Are you able to meet aggressive deadlines? Do you have experience doing so in the past?
Deadlines are in keeping with a set routine. When everyone does their assigned job there is no problem.
Are you involved with any professional affiliations?
Yes, although not actively:
1. Better Business Bureau:
Certified Arbitrator in Consumer Affairs
2. Army Officers Association
3. American Red Cross: Department of Water Safety
Can you work under pressure?
All aviators work under pressure.
Describe a professional skill you have developed in your most recent job.
I have learned to become a better writer.
Describe a situation in which you've applied your skills to solve a problem.
Problems arise from a conflict in time or interest. Time management serves to alleviate many workplace problems. People management (the ability to recognize personal interests in others) serves as a tool in motivating others to the task.
Describe a time when you had to alter your leadership style to be more effective.
I have a degree in management. There are about 14 different management styles (probably more) that address different situations and types of people. I can meet each style with varying degree of finesse.
SEE:
http://www.geocities.com/thomas_retzlaff/supChartA.html
Describe the job you have held in the past that was most gratifying.
Aviation is very satisfying in any capacity. The down side is contending with bad weather and bad attitudes. Aviation is an outside occupation and subject to all the effects of snow, rain and freezing temperatures. Attitudes are much more complicated.
Describe the situation in which you are most comfortable as a leader.
Leadership is a function of attentiveness. Groups announce their collective interest. A good leader only refects what the group intends.
Describe your ability to solve problems in the workplace.
Problem solving is a function of:
1. Recognizing a problem
2. Verbalizing the problem
3. Establishing an end goal
4. Creating a list of possible solutions
5. Selecting the most plausable solution
6. Recognizing restrictive side effects
7. Creating a hyposthesis
8. Implimenting the solution
9. Recording the results
10 Implimenting adjustments
Describe your ideal job.
The job I am in.
Describe your management style.
There are two types of managers:
1. Task Oriented
2. Socially Oriented
I lean toward the task side of management.
SEE:
http://www.geocities.com/thomas_retzlaff/supChartA.html
Describe your previous job experience.
I worked for a warehouse distributor looking to lease his storage space. I help market his facilities through the Internet and contacted prospective clients through a fax research program.
Do you like working alone or in a team environment?
Each has its own function and is equally enjoyable when applied to the appropriate task.
Do you like working in large groups?
Large groups are good for complex problems or when large volumes of output is required. If the group is too large or too small for the task there are inherent conflicts that detract from the ultimate goal. When everything is proportioned, groups can be very enjoyable.
Do you prefer continuity in structure or frequent change in your daily work?
Once a routine is established creating an environment of expectation either structure is productive and enjoyable.
Do you work well alone?
Yes
Do you work well under pressure?
Yes
Everyone has a favorite class in college. What was yours?
Communications
Have you ever hired anyone? What qualities do you seek?
Yes, I look for someone who can do the job. It is obvious after a few minutes whether an individual is interested or not. Most people can do most any job, however, only a few are realy interested in doing it.
Have you ever managed a project for your previous employer? What was the result?
I used to be a formation flight trainer in the Michigan Army Air National Guard. Pilots would train without real practical expression of their training and newly learned skills. I would take them into real situations where the quality of their abilities could be experienced. Individual reaction to real world exposure was mixed.
Have you managed people in any of the positions you have held?
Yes
Have you taken any classes since college to bring your skills up to date?
Yes; aviation (transition skills into other types of aircraft), computer skills (HTML, CSS) and art classes.
How can you help our company be more profitable?
Profit is what is left after expenses. To increase profit you must:
1. Reduce Costs and/or
2. Increase Revenue
How do you deal with difficult people?
Most people strive for attention. When they are being difficult they need attention; I give it to them!
How do you go about making important decisions?
I accumulate facts, search out advice, choose the most necessary, beneficial or kindest approach, consider alternatives and then act.
How do you handle change?
With anticipation
How do you maintain your composure when you are in the hot seat?
"Nothing lasts forever."
How do you measure the success of your work?
I don't measure success.
How do you usually handle criticism?
With a smile
How have your technical skills been an asset?
Technecal skills are an asset only when they are needed.
How much experience have you had with computers?
My first experience with computers was at Consumer Energy Company in the Accounting Department. I was an Assistant Auditor and spent many hours doing research and data retrieval for various departments. I worked at Consumers for five years before going back to college.
I had two years of computer classes at Western Michigan University working with statistics. I worked for a year at MicroComputer Applications Company on a marketing project advertising company services to prospecive clients. All this work was performed on word processors and the Internet.
I worked on computers at Michigan Works Employment Resource Center for five years doing Internet employment research, word processing and developing low cost advertising for small business.
How well can you multi-task?
I can multi-task very well. The business college at Western Michigan University specializes in formulas designed to maximize time efficiency. It uses models developed by NASA specific to multi-tasking.
How would you define "leadership" How would you rate yourself as a leader?
Leadership is the ability to recognize the needs of others and to follow directions. I am an excellent follower. Recognizing others needs is a subjective quality that changes with the task. Everyone has the capacity to be excellent leaders given to specific circumstances.
How would you describe your philosophy about management?
Good managers are made, not born.
How would you rate your communication skills?
I have a degree in communications and carried a 3.6 GPA in the subject.
Is there anything else about you that I should know?
Probably
Is there anything you would change about your college education?
Yes, the federal analysis and five year projection of the national job market was way off for the years following graduation. Even university and private projections were in error. It is best to secure a job and structure an education around the needs of the company you are working at. My expectations centered in aviation. Although these intellectual skills are applicable to many career areas I have found that the word "aviation" is a distraction to most prospective employers.
Tell me about a contribution you have made to a team.
Team work is about knowing your team members, anticipating their behavior and meeting them at a point that maximizes their efforts to reach a mutual goal. All teams operate under these assumptions.
Tell me about a past achievement that you attained in your last job.
Achievement is a dedication to reach a specific goal; "Failure is not an option."
Tell me about a project you completed ahead of schedule.
Schedules are made with lead/lag times figured into the formula. All projects can be completed ahead of schedule when the activity parameters are properly analyized.
Tell me about a time that you made a critical decision without supervision?
I had to decide whether to leave a group of diplomats stranded in a war zone or violate a military mandate. Although I didn't realize it at the time; it made little difference which course I decided.
Tell me about any honors or awards that you have received in the past.
Flight Safety Awards
Tell me about the most significant accomplishment in your career?
Money is the only measurable accomplishment. When considering the "what ifs..." associated with safety, management practices and 'bottom line' analysis, I have saved millions of dollars for companies in both aviation and food services.
Tell me about the way you work.
Silently
Tell me how you would handle multiple projects in the job.
Multiple projects requires good organization skills; That means forward thinking, written objectives and an integrated scheduling system. Daily activities should reflect one continuous flow integrating multiple directives into one stream of action. Ergonomic time management.
Tell me one of your pet peeves.
Frivolity
Tell me something about yourself that I didn't know from reading your resume.
I like Chinese food
Were you involved in any other activities during college?
I played some sports and joined a business club.
What are some of the things that motivate you?
Humans are motivated by four criteria, money is one of these criteria. I respond to all four in a normal work environment.
What are your top strengths?
I am:
1. task specific
2. scientific oriented
3. tactally sensitive
What aspects of your job do you consider most crucial?
People skills are universal in business. There are specific types of work environments and specific types of people. You have to approach people within their expectations to gain trust, develop team work and recognize achievement.
What did you like most about your last job?
Being able to work at a project with independent responsibility allows freedom to be creative and approach problems with your own set of values and background of experience.
What do you do for fun?
I spend many hours on the Internet employment services. I do volunteer work at the Michigan Works Employment Resource Center and the Edison Business Association. I work with small business in housing, food service and transportation marketing.
What do you do in your spare time?
I have three area of interest:
1. Aviation
2. Housing
3. Food
What do you like to do when you are not at work?
I have an interest in aviation and would like to build an ultra light gyro copter for personal use or for commercial air patrol service or light weight courier services.
What has motivated you the most to become what you are today?
There is that motivation question again: there are four motivators.
What is your definition of success? How have you been successful in the past?
Everyone is successful at something. Everyone experiences success at some point in life. If you don't feel successful now, you will at some stage in your experience.
What is your favorite TV program?
PBS or any science based programming. I am very interested in NASA and the world space program.
What makes you tick?
Lack of sleep.
What makes you unique and why should we hire you over any of our other candidates?
Since you have privileged knowledge of all the candidates perhaps you would be willing to eMail me your response to this question. thomas_retzlaff@yahoo.com
What motivated you to change careers at this time?
I am not changing careers; I am applying myself to the present task.
What new skills or ideas do you bring to the job that other candidates aren't likely to offer?
I am a simple person with a direct approach to people and problems. There is a saying used in college football training; "run for day light." It means, take the most direct route keeping the goal in sight.
What one word best describes you?
Persistent
What was the best moment you had in college?
There were more than one.
What would your colleagues tell me about your attention to detail?
All aviators have a keen sense for detail; it is what keeps them alive.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In ten years?
I use to think in five year projections. I have learned that there are situations that can't be anticipated which alter every expectation. I now consider the present and work toward improvement without placing too much expectation on the future.
Why are you currently unemployed?
If you are reading this and have decided not to hire me, Please send me an eMail telling me why you came to that conclusion: thomas_retzlaff@yahoo.com
Why did you leave your last job?
General aviation is sensitive to changes in the economy. Most people in aviation take on outside jobs to suppliment their income. I have worked as a Personal Manager since 1982. Some of the companies I have been associated with as a Personal Manager have gone out of business, others have been bought out.
Why have you held so many jobs in recent times?
Economics
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Thomas Retzlaffthomas_retzlaff@excite.com
Kalamazoo, MI 49001 US
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