How would you answer these application questions?

[1984isnow]

I applied for a job, and struggled with the questions, mainly because of a word restriction. The answer had to be 200 words each and I didn't know if they wanted me to explain the point and what I actually did or what skills/processes I had to use (so should I have written a paragraph of buzzwords like team work, attention to detail without much substance).

This closing date has passed, so I promise I am not nicking your answers. I have not had a call back but these questions were in place of the normal 'supporting statement'/cover letter. This is an area I generally find difficult, having to evidence now I meet criteria and so on, without just repeating my cv.

On this application in particular, these questions would normally be at interview stage, so verbally I'd have been ok. But no idea how to answer comprehensively in 200 words.

Q1 - An example of managing different priorities, while remaining calm under pressure
Q2 - An example of identifying and solving a problem, and how I went about it

The company don't give feedback on applications, and I just don't know where else for advice for future similar applications.

To add, there was no 'person spec' given, it was just a brief job description and it was in admin.

" I successfully introduced a new packaging process to the factory floor which involved training employees to utilise new equipment and guidelines. At the same time, I was responsible for settling 3 new employees into their positions. This involved general HR duties in addition to relevant paperwork"

I made that up...not sure if anyone would ever be expected to do all that! But because you haven't shared what your example actually was, it's hard to help you.

Thank you! Yes that's a similar format of my answer, I wrote about managing different projects.

I am waiting for a response to another similar application and keep thinking I haven't answered it how they expected as I wasn't successful on the first one

My example for the first one was 2 projects with the same deadline, one which came in later but as a priority. So I wrote about communicating with production staff, liasing with suppliers to rearrange deliveries for more effective dates and rearranging the breaking down the second project into smaller phases to make it easier to fit into the schedule.

The second one was where I identified what was triggering a fault on a site alarm, and how I arranged for it to be resolved remotely without the site staff having to wait behind.

Oops I meant rearranging the production schedule and breaking the project down....

For the "managing different priorities" Q:

"I balance the deadlines and demands of X ongoing major project, with the daily emerging priorities that may arise. When two senior colleagues both require my time within the same short timeframe, I speak to both as soon as possible, to identify the appropriate primary focus, and to help suggest whether anyone else could assist with the secondary task. I ensure the senior manager is updated where there could be an impact on wider work." (That sounds very jargon-y but that's because I haven't made up a specific project you could describe. I would definitely put in more of the "how" you manage the conflicting priorities, so how you communicate, how you keep monitoring other impact etc.)

For the problem solving one, how did you identify the problem / opportunity to do something better, then how did you gather info, how did you make sure you got colleagues on-side and persuaded them of benefits to them of joining in, what did you do, how did you assess whether you were successful, how did you share what you learned across the organisation...

Thanks flathead. My answers were probably a bit stripped back but I found it hard to answer in 200 words. I felt I could either include what and briefly how, but not expand on the how enough.

Your last paragraph about the problem- that's exactly what I'd do in an interview but again, no idea how to fit it all into 200 written words. By the time I explained what the problem was, and how I solved it, there was little space for anything else.

I appreciate its hard to answer this without more details, so thanks both for replying.