Here are some potential interview questions and responses for a position at SEMCO Energy:
1. Why do you want to work for SEMCO Energy?
I'm interested in SEMCO Energy because of its reputation as a leader in the natural gas industry. I value the company's focus on safety, customer service, and community involvement. I believe my background is a good fit for helping SEMCO achieve its goals.
2. What relevant skills and experiences do you have?
Through my education and previous roles, I've developed strong communication, problem-solving, and technical skills. As a field technician, I gained experience inspecting infrastructure and ensuring compliance. I also have a background in customer service and operations management from my time at
2. SEMCO Energy Company History
In February 1951 SEMCO Energy was founded by Cecil A. Runyan who bought out the
company Detroit Edison. The company was originally manufactured gas but is now natural gas.
Runyan owned the company for a month before converting it over to natural gas. After owning
the business for two years Runyan bought out another company called Albion Gas Light
Company, he continued to buy out companies for the next two decades.
Robert J. Thomson who had worked for the company for 13 years started out as an
accountant took over the company in 1977. He then got with Southeastern Michigan Engine
Specialists and started converting vehicles to natural gas. In 1987 the company was doing really
good and bringing in 100 million dollars in revenue. In 1990 the firm was ordered to pay $1.4
million back to customers due to the rules that if you make so much money you have to give so
much back.
In 1993 Robert J. Thomson retired and the vice president Ward Kirby took the show
over. Thomson still remained with firm as board chairman. In 1996 Kirby left and WilliamL.
Johnson was appointed to the top. He has a lot of background in the pipeline industry.
In 1997 the company converted its name from southeastern Gas Company to SEMCO Energy.
During the winter of 1998 SEMCO created an early retirement program that reduced its payroll
ledger by 101 employees. After doing that they were saving money and ended up buying a few
more companies, another gas company and the other being a Tennessee water and sewer
construction company. The company was go to sell when their stock prices were not rising
anymore but after talking to the bank they decided to keep running.
The company has 1,850 employees that currently work for them. SEMCO is doing well
with sales; they make around 422.59 million a year. The nearest SEMCO Energy Company
around us is located in Three Rivers Michigan. They pay their employees pretty good and it only
gets better with time. The company sells regular gas to heat your home with to 133,000
customers but they also sell natural gas with 290,000 customers. As of right now they have
plants located in Albion, Battle Creek, Holland, Niles Port Huron, and Three Rivers. They have a
few more located in the central, eastern, and western part of the state’s Upper Peninsula. The
company is regulated by Michigan Public Service Commission. The Michigan Public Service
Commission is the one who decides the prices on how much gas will be.
5. Zackary Dombrowski
Professionalism
The definitionof professionalismis the competence orskill expectedof aprofessional.Tome
that meansto be a professional youneed tobe respectful,dressappropriate,manage time well,and
knowhowto respondtodifficultsituations.Itisnoteasyto alwaysbe a professional;itissomethingyou
have to workat. Beinga professional isa24 hour job.Whenyou are outside of workyou still needtobe
professionalbecause youneverknowwhowill seeyouandhow that will affectyouandthe company
youwork for.If youare behavingpoorlyandsomebodyseesthat,itwill make themturnawayfromyour
companyand yourself andgosomewhere else.Professionalismisafull time jobandneedstobe taken
veryseriously.
To be respectful youhave toalwaystake othersideasandfeelingsintoconsideration.Youmay
have your ownideasandbeliefsbutyouwill have tolearntoacceptand respect others.The worldwe
live intodayisverydifferentandthere are manydifferentviewsontopics.If somebodyelse hasanidea
and itis notthe rightthingto do or isjustwrong forthe businessyouneedtolearnhow totalknicely
and letthemdown,donot be harsh andrude andsay how bad of an ideaitis.If somebodyisrude to
youthenyou will needtobe the biggerpersonandcontinue todoyour jobthe bestyou can and never
lose the goodattitude.
To dressappropriate youdonot alwaysneedto be in a suitand tie,manycompanies’people do
not wearthat. Youwill notsee andconstructionworkerwearingasuitand tie;theywill be dressedin
jeans,boots,t-shirt,andpossiblyasweatshirt.Theyare dressedappropriate becausetheyare dressed
to workfor theirconditions.If youshowuptothat job wearingasuitand tie youare not dressing
appropriate.Itall dependsonthe jobandwhere youwork.Know how to dressappropriate forthe job
youworking,if youdo notknowwhat to wearcall Human Resourcesandtheywill tell youwhatisright
to wearfor the jobyou have.
Life isveryhard and busy;youdo not alwayshave time togeteverythingdone.Tomanage your
time youneedtoknowwhat ispriorityat the moment. That doesnotmeanjustdo priortywork,you
will still needtodothe little oddandinjobs.WhenI talk to some of my mangerstheytalkabouthow
hard itis to getall the workdone theyneedtoina day.To get everythingdone theysplituptheirwork
and do partsof the work thentheywill come backto it whentheygetthe mainwork done,butthey
neverforgetaboutthe lessprioritizedwork.Thatworkisstill veryimportant.
Lastlyyou needtoknowhowto respondtodifficultsituations.People are notalwaysthe nicest
to each otherandit makesithard to be nice 24-7. You have to learnto deal withthe rudenessandmove
on,just brushit off andmake sure tobe the bestyoucan be.Whenputin a difficultsituationyouneed
to be able to respondquicklyandcorrectly.Do notget mad andyell back,politelytell themwhythe
problemoccurredandhowyou or somebodyisgoingtofix the problemandmake the situationbetter.
If your respondpositivelyitwill make forabetteroutcome foryouand the company.Beingrude and
negative willonlyhurtyou.
7. 71104 Spencer Rd.
Union, Michigan 49130
Phone: (269)535-5888
Email: Zski93@aol.com
Objective
I am seeking a position in SEMCO Energy with opportunities in growth. I am a
self-directed and highly motivated person. Once given goals and objectives, I will
find a way to accomplish the tasks required of me in a safe and professional
manner.
Education
Present-2011 Southwestern Michigan College; currently pursuing Associates
degree in Business Management. Anticipated graduation date is December
2015.
2009-2011 Building Trades
White Pigeon, Michigan
Employment History
Present-2011 Monsanto
67760 U.S. 131, Constantine, MI 49042
(269)-483-1300
o Field Inspector
Responsible for monitoring customers planting process
Responsible for detasseling crews
o Warehouse/Packing
Operate fork truck for shipping and receiving
Responsible for filling customer orders
Size and clean the corn
2010-2009 Maplecrest Country Club
o Clean golf carts/golf clubs
o Pick golf balls up from the range
10. Zack Dombrowski
71104 SpencerRd
Union,MI 49130
269-535-5888
Zski93@aol.com
March 11, 2015
John Lain
HR
SemcoEnergy
1151 WilliamRMonroe Blvd
Three Rivers,MI 49093
Dear John Lain:
Chase Abnitt suggestedthatI contact youregardingthe open meterreadingposition.I have an
associate’sdegree fromSouthwesternMichiganCommunityCollege.Myassociate’sdegree isin
businessmanagement.Iwouldbe agoodfitfor thispositionbecause Iaman independentandhard
worker.
Afterlookingatmyresume,Iwill be a goodfitfor thisjob.I am a dedicatedworkerandwill dowhatever
needstobe done to get the jobdone and done right.Iwill give myall ineverythingIdo.
If you have questions,orif youwantto schedule aninterview,pleasecontactme at 269-535-5888.
Sincerely,
Zack Dombrowski
Enclosure
14. Zackary Dombrowski
DiversityPaper
In today’sworldthere isa lotof diversityinthe workforce.Sometimesitcanbe a goodthing
and at othertimesitcan be a pain.There are manytypesof diversitybutthe onesIdeal withmostat
workare age andculture.I workwithpeople whoare oldenoughtobe my grandparentsandI work
withpeople withacompletelydifferentculture.
I do notmindworkingwithpeople thatare olderthanme,itdoesnot botherme.I thinkit
bothersthe oldergenerationworkingwithsuchyoungpeople.Ibelieve theyfeel thatwe are soyoung
we have no ideawhatwe are talkingabout.Atworkthe diversityinage isbig.We have a lotof older
guyswho have workedthere formanyyearsand thenyouhave the youngercrowdthat iscomingin and
learningthe job.The olderemployeesgetveryfrustratedwhenthe youngeremployeesare theirbosses
and have to listentothem.Asbeingpartof the youngergenerationwe needtolearnhow todeal with
the oldergenerationinaproperway.If we are goingto be managingpeople whoare oldenoughtobe
our grandparentsthenwe needtolearnaboutthemand go aboutthe situationina professional wayso
theywill enjoyworkingforus.
Anotherhuge thingisculture.Atworkwe have two differentculturesall workingtogether.We
have a lot of people thatare from anothercountryand at timesitisverydifficulttoworkwiththem.Itis
difficulttoworkwiththembecause of the language barrier.Theyare verygoodworkerswe are justnot
able to communicate howwe shouldtobe able toget the jobdone.It isveryinterestingtointeractwith
people fromothercountriesbecauseyoucanlearnnew things.TheybringdifferentfoodthatIhave
neverheardof or triedand theyletustry theirfood.Havingdifferentculturesisnotaterrible thing,it
helpsopenyoureyesandsee thatyour beliefsandvaluesare notthe onlythingoutthere.
In the worldwe live ineverythingcontinuestochange andI am sure it will alwaysbe thatway.
There isa lotof diversityoutthere andwe needtolearnhow todeal withit.Diversityisagood thing
and can helpothersopentheireyesandacceptdifferentideasandvalues.The fasterwe acceptdiversity
the more successful we will becomeandwill be able tohelpourcompanystrive.
16. Zackary Dombrowski
International BusinessPaper
Everycountry hasa differentculture,believes,andvalues.Itisimportanttoknow how to act
whengoingtoanothercountry,especiallywhendoingbusiness.By knowingthe properwaytoact ina
foreigncountrywill helpyoube successful andrespectful.Germanyhasa differentwayof doing
businessthanthe UnitedStatesof America.Germansdonotlike humorinthe workplace;everythingis
plannedout,andrarelymakeschanges.
Germanyis the secondlargestcountryinEurope,Russiabeingthe largest.A highpriorityfor
Germansis privacy,punctuality,andstructure.Time isveryimportanttoGermans,calendarsand
schedulesare highlyrespected.Germanstodo not like tohangout complimentsandwill notadmittheir
faults.
Whengoingto Germanyto make a deal or signa new contract itis importanttoknow that they
do notlike humoror surprise.Itisbestto be respectful andjuststayon topic,be straight forwardwith
everything.If youare tojoke inthe workforce there,itisnot welcomedandshammedupon.Inthe
UnitedStatesitis okayto joke,ithelpsbreakthe tension.
Germansthinkeverythingthroughthoroughlybefore makingadecisionandactingonit, they
planeverythingout.Germansdonotlike tomake changesonce theyhave sat downand planned
everythingout.Theyliketostickto the planthat wasagreeduponpreviously.Here,we make changes
all the time on the go. We are alwayschangingour mindas we go along.It mightnot alwaysbe a bad
thingto change your mind,whenbuildingastructure andyousee a way to helpimprove ityoumake
changes.
In Germanytheirbusinessare headedbydifferenttypesof people thaninthe UnitedStates.In
the UnitedStatescompaniesare headedbya wealthybackgroundandlawyers.Germanycompaniesare
headedbytechnical expertsdue tothe factof a highlevel of respectforhands-onexpertise.Germany
has a highviewforengineersbecause of theirautomotive industryanditssuccess.WorkersinGermany
are judgedontheirdiligence andcompetence,nottheirinterpersonal skills.Whencommunicatingwith
an employeeitisdirectnotdiscreet.
Germanyis a verydifferentculture thanhere inAmerica.Itisalwaysbesttoknow about the
countryyou are visitinganddoingbusinessin.Itwouldbe horridtodisrespecttheirculture and
believes.If youwanttobe successful doingbusinessoutside of the UnitedStatedthenyouwillhave to
do some researchandsee howto properlyact intheirworkforce.Althoughitmaybe difficultorweird
to followthe wayothercountriesdobusiness,itisthe rightthingto do.By acting properlyinanother
culture youare showingthemyouhave goodbusinessetiquettes.
18. Zack Dombrowski
Interview Questions
1) Where wouldyoulike tobe inyour careerfive yearsfromnow?
-Infive yearsfromnow,I wouldlike tobe inuppermanagement.Iwouldliketoworkhard and
continue tomove up the ladder.
2) What attractedto you to thiscompany?
-What attractedme the mostto thiscompanyis the benefitsthe employeesreceiveandhow
well talkedaboutthe companyis.
3) Tell me aboutyourself.
-My name is Zack Dombrowski Iwasraisedina small town.I am a hard workerwholikesto
workfor whatI have. I have neverbeenlate towork,and I will domybestto getthe jobdone
and done right. It isveryimportanttome that I getthe job done andright.
4) What are examplesof the biggestchallengesyouhave facedandovercome?
-The biggestchallengesIhave facedandovercome are beingshyandnot standingupfor whatI
thinkisright.
5) How wouldyoudescribe yourworkstyle?
-I woulddescribe myworkstyle as fastpacedbutwitha lotof qualityandsafetyinvolved.
6) What can you dofor us that othercandidatescan’t?
-What I can do foryou isworkas hard as possible,show upontime,be flexible whenwe are
busyand needpeople toworkover,andnevergive upona difficultsituation.
