that she can successfully complete assignments for the company, no matter how stressful or difficult.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 3.2x more frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

5. What are your salary requirements?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   The first thing to research is the salary range for your role in the market. What is the industry standard?

   Next, think of your qualifications for the role. Weigh in your traits, skills, education, and experience. Try this exercise, draw a line on a piece of paper where on the left side sits a complete beginner, and on the right side - the best professional in the world the company may try to invite for the role. Where do you position yourself?

   Now, remember that once you start in your new role, your qualifications will be growing fast, due to all the new experience you will be gaining - consequently, your value will rise as well. Your salary, on the other hand, will not increase as quickly. So, try to imagine where your qualifications will bring you, on that scale, in about a year into the new job.

   Map the scale against the industry range. Now you should be able to come up with an objective figure, as opposed to pure speculation.

   This is not real math, however, so your number cannot be very precise, of course. Define a range, which starts with the minimum that will keep you satisfied a few months into the job, and the maximum which, a year into the job, will give you the lifestyle you would ideally like to have at that time.

   Make sure the range stays within 40%-60% between extremes. Remember, the higher the position up the ladder, the wider the range can be. What is the number in the middle? Will you feel comfortable with this number?

2. About The Company

   Research the company and find out what they are paying. The best places to find this information are Glassdoor, LinkedIn, PayScale and other similar websites.

3. About The Fit

   Based on your research, does the company fit your desired salary range?

   Now, whether you should be giving a range, or a single target number is a matter of debate. I personally think that a single number, given in a suggestive manner, is better than the range, because when given a range, they may logically gravitate towards the lower end, especially since you’ve said that the lower number is acceptable.

   One example of how to structure your answer of a single target number is this:

   I have done my research and based on the average for the industry, location, and my level of expertise, something like XXX seems reasonable to me. What do you think?

   Besides giving the factual answer that the interviewer is asking for, such an answer will also show you to be someone who takes the initiative, who goes the extra mile, and someone with data-driven and analytical mindset.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 4.2x more frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

6. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   What challenges do you like overcoming? Where are you starting from and where might you be going?

   For example, let's say the position you are applying for is junior accountant. It includes a wide range of tasks such as basic bookkeeping, financial analysis, and reporting. If accounting is your chosen field, then you would most likely want to move in the direction of obtaining your CPA so that you might step up to more responsibility as an accounting manager or senior auditor within the next 5 years. Your responses should make sense in how you see yourself growing in your professional career.

   However, at this point, if you are happy just where you are and want to further your current skills, that is also fine as long as there is a growth path for you that can be imagined and described.

2. About The Company

   Research the company to learn what career opportunities may be available in the department you are applying to, and what the trends are in the company in general.

   • Is the business expanding, are they opening new locations, or starting new projects?
   • Or are they heavily automating and cutting staff?

   Let’s say you are applying for a UX designer position for a brand-new product.

   In the future, if the product becomes a success - which is what the company hopes for - the company will hire more designers and you may become a lead designer, or you may become a product manager.

   On a side note: If you train your mind to be open to opportunities you will be amazed at how much this world has to offer to you!

3. About The Fit

   And, of course, try to see where the perfect fit lies between your own potential and aspirations, and the company’s trends and hopes.

   However, beware of the risk of showing too much excitement for future opportunities compared to your attitude towards the current position.

   As we said earlier, you must show interest and enthusiasm for the position you are applying for. If the interviewer senses that you are more enthusiastic about future growth than about the current position, they may conclude that you are not the right person for the job at hand.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 30% less frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

7. What experience do you have in this field?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Start with defining your Key Selling Points you want to emphasize for this position.

   • What job experiences brought you to those points?
   • What were the job titles and the most relevant responsibilities?

2. About The Company

   Do your research of the company and the requirements for the position.

   • What is the company looking for in terms of experiences and qualifications?
   • What problems are they trying to solve with this position?

   Most importantly, make sure you are able to highlight and speak about at least 3-5 of your key experiences that match up with the requirements listed in the job description.

3. About The Fit

   Using the Present-Past-Present method is a perfect way to answer this question.

   Starting with the Present, speak about your experience as it relates to one of the key requirements in the job description. You might say "I noted that the job description requires experience in employee training and this is an area in which I have a great deal of knowledge and skill."

   Then go back to the Past to describe how you improved overall training of staff from 82% to over 97% within your first year on the job. Senior leadership took note of this accomplishment for which you received a company commendation.

   Finally, come back to the Present to describe how you will help ensure that the company maintains the highest possible compliance with all employee training requirements.

   Nowadays, every hiring manager wants results, so think in terms of specific achievements and try to structure your example accordingly.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 45% more frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

8. Tell me about a time when you've resolved a problem for a frustrated customer

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Think of a time when, as a customer, you had a problem with a company.

   • How did you feel?
   • How did you want to be treated?
   • Was the situation resolved to your satisfaction? If so what was done to resolve it?
   • If not, what went wrong?

   Have you had experience in the past where you helped a frustrated customer? When you were on the serving side of the table, what did you do to make a real difference to the customer and their experience?

   When considering this question, focus on your principles and your approach. You know that when customers are made to feel neglected and unimportant, they tend to get frustrated. You want to demonstrate to the hiring manager that you have the capacity to understand the customer’s problems and issues and can come up with a solution that best addresses their concerns.

   Of course, this may not always be possible in your line of business or profession, but I guess you see what I mean - showing full attention greatly improves your chances of mitigating the situation.

2. About The Company

   Every company relies on customers.

   Research the company you are applying to and try to find out what their standards of customer relationship or service are, as well as try to find out some real cases where the customers complained about the company, and what the company did to mitigate the situations (a possible source might be Yelp! or another social media platform).

   Based on your research, how does the company treat customers? How do they resolve customer issues?

3. About The Fit

   How do you demonstrate to the interviewer that you can WOW the customer by making their situation better for them as well as helping the company maintain good customer relations? Mr. Simon recommends using the Present-Past-Present method.

   There are many ways to apply this approach. For example you can start with the Present emphasizing that your approach to good customer service always starts with your great listening skills that enable you to fully understand the customer’s situation.

   Next go back to the Past for an example of just how you were able to resolve a frustrating situation for a customer. Focus on a situation in which you listened to and understood the problem and were able to resolve it and prevent the loss of the customer’s business.

   Finally come back to the Present to discuss how your skills and experience in handling frustrated customers will be a real asset to the company going forward.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 7% less frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

9. Why did you leave your last job?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   There are a number of reasons why people leave or plan to leave their jobs. One very important recent factor has been the impact on jobs and job security due to Covid-19 and all of the issues raised by remote vs. on-site work.

   Regardless of the causes, there are three possible reasons that you left your last job or are planning to leave your current job:

   • You are looking for a career change
   • You are unhappy with your current employment
   • You were let go.

   Whatever the reason, it's best to always speak in a positive light.

2. About The Company

   Based on your research about the company and the position you are interviewing for, what do you like most about the company? What excites you about the work as it is outlined in the job description?

3. About The Fit

   Let's take a closer look at how you might respond to each of the three reasons for leaving your last job.

   1. You were let go

   You should simply state the facts (e.g. the company was downsizing, your position was eliminated, your department was offshored, etc.). Focus on the positive. You might want to share your accomplishments at your previous employment by relating a pertinent STAR story if you feel that would be relevant.

   2. You are looking for career advancement or a career change

   In your response you should be upfront, honest and as enthusiastic as you can be about the position. Consider using the Present-Past-Present method when giving this answer. Start with the Present by describing a career goal that is important to you. For instance you are a data analyst applying for a data management position and you are ready for this move. Then go back to the Past to indicate that at your previous job, there were little or no promotional opportunities in your field. Then come back to the Present and say that you are ready to take on the manager role and know that you will do an outstanding job for the company.

   3. You are unhappy with your current employment

   Sometimes a job just isn't going to take you to the next step in your career.

   Keep two things in mind when answering this question, 1) never "bad mouth" your current employer and 2) focus on the postive when speaking about the job and your reason for wanting to leave.

   The following is an example of how this question might be answered. This individual was looking to move up to a project manager position and did not feel that her current employer was the right place to achieve her goal. You might find her answer helpful in crafting your own response.

   "I really like my job as assistant project manager and love working with all of my coworkers on the team. However, the way the department is set up there is no real path to promotion. There are currently 3 project managers and they are all relatively new in their jobs. As far as I can see, they are all doing a good job and opportunties for promotion may not be opening up in the foreseeable future."

   Her comments were positive and her reasoning was clear and consise. Always try to keep your reasons positive and try not to create an impression that you were unhappy with the way you were treated.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 28% less frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

10. What are your long-term goals?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Start with honestly assessing yourself. (At this moment, you are not sharing these thoughts with anyone, so be as open as you can).

   Imagine that you have all the resources in the world and that all roads are open for you.

   • How would you use them?
   • Which road(s) would you choose?
   • What do you see on the horizon in that direction?

   Be audacious and don’t limit yourself. There is no longer a perspective than “long-term,” so be as futuristic as you possibly can.

   List a few “road” options that you would be enthusiastic about going down.

   For example, this list may be as broad as the following:

   • writer
   • choir director
   • software engineer and architect
   • CEO of a unicorn startup company,
   • entrepreneur.

   As William Shakespeare once said, “We know what we are, but we know not what we may be.”

2. About The Company

   Now, look at the company.

   • What is the industry they operate in?
   • What is the position you are applying for, and what are potential career growth possibilities within the department, company, and industry?

3. About The Fit

   Which of your “road” options correspond best with the opportunities presented by this company?

   Highlight this option and focus on it. Imagine, in as much detail as you can, going down this road.

   What would be the major milestones for you, in order to move towards your goal?

   Describe the chosen option by focusing on the first 1-2 milestones, and by presenting it in light of company goals and current initiatives.

   For example, if you are applying for a project manager position in a corporation engaged in the education industry, and your “road” option is “CEO,” your next career step may be a program manager, or an innovations and research manager.

   Explain why you are enthusiastic about reaching these goals, and what makes you think you have the necessary traits and skills to reach them.

   How can the company benefit from these traits and skills of yours already today, in the current role you are applying for?

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 20% more frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

11. Tell me about your greatest professional accomplishment

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   In preparation for answering this question, list the top 3 professional accomplishments that you are most proud of. No need for lengthy descriptions, just a sentence or two for each one to help you recall each situation.

   Write down your Key Selling Points - your top 3-5 skills that make you a strong professional.

   Make sure you have developed the story behind each accomplishment and have a strong command of the details of what happened so that you can tell the story clearly and distinctly.

   Along with each accomplishment, mark which of your Key Selling Points they showcase. How exactly?

2. About The Company

   Based on your research of the company, what are their current needs?

   • What are the major projects going on?
   • What are the expectations for the position you are applying for?
   • Think about which of your accomplishment stories best fit their needs and expectations?

3. About The Fit

   Once you have decided on the appropriate accomplishment story, think how you will relate it in an interview and how you will make it relevant to the the job you are seeking. One approach is to use the Present-Past-Present technique.

   Let's say that the accomplishment was leading your team in installing a new billing system and bringing it in on time and under budget.

   You might start off in the Present by talking about the importance of having good leadership skills.

   Then move to the Past to relate your story about how you successfully lead your team in accomplishing the objective.

   Finally, come back to the Present to address how you will be able to help them reach their goals (the ones you learned about when researching the company) going forward.

   Be sure to keep practicing your accomplishment story until it flows naturally and convincingly.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 3% less frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

12. Tell me about a time you had a conflict at work. How did you handle it? What have you learned?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Think of the times you had to deal with conflict.

   • What were the different ways you were able to address the situation?
   • If you were the cause of the conflict, how did the other person talk you down from the conflict?
   • What were the key lessons you learned through your experience?

2. About The Company

   Research the company and its culture.

   • What do they value?
   • Is there anything that you can find about how they deal with conflict resolution?

   Reading comments to their social media posts often prove helpful to see how they react to customers' complaints.

3. About The Fit

   • What have you found out about the company’s culture and job description?
   • Are they looking for someone who can take charge and resolve conflict?

   Tell a story of how you addressed conflict and how it turned a negative into a positive. Try to conclude with your lessons learned or methodology for approaching conflicts - this will show the interviewer that you would be able to apply your methodology to future situations.

   Use the STAR method to frame your story.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 53% more frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

13. Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult or disruptive person. It may be a client, manager, or coworker. How did you handle the situation? What was the outcome?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Look back on your experience. Have you worked with a difficult or disruptive person? Remember a few such situations and how you diffused them and turned things around. What are your approaches to resolving conflicting situations at work?

2. About The Company

   • What have you found about the company and its culture?
   • What have you learned about how the employees value each other?
   • How do they treat their customers?
   • Do they have any specific standards and policies?

3. About The Fit

   Using what you found about the company, choose one of your examples that fits best with the company standards and share your story.

   If it's a customer, how did you turn things around and made a customer happy?
   If it's a coworker, how did you diffuse a tense or difficult situation?

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 42% more frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

14. How do you deal with working under pressure?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Even if you are confident about your ability to work under pressure, the goal of your answer is to convince your interviewer of that.

   Emphasize your best qualities, such as quick decision-making, organizational and time management skills, the ability to stay calm, focus on the job at hand, think logically, act correctly and employ your problem-solving abilities.

   Also mention the methods you use to manage workplace stress. It can set you apart from other candidates.

   Think of a previous professional situation in which you displayed excellent ability under pressure.

   Use the STAR method to describe that scenario during the interview, and explain the actions you took to diffuse the situation.

2. About The Company

   Do your research about the company you are aiming for.

   • What are the company’s plans, for example, will there be a degree of pressure like hitting targets, meeting deadlines or managing multiple tasks at once?
   • How might this impact you and how you deal with pressure?

3. About The Fit

   Performing well under pressure is both a personal and professional quality and can make a difference between an average employee and an excellent one.

   Try to think of ways in which you can use the truth to your advantage. It will help you to gain the interviewers' trust and help them feel confident that the rest of your answers are also truthful.

   Even if you sometime might struggle under pressure, calmly acknowledging that and mentioning that you are actively trying to improve in this area can leave a positive impression on the hiring manager.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 3.4x more frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

15. How would you describe your work style?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   The easiest way to approach this question is to write down the list of things (5-7 bullet points) that you value and that make you happy at work, for example:

   • teamwork
   • fun
   • respect
   • transparency
   • creativity
   • dynamic environment
   • work-life balance
   • focus on goals
   • any other points that are important to you.

   You may also want to compile a list of DON’Ts – things you find unacceptable, e.g. boring repetitive tasks, harassment, extreme volatility, etc.

   This is a useful exercise for your self-awareness and internal boundaries so that you can easily spot any red flags, but don’t include these items in your answer, as you don’t want to sound negative.

   Highlight 2-3 most critical items on the first list.

   Think of some positive examples from your past experience where these values made you happy at work but also made your boss happy because of the outcomes you achieved.

2. About The Company

   Do your homework and learn as much as you can about the company, department and specific job you are applying for.

   You can get useful tips about the company from its Values or About Us sections on the website, and tips about the vacancy from the job description.

   Some companies position themselves as customer-oriented, others aim at productivity and efficiency, yet others are known for their creativity or adaptability.

   Other organizations take a customized approach towards client needs, or they stress care for their employees, like the possibility of working remotely, etc.

   In addition, startups are very different from large corporations in terms of culture and work style, and small businesses are different from both of these.

   Which best describes the company you are applying to?

3. About The Fit

   Based on what you learned through your research of the company you are applying to, ask yourself, in all honesty, do you feel this company has the potential to make you happy and fulfilled at work? If so, why?

   Which of the critical items you value most best corresponds with your knowledge of the company culture?

   In preparation for your interview, make a list of your most critical values along with an explanation of how they helped you achieve positive results for your previous employer and/or helped you work more effectively with team members or customers.

   Keep them in mind during your interview; these are the values that you would like to enjoy at your new job.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 4.0x more frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.

16. What would your previous coworkers or clients tell me about you?

How to answer

1. About Yourself

   Spend some time reflecting on how others perceive you so that you can speak smoothly without overinflating or undervaluing yourself.

   Recall conversations with coworkers or managers in which you received acknowledgment or feedback.

   It is an opportunity for you to share your best traits (your Key Selling Points).

   • Would your coworkers and clients say that you are dependable, trustworthy, flexible, honest?
   • Do you always show up to meetings on time and promptly reply to emails?
   • Would your coworkers say you are punctual and responsive?

   If you frequently lend a hand when co-workers or customers struggle, your colleagues, clients and managers would highly likely say that you are helpful.

2. About The Company

   Research the company to learn what the employer or interviewer values.

   Compare their values with your qualities that you think would be a good fit and carefully read the job description.

   The employer's job posting is a great guide for what employers want to see in candidates.

3. About The Fit

   Use the question as an opportunity to emphasize your strengths.

   It’s important to highlight how well you communicate and how well your personality and work style will match the company and team culture.

   Using the STAR method, describe a successful team project from your previous job mentioning how well you interacted with your colleagues.

   For example:

   “My past coworkers have told me that I am highly organized and quite good at time management. During one specific project, my team members gave me praise for developing and sticking to a timeline for all the different aspects of the project. We ended up successfully completing the project ahead of time, and it went really well! I’d love to have a similar relationship with my team members in this position.”

   If by chance you didn’t get along well with your coworkers at your last job or your coworkers would be likely to note that you didn’t fit in, it could mean that the company culture wasn’t a good fit for you.

   Make sure that if the job you are interviewing for has a similar company culture, or you may not be deemed a good fit for that either.

Pro Tip

Statistics

This question is asked 3.8x more frequently at Fresenius Medical Care - North America than at other companies.