Difficult Quality Audits Interview Preparation Guide

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★ Be professional at all times. Avoid being judgmental.
★ Follow safety procedures, clean room procedures, and all other required procedures.
★ Explain the purpose of the audit to the audits.
★ Answer questions or discuss compliance problems brought to your attention by audits.
★ Be flexible - if you find a potential problem not within the scope of the audit - evaluate the potential risks of the problem if left un-addressed.
★ Encourage honesty with the audits.

Take the interviewer through the steps you took in your last quality assurance job to improve QA process. Focus on your evaluation of current practices, how did you decide which practices to retain and which to modify? Consider time budget and resources available in the company. What quality management tools and principles did you use to address system deficiencies, enhance strengths and improve processes? Use the four step approach, identify, analyze, develop, test and implement to structure your answer.

★ What audits have you conducted?
★ What were the goals of the audit?
★ How did you prepare for it?
★ The planning and preparation for a quality audit is key to ensuring the effectiveness of that audit. How did you monitor the audit findings?
★ How did you control the corrective actions?

Quality audits interview questions like this are exploring your direct experience with customers. The organization's main focus must be to satisfy their customers. Focus on how you managed the customer's concerns and how you dealt professionally and promptly with the quality problem. Discuss your corrective action plan.

Quality audit is the process of systematic examination of a quality system carried out by an internal or external quality auditor or an audit team.

One of the most important objectives of an internal quality audit is measuring the effectiveness of an organization's quality management system. For this to happen, executive management must first meet its overriding responsibility of establishing and maintaining a system regarding quality policy, goals, resources, processes and effective performance including monitoring and measuring the system's effectiveness and efficiency.

The word 'Audit' is a derivative of the word 'Audition' which means 'to hear'. In earlier times, the Kings used to hear their accountants narrate the accounts verbally. However, as the complexity of the accounting function grew, need was felt to thoroughly check the accounts for mistakes mis-classification and document the findings in a written form so that it can be used by the Management, stakeholders, investors, Government and various other bodies. This process is known as Auditing or Audit.

Numerous answers are good, just stay positive.
A few good examples: Your ability to prioritize, Your problem-solving skills, Your ability to work under pressure, Your ability to focus on projects, Your professional expertise, Your leadership skills, Your positive attitude.

Always have some questions prepared. Questions prepared where you will be an asset to the organization are good.
What type of projects will I be able to assist on?
How soon will I be able to be productive?

Loaded question. A nasty little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like, That's a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position? In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not, say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.

You should be anxious for this question. It gives you a chance to highlight your best points as they relate to the position being discussed. Give a little advance thought to this relationship.

Interviewers expect a candidate for employment to discuss what they do while they are working in detail. Before you answer, consider the position you are applying for and how your current or past positions relate to it. The more you can connect your past experience with the job opening, the more successful you will be at answering the questions.
It should be obvious that it's not a good idea talk about non-work related activities that you do on company time, but, I've had applicants tell me how they are often late because they have to drive a child to school or like to take a long lunch break to work at the gym.
Keep your answers focused on work and show the interviewer that you're organized the first thing I do on Monday morning is check my voice-mail and email, then I prioritize my activities for the week and efficient.

Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones handy to mention.

Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.

Quality professionals can be regarded as catalysts for organizational change, they are key to understanding how the processes of the organization are related and the connection between planning and profit.

Focus on how you defined the problem, the tools and resources you used to analyze the problem and the solutions you were able to generate.

Answer should highlight importance of documentation in a complete quality process. Focus on benefits afforded by documentation such as accountability, the completeness of a process, consistency, deadline compliance, improved communication and availability of records.

You should show how you have used data analysis to make sound decisions for process improvements. What statistical knowledge do you have and how have you applied appropriate statistics to pinpoint problems and make business decisions? Use a specific example to support your answer to QA interview questions around data analysis tools, techniques and applications.

QA professionals are expected to create and implement formal written documentation.
What role have you played in planning and developing a QA manual?
Take the interviewer through the steps you took to review and assess existing procedures, identify modifications or updates required, formalize the procedures and gain approval for the manual.

► Make sure the authority of the audit team is established - this will increase the cooperation from auditees.
► Decide what areas of the company will be audited and the frequency of the audits. Prepare a yearly audit schedule and distribute.
► Develop an audit plan. Decide what other audit resources are needed - checklists, other auditors?
► Determine the purpose of the audit - is it to comply with government regulations, quality standards, internal procedures and systems? v Define the scope of the audit - is it an overview of the area being audited or is it to concentrate on a specific system within the area?
► Hold a meeting with the auditors to discuss the plan, purpose, and scope of the audit.
► Read the documents you will be auditing against. Know what they say. Develop questions to ask the auditees.
► Conduct an opening meeting with the auditees.

Vouching is the process of checking the authentication of the voucher maintain by the management with the respective supporting document.

Use audits as opportunities to train others. Ask for a volunteer (who is not an auditor) to walk through the audit process with you as an assistant. This will provide others with a better understanding of what audits are and why they are necessary.

Invite all the auditees to the closing meeting. Having been an auditee, I know it helps to hear audit findings firsthand, the positive as well as the negative.

Involving people creates a feeling that everyone is a vital contributor to the goal of the company - compliance.

► Be professional at all times. Avoid being judgmental.
► Follow safety procedures, clean room procedures, and all other required procedures.
► Explain the purpose of the audit to the auditees.
► Answer questions or discuss compliance problems brought to your attention by auditees.
► Be flexible - if you find a potential problem not within the scope of the audit - evaluate the potential risks of the problem if left unaddressed.
► Encourage honesty with the auditees.

► Hold an auditors meeting to discuss the closing meeting content.
► Hold a closing meeting with all auditees involved with the audit. First, point out what was done well. Second, address the nonconformances and ensure the auditees understand the nonconformances and what part of the standard is not met.
► Issue the audit report in a timely manner.
► Encourage auditees to decide on the corrective actions. Allowing auditees to have input will give them ownership in implementing changes.
► Assist those responsible for completing the corrective actions with setting reasonable deadlines. The corrective action deadlines may vary depending on the severity of the noncompliance.
► Be available and willing to help the auditees.
► Ask for feedback on how you and your audit team were perceived - adjust your approach if necessary.

The internal audit is conducted to help the management. The weakness of the management is disclosed. The external audit is conducted to help the shareholder. The rights of owners are protected. The appointment of internal audit is made by the management. The appointment in external audit is made by the shareholders. Internal audit is the part of internal control.

External audit is the not the part of internal control.The internal audit can suggest improvement in internal check system. The external audit can not suggest improvement in internal check system. The internal audit can perform his duties under the terms of appointment. The management can limit the scope of work at any time. The external auditor can perform his work to terms of appointment and other prescribed law. The scope is very wide. Internal audit is an employee of the company. He is not an independent person. External auditor is not an employee of the company.