CAREERS@EMC

Interview Guide and Keys to Success

EMC hires the best. When we meet with applicants, our discussions focus on discovering the skills, traits, and behaviors that tell us who you are and how well you'll fit into our work environment. Be prepared to answer questions about your course work, projects, and work experience—especially to demonstrate your problem-solving skills, initiative, and adaptability.

Joseph M. Tucci

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 
EMC Corporation

Joe Tucci is Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of EMC Corporation. Tucci has been EMC's Chairman since January 2006 and President and CEO since January 2001, one year after he joined the company as President and Chief Operating Officer. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of VMware Corporation. He is based at EMC's corporate headquarters in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.

Tucci has led EMC through a period of dramatic revitalization, continued market share gains, and sustained double-digit growth.

He has transformed EMC's business model from what was a near-exclusive focus on high-end storage platforms. With revenues of $20 billion in 2011 and more than 53,000 people worldwide, 

EMC is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing. Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset – information – in a more agile, trusted, and cost-efficient way.

In 2011, Tucci oversaw the most aggressive new product introduction cycle in the company's history. Since 2003, he has spearheaded the investment of more than $14 billion in strategic acquisitions to fill out EMC's product portfolio, enter new market segments, and expand the company's addressable market opportunity. 

He has led EMC into multi-platform open software, expanded the company's marketplace beyond large enterprises to commercial and small-medium businesses, broadened the company's industry alliances, and established new selling, partnership and distribution channels. 

Over the same period, Tucci has strengthened EMC's management team with the integration of executives from other major technology companies. He has championed EMC's use of Six Sigma to improve its business processes and has engaged employees in the Total Customer Experience, EMC's commitment to consistently exceed customers' expectations for quality, service, innovation, and interaction. Acknowledging EMC's rejuvenation under Tucci's leadership, Barron's named him one of the world's Best CEOs in 2011.

Before joining EMC, Tucci directed the financial and operational rebirth of Wang Global during six years as its Chairman and CEO.

 At Wang, he guided the company through a rapid and successful emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and transformed the company from a midrange computer manufacturer into a worldwide leader in networked technology services and solutions.

 Under his leadership, Wang acquired and integrated ten companies from 1995 through 1999, and its market capitalization more than tripled. In June 1999, Wang was acquired by Getronics NV.

Prior to joining Wang in 1990, Tucci was President of U.S. Information Systems for Unisys Corporation, a position he assumed after the 1986 merger of Sperry and Burroughs that created Unisys.

 He began his career as a systems programmer at RCA Corporation and holds a bachelor's degree from Manhattan College and an MS in Business Policy from Columbia University.

He is one of 150 CEO members of The Business Roundtable and the former chairman of its Task Force on Education and the Workforce.

 He is one of nine chief executives who steer The Technology CEO Council, the IT industry's leading public policy advocacy organization, and is a member of the Executive Committee of TechNet, a network of CEOs who work to advance the U.S.'s global leadership in innovation.

 In addition, Tucci is a member of the Board of Directors of Paychex, Inc.; a member of the Board of Advisors of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College; a member of the Board of Trustees of Northeastern University; a member of the Board of Overseers, Columbia Business School; a member of the Advisory Board of Tsinghua University, in Beijing, China; and an Overseer of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

February 2012

Do you have the skills of an exceptional performer?

Consider these sample questions:
Problem-solving

• Tell me about how you recently anticipated a problem before it occurred.
• Cite an instance when you had to solve a problem with little guidance or direction.
  

Teaming

• Describe a time when you put the needs of a group before your own when completing a task.
• Recount a situation when you had difficulties working with someone on a project. What did you do to improve the relationship?
  

Results-driven

• Tell me about a difficult or complex project where you provided realistic time frames for task completion and regularly updated management on progress.
• What goals do you have for your career? How do you plan to achieve those goals?
  

Accountability

• Cite an instance when a group you were leading failed or did not meet expectations. How did you take responsibility?
• Provide an example of when you had two projects competing for your time. How did you prioritize? Were you able to keep your commitment to both projects?
  

Initiative

• Tell me about a time when you sought ways to create and improve the way in which work gets done.
• When assigned a project how do you approach it? Do you seek to merely meet the objectives or do you make it your goal to go above and beyond? Give an example.
  

Adaptability

• Describe a situation from which you learned quickly and overcame adversity or failure. Give me an example of a time when the rules or structure of a project changed at the last minute. How did you react?
  

Integrity

• Give me an example of a situation where you admitted making a mistake. How did you approach the situation and what was the response?
• Recount an instance when your integrity was tested, (i.e., keeping a promise or confidence, being truthful).
  

Sense of urgency

• Describe an instance when you had to anticipate obstacles in your action plan. What contingency plans did you prepare? What was the result?
• Tell me about a situation when you faced demanding deadlines. What steps did you take to ensure you achieved your goals by the deadline?
  

Communication

• Provide an example of when you had to tailor a presentation or message for a certain group of people.
• Describe a situation when you successfully communicated with a difficult person(s) or circumstance?
  

Driving change

• Give me an example of a situation where you recognized the need for change. How did you adapt your style to obtain results?
• Recount a situation where you constructively challenged an established procedure or way of doing things.
  

Preparing for your interview

Preparation is the secret to a successful interview. Here's how you can prepare for and steer a winning meeting.

• Research our company — See our corporate profile for a summary of EMC's core businesses, markets served, our worldwide presence, and leadership as ranked by industry analysts.
  
  
• Leverage your intern/co-op experiences — Ask your manager for guidance, especially if you're an EMC intern.
  
  
• Dress like a professional — Wear appropriate business attire.
  
  
• Practice — Participate in mock and on-campus interviews. Practice responses to frequently asked questions.
  
  
• Ask questions — Some good ones: What kind of assignments might I expect in my first six months? How often are performance reviews given? What skills and characteristics are most important for this position and for the company? When should I expect to hear from you or should I contact you?
  
  
• Close effectively — Send a "thank you" e-mail, emphasizing your interest in the position. This is your chance to mention facts you omitted in the interview. Be sure to proof.