Interview Questions
Did you graduate from Mercer and if so when?
I graduated from MercerUniversitySchool of Engineering in 2007.
What was your degree in?
BS in Industrial Management
What classes that you took at Mercer (or other college) are helpful in your Job?There are several classes that help me in daily tasks: Organization Behavior and Theory(being that I supervise people and strive to transform the culture of our company); Industrial Mgt I, Quality Mgt, Industrial Mgt Case Studies, Mgt Info Systems, Senior Design
What classes were not helpful?Being that I am so early in my career, I can not truly say that classes that I have taken will not benefit me in the future.
Do you have any internships or co-ops while you were at Mercer?Yes
If so, where did you intern, what were you duties, and to your knowledge is/are this/these internship opportunity still available today?
Belk Mgt Internship—Shadow store manager and corporate buyers; scheduling, develop incentive programs—program is still available.
ARINC Engineering Firm—human resource assistant; screen engineering candidates—still available.
Milliken Summer Challenge—10 week study on problem solving and six sigma tools; Member of 2 man team that saved over $70,000 on filling detectors—still available
Rheem Manufacturing—assisted quality engineers; still available.
Did you pursue a Master’s degree after graduation?
I will be attending Mercer’s MBA program in the summer.
If so on average how much time would you say a Master’s requires for completion?
Has your Master’s aided you in your pursuit for advancement in your career and how?
What has been your career path since graduation?I began working for Acuity Brands Lighting immediately after graduation as a Focus Factory Engineer.
Did you find a job close to home or did you have to relocate?I relocated to Warner Robins,GA.
What us your current job title?
I am a Focus Factory Engineer.
What does your job entail?
A focus factory is pretty much a mini-company within a large company. The products are arranged by value streams. I am responsible for quality, productivity gains, and new product development .
What is your routine on a normal day at work? All projects that I work on are designed to improve our KPIs. Being that job is highly project focused , I never have a “normal” day at work. I lead several kaizen events which range from training, standard work documentation, and productivity gains. I am also responsible for any bad audits that we receive internally and any field claims externally. As our business grows, new product comes to our plant. I design the cell layout and jigs for the design. However, I do update all visual control boards daily.
Do you have any experience with Six Sigma or Lean?Acuity Brands Lighting is very early on their lean journey. As mentioned earlier, I have lead over 9 kaizen events and sustained the results for 90 days. I recently completed an 8 week Lean Training Program where we focused on ABS tools, six sigma tools, and culture.
Do you work alone or in groups?
Most times, I work in a cross-functional group.
Is it a requirement and duty of your job position to make several presentations? I make at least 1 presentation a week to update managers on the status of projects.
Is traveling a requirement of the position you hold and if so how often do you travel and where? Yes, there is some traveling involved. I travel about 20%.
How often do you interact with people outside of the engineering world? It is very rare that I work with another engineer. Most teams are cross-functional.
How many hours on average do you work a week?
I work 40-50 hours per week.
How much free time do you have when you leave work?
I have plenty of time to exercise, go to church, and hang out with friends when I leave work.
Do you work on weekends?
I work on some Saturdays when I have an overload of work.
Do you receive any benefits or compensation from your organization? Yes, I receive straight pay for any time I work over 8 hours. I have full medical and dental benefits and 401k plan.
What is your dress code at work?
Our dress code is business casual. I usually wear khakis during the week and jeans on Friday.
Where do you see yourself 5 to 10 years from now? I see myself being a lean consultant OR a technical sales engineer.
Is your salary competitive with salaries for other people holding the same if not similar positions within other organizations? Yes
Finally, have you ever read “The Goal”?
Yes
Just for fun, who were some of your favorite professors at MercerUniversity? Dr. Burtner, Dr. Hartsfield, Dr. Gafford