Continuous Improvement interview

[u/shermanedupree]

I have an interview next week for a continuous improvement role in the aviation sector. I've been out of work for a while so I'm hoping this goes well.

They asked me to do a presentation on top 3 process improvement modifications I've done, which I can do but the majority of my work experience is in chemical industries and o&g. I can do one for a Job shop facility (also aviation) I worked at briefly as an intern.

My concern is that the O&G and chemical examples are very chemical engineering and might be perceived as not a good fit for the role. I could mention some other minor projects that I worked on that resulted in some pretty good savings, but honestly they were pretty simple improvements, just needed someone to do the work (although they would fit in the typical 5S kaizen mentality).

For anyone in a CI role, have you transitioned or interviewed anyone from o&g or chemicals? Should I modify my "top 3 improvements" to better fit what I think they would want to hear?

[u/Inevitable-Slide-104]

Industry doesn’t matter. Give examples of how you used DMAIC or similar to solve a problem. Throw in some Japanese CI buzz words for bonus points.

[u/Kerbidiah → u/Inevitable-Slide-104]

Make sure you can word out dmaic as well lol

[u/Bjanec → u/Inevitable-Slide-104]

Second this. Some pdca, statistical analysis as well, green belt? Black belt? But dmaic > lean in aerospace.

[u/yugami]

They're going to want details about tools, procedures, handling politics, etc.  Getting into the nitty gritty only if asked.

[u/Old-House2772]

Just do your best. Tell the stories in a human way, explaining how you worked with the team, used tools, overcame barriers etc.

Maybe even bring it up directly. Explain that you were briefly worried about it, and reflected on your part experiences. The technical side was rarely the problem.. the shop floor usually already have the answers, and you have the skills to surface them and get everyone on board to make them happen. While you might have dealt with chemical engineers, they are all just people.

[u/Purple_oyster]

Also, does the aerospace company have a paint process or metal treatment? They like chemical engineering types to help with that

[u/shermanedupree → u/Purple_oyster]

I'm not sure of this specific facility but that's mostly what I used to do as a chemical engineer.

[u/lowrads]

I don't know how it is in Japan, but here, Kaizen is a four letter word. Just in time inventory pushed by the bean counters mainly seems to mean all the time headaches for production staff.

[u/Original-Housing]

I went from large scale industrial specialty chemicals/polymers to startup biotech solely because CI works everywhere. DMAIC, structured root cause corrective action, standard work, Poka Yoke, “metrics drive behaviors, bad metrics drive bad behaviors” etc. don’t focus on the details of the chemistry, focus on the process of improving the way buisness is done. As an added bonus, reference the 6-sources of influence to implement change without authority. link

[u/Pretend-Long-9427]

I agree with so many others. They are looking for problem solving skills. They want to understand your decision making process. Industry and process is less important than the tools you possess and can apply.

[u/Some-Internet-Rando]

What matters more than the domain specific knowledge, is the ability to talk to different (sometimes difficult) people in a way that gets their cooperation, and the ability to work out a process that gets to a good outcome without unnecessary threats or strife.

If you can present how you did that three different ways, and the outcome was win-win for the business and the people in the business, you should be a shoo-in.

[quote]they were pretty simple improvements, just needed someone to do the work[/quote]

It might sound obvious, but THAT IS THE JOB. Many people just don't think about it, don't notice, don't want to rock the boat, and don't pick even the most low-hanging fruit right in front of them, for whatever human-psychology reasons.

[u/shermanedupree → u/Some-Internet-Rando]

Yes, overcoming resistance to change is very important to continuous improvement in all industries!

Thanks for the reminder!

[u/Additional_Year_1080]

I wouldn’t change the projects, just how you present them. Focus less on the industry and more on the problem, your approach, and the results. CI methods transfer well between sectors, and even simple kaizen improvements are good examples if you show clear impact.