Tom Bilotta was interviewed for a class project. He currently works as a Compliance Manager at Merck Vaccine Division. The interview focused on personal questions, communication skills, interpersonal relationships, and problem-solving abilities. Tom provided concise, believable answers highlighting his proactive communication style, ability to motivate others and bring value to organizations, and solve complex problems creatively. The interviewer concluded Tom possesses key qualities needed to provide value to Merck through his personality, skills, and mindset.

1. JasonVineis11 May 2014
ORG-300-900 ProfessorWeiner
InterviewParticipant:Mr.ThomasBilotta
Compliance Manager;MerckVaccine Division
I woke upextraearlytodayin anticipationforthe day’sevents.The birdswere roaringwith
excitementaswell,awelcomingsoundafterthisyear’suncommonlybrutal winter.AsIlookinthe
mirror,while adjustingmyshinybrownleatherbeltandorganizingmyfreshlypressedolivebutton
downshirt,I start to go throughthe questionsinmyhead.My beautiful wife rollsovertogaze at the
unusual seriesof events,typically,Iwouldbe throwingonmyblue jeans,t-shirt,and,sneakersonwhile
franticallylookingformykeysandwallet.She asks,inaneversoftvoice,asto not wake up the three
wildebeestssnoringintheirdensacrossthe hallway,“Are younervous?”Ireplied,“Notreally,Ijust
don’tknowwhatto expect”,Ihave neverexperiencedbeingonthe otherside of an interviewtable
before.“Youwill be fine”,she saidasshe rolledbackovertoget those preciousfew minutesof rest
before the tornadoof childrencommenced.
Walkingthroughthe large shinyglassdoorsof the Merck Bio-TechnologyManufacturingCenter,
I noticedthe staresof my fellowco-workersgrabbinghotJavainthe breakroom.Again,nota typical
sightto see me all deckedout.Infact, typicallywhensomeone comesinlike thiseveryoneassumes
you’re aboutto “go company”.AsI cross paths withthe firstunionbrother,IexplaintohimthatI am
the interviewertodaynotthe interviewee andthe experience islinkedtomyorganizational business
class.
The elevatorbell dingsandthe doorsopenup,I thinkthroughthe conceptsIhave learnedinthe
past several weekspriortomeetingwithmygraciousvolunteer.Iexitthe elevatortosome more stares,
mostlybecause Ishouldbe at home enjoyingtime off,Fridaysare apart of my weekend,whythe heck
wouldIcome intoworkon myday off.I knockon the solidwooddoorand enteredthe office of Tom
Bilotta.Tomis a verygregariousindividual withalarge brownbeardand thickheadof hair.He usually
has some sortof sillyaccentpiece adorninghisattire,todayhe issportingapocketprotectorwitha pen
that lookslike ahumanfingerstickingoutof hisshirtpocket.These little touchesseemtocrackpeople
up and ease the situation,workingwithchildhoodvaccinesisaseriousbusiness,soitisnice to take a

2. momenthere orthere to justrelax andTom providesplentyof opportunities.Notonlydoeshe provide
comic relief,he isverygoodat whathe does.Currently,he managesateamof compliance supervisors
that oversee the manufacturingfloorof several of Merck’s childhoodvaccinesaswell asGardasil,the
firstvaccinestopreventcervical cancerand genital warts.The combinationof Tom’slightheartedantics
coupledwithhisgogetit attitude made hima greatcandidate forthisproject.
In planningforthe interviewIwantedtoincorporate keymaterial thatIfeltwasimportant,
while highlightinginformationthatcorrelateswiththe environmentthatI currentlyworkin.The key
categoriesthatI focusedonwhile developingthe interview questionsare,personal,communication,
Interpersonal Relations,and,Problem-Solving/DecisionMakingSkills.Withineachcategorythere are
several questionsthatidentifythe person’sskillssetwithineacharea.Eachone of these specific
categoriesofferskillsetsnecessarytoprovide the requiredvalueeachemployshouldembodywithin
the Merck manufacturingdivision.Forexample,communicationiskeyelementinthe dayto daylife of
everyemployee withinthe manufacturingspace.Fromthe floorpersonneltothe management team
clearlinesof communicationsare imperative.ForthisreasonIfocusedseveral questionsdirectedtosee
the level of experience communicatingwithinalarge organization.Likewise,managementand
organizational skillsare veryimportantwithinorganizations.Forinstance,the workloadwe share today
isverylarge comparedto a decade ago.Corporationsare constantlydrivingdowncosttocreate
shareholdervalue andemployeesneedtobe organizedtohandle suchalarge volume of work.Notonly
volumes,butvarietiesof tasksare experiencedduringthe course of awork weekata large
pharmaceutical company.One minute youcouldbe handlinginvestigationsandthe nextadministration
activities.A candidate needstobe versatiletoworkinsuch a demandingfieldandthese questionswere
designedtogage Tom’sabilitieswiththisregard.Lastly,Ialsoincorporatedinterpersonal andproblem
solvingquestionstostarta dialogthat wouldoutlineTom’sabilitieswithintheseclassifications.
ThroughoutthispaperI will highlightthe questionsthathadthe greatestimpactregardingthe
evaluationof myparticipantwhileprovidingasynopsisof hisresponse,aswell asmyanalysisof the
interview while linkingittothe material discussedthisquarter.

3. Interview Questions
Personal
Why makesyouthe bestcandidate forthe position?Whyshouldwe hire you?
“ I am an outof the box thinkerthatis willingtogothe extramile tomake sure Merck makes
vaccinesinthe most safe,compliant,andcosteffective manner.Likewisemyproblemsolvingskillswill
bringvalue tothe stakeholdersof thiscompany”
Describe atime whenyouhad to motivate yourself?Whywasthatnecessary?
“For longerprojects,Ifeel everyone needstotryandstay motivatedandfocused.Ionce worked
on a waterqualificationsystemprojectthattooknine months.Itwas a lotof randomtestingand
tediousworkthatI knewwouldbe goodforthe company inthe longrun but,made for a lot of long
days.I keptmy self-motivatedbyrememberingthe increaseincompliancefromanewer,more robust
system,wouldreduce time spentonaweeklyandthe value createdwouldbe immediatelyrealized
once the projectwascompleted.”
Describe atime whenyoubroughtvalue toyour organization.Whywas that Important?Andhowwasit
recognized?
“At my lastcompanyI receivedtrainingformyLean Six Sigmagreenbeltandinconjunctionhad
to performthree projectstoshowI knew whatI wasdoing.All three projectsdealtwithreducedtesting
on the productionline.The combinedprojectssavedthe companyroughly$150,000 per yearin a
companythat was makingarounda millionayear,thistranslatedintoanincrease over1%.I wasnot
lookingfora rewardfor mywork,I justwantedto bringvalue tomy companyand helpitsucceed.My
bossat the time didtake me out forlunch,whichwasverynice of him”
Describe howyouwouldassistMerckVaccinesinfulfillingtarget2015 goals?
“Utilizingmyproblemsolvingknowledge accompaniedbythe principlesof “leansix sigma”and
hard workand dedicationIaimto helpMerckachieve itstarget2015 goals.”

4. Assessment:
I likedTom’sresponsestothe personal questions.He keptthemshortandto the point.
Interviewerstodayare trainedtospotpeople thatare embellishingthemselvesandalsospot
overzealousstoriesabouttheiraccomplishments.Tomfeltverygenuine andbelievableaccordingtothis
article andthisis imperative forinterviewerstospotthis“businesspublicationssnare readerswith
headlineslike “5thingsyoushouldn’teatbefore ajobinterview”or“How to tell if applicantsare lying
abouttheirlast job”(or eventhe headline tothisarticle).Theselitaniesof tipsandtricksplayrightinto
the notionthat effortisn’treallyrequired.Thatsomehow justbystudyingthe game,youcanavoidthe
traps and masterthe tricks.”1
This article isa great example of how importantitistorecognize these
behaviorswhileinterviewingpotential candidates.
Communication
Are you a proactive ora reactive communicator?Please explain.
“More oftenthannot I try to proactivelycommunicate,butIfeel there are situationsthat
require time toevaluate apathforwardregardingcommunication.Forexample,if there isanincidentit
isimperative youunderstandthe situationfromeveryangle,youcannotaffordtomake knee jerk
reactionsthatdon notsolve the problem.”
Thinkof a time whenyouhadto be eitherproactive orreactive inyourcommunicationwithothers.
What was the situation?Whatwasthe outcome?
“There was a situationatworkwhenan individualwasperformingarepetitiouscleaningtask,
the standard operatingprocedurescalledforequipmenttobe loadedintoanautoclave aspecificway
and wasnot ergonomic.SoI puton my safetyhatfirstand thenevaluatedthe compliance endaswell to
come up witha solutionthatsatisfiedall requirementsandmade the taskmuchmore ergonomic.ThenI
askedmyself whatotherdepartmentsutilize the same model autoclaveandproactivelyreachedoutto
those areasto communicate oursituationandremedy.”
Give me an example of asituationthatrequiredyoutocommunicate inwritingwithanemployee or
your supervisor.Howdidyouachieve thatcommunication?
1http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231354#

5. “I typicallylike togetupand walkaroundand findthe people Ineedtocommunicate amessage
to. One I getexercise andtwo,the message isclearanduninterrupted.Unfortunately,workingfora
large manufacturingsite leavesyounootheroptionthancommunicatingviae-mail.Atfirstmye-mails
were longanddrawn out.Then,I realizedpeople were notpayingattentiontothe whole message and
tunedout.Withthat saidI now try to bulletmessagewithveryshortdirectcommunicationsandif there
are several people onthe listIwill bullettheirnamestothe specificinformationdirectedatthem.This
way,theycan scan to theirname and choose to readthe rest if theywouldlike.”
Assessment:
I like howTomutilizedaproactive approachwhenthe solutionregardingthe autoclave was
communicatedtootherowners.ToooftenIhave seensituationswhereemployeesfromother
departmentstell storiesof failure andno one reacts.Anothergreatarticle outlinesthe importance of
proactive problemsolvingandthe benefitstoalarge organization. “Dysfunctional processescantrigger
or worsenreactive managementsituations.So,doathoroughreview of all of the processesthataffect
your team.Also,lookatpeople'sworkingpractices,asthese maycreate delaysoradd complexity.”2
As
youcan see thisisan example of howthese situationscancreate largerproblemsanddeplete valuable
resources.
Interpersonal Relations
Describe the type of people youenjoyworkingwithandthe leaderstowhomyoureport.
“I love towork withenergeticsupportivebut,willingtoprovide constructivecriticism.Iplayed
teamsports growingupso,I’m accustomingtoworkingwithteamplayers.”Asfaras leadersgo,I like a
strong,direct,and,trustworthyleaderthatsupportsmyactionsand decisions.”
Give me an example of anunpleasantteamworkexperience.How didyoumanage the situation?
“There was a projectwere everyonehadadifferentideaonhow toapproachthe taskat hand
and we arguedfor hours,eventuallyunconsciouslyagreeingtoall ideas.Sothe nextweekeveryone got
togethertoreporttheirworkand everyone haddifferentmaterial basedontheiroriginal idea.So,inthe
endwe had losta weekbecause we couldnotfindcommonground.”
2 http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/reactive-proactive-management.htm

6. Please tell me aboutasituationthatrequiredyoutoworkcloselywithsomeone withwhomyou
disagreedorhada personalityconflict.How didyoudeal withthe issue?
“I workedina lab witha gentlemanIcouldnotstand.He felthe knew itall anddidnot respect
standardoperatingprocedures.Itriedtotalkwithhimseveral timesbut,he feltIwassinglinghimout
because we didnotget along.Afterawhile,Isat downwithmybossand lethimnow I refusedtowork
withhimanymore due toa safetyincidentthathe didnotreport.I feltmywellbeingwasindanger.A
fewmonthslaterhe wasletgo from the company.”
Assessment:
As statedearlier,itishardto findsomeone atworkthat doesnotenjoytime spentwithTomduringthe
workday. Weatherhardat workor enjoyinglunch,Tomisa pleasure tobe around.LikewiseTome really
enjoysthe people he workswith.Thisisveryimportantfactorwheninterviewingpotential new hires.As
youcan see,the negative effectsof aroad blockare unproductive anddisruptive."Doyouhave a best
friendatwork?" Likingandenjoyingyourcoworkersare hallmarksof apositive,happyworkexperience.
Take time to get toknowthem.You mightactually like andenjoythem.Yournetworkprovidessupport,
resources,sharing,andcaring.”3
Problem-Solving/Decision Making Skills
Give me an example of animportantworkrelatedgoal yousetand tell me aboutyourplansto
reach that goal.What didyoulearn fromthisexperience?How didthe outcome affectothers?
“I wantedto increase the inclusive behaviorsof the shopfloorbyteachingleansix sigma
principlesandinclusivebehaviormindset.Thiswouldeventuallydecrease shopfloordeviationsand
create a safer,compliantand,happierworkforce.Aftersix monthsof trainingandimplementationI
noticedthe shopfloor,whichwere detachedanduninterested,became enthusiasticandengaged.This
translatedintolowerdeviationsandahappierworkforce.I alsonoticedpeople inherentlywant
ownershipandtake pride inprojectstheyare allowedtohave avoice in.”
Describe one of the mostdifficultproblemsyoufacedonthe job.Whatmade the problem
difficulttoresolve?Howdidyousolve it?
3 http://humanresources.about.com/od/success/tp/happy_work.htm

7. “Vaccine manufacturingisveryreliantonvalidatedsystems,andthisisa goodthingfor quality,
but,a badthingwhenitcomesto change.The paperworkandresourcesrequiredtomake aslight
change can be unbearable.Evenif the change isnecessarytoreduced deviationsitissometimesput
aside due tolack of resources.The wayI approachthese situationsistotryand findsolutionsthatdon’t
needrevalidation.Likeanewtool or sometimeslookforloopholesinproceduresthatallow forchange
withoutmajorequipmentmodifications“thinkoutsidethe box”.”
Assessment:
Problemsolvingskillsare one of the mostessential qualitiesacandidate mustpossessto
provide true value toan organization.Notonlydotheyneedtosolve complex problemsbutalsoneed
to showhowtheysimplydon’tputoutfire but,implementstrongsolutions.Byimplementingculture
change to the shop floorTomnot onlysolvedthe problembutchangedeveryone’smindsetcreating
true culture change.“There are twoimportantthingstorememberaboutproblemsandconflicts:they
happenall the time andtheyare opportunitiestoimprove the systemandthe relationships.Theyare
actuallyprovidinguswithinformationthatwe canuse to fix whatneedsfixinganddoa betterjob.”4
Conclusion:
The timerringsas we bothlookat each othersmiling.Iwassurprisedathow quicktime flewby.
I toldTom, ina relievedtone,“Thatwasn’ttoobad” and he replied“easyaspie”.Iquicklyflashedback
to my morningpreparationsandremembermywife’scomment“youwill be fine”Imustsaythat
initiallyIwasverynervous,but as the interview progressed,Ifeltlike Iwasinthe driver’sseatof a race
car flyingaroundthe tightcornersof the Indianapolisfive hundred. The bestpart of the day was sitting
at lunch“whichwas mytreat as paybackfor the favor” discussingthe interview andsituationsatwork
that we deal withdayto day. The feedbackhe receivedandthe suggestionsIreceivedduringlunchwere
invaluable.Ilearnedseveral greatlessonsduringthisproject.One,itmightbe stressful atfirstbut,until
youtry it youwill neverknow.Two, the importance of surroundinganorganizationwithpeople that
owngreat personalities, communicate well,buildstrongrelationships,and,solve problemswell, must
be a priorityof everyhiringmanager.
4 http://www.mediate.com/articles/thicks.cfm

8. References:
Capperella, Joel. "This Simple Strategy Will Make You the Top Candidate for Any Job."
Entrepreneur. Entrepreneur.com, 10 Feb. 2014. Web. 8 May 2014.
"From Reactive to Proactive Management: Getting out of "Firefighting" Mode." From Reactive
to Proactive Management. Mind Tools, n.d. Web. 09 May 2014.
Heathfield, Susan M. "10 Ways That You, Too, Can Be Happy at Work." About.com Human
Resources. About.com, n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.
Hicks, Tom. "Seven Steps for Effective Problem Solving in the Workplace." Seven Steps for
Effective Problem Solving in the Workplace. Mediate, Apr. 1999. Web. 10 May 2014.