Time management

Employers ask questions about time management to gain an understanding of how you handle
multiple responsibilities, prioritize time and delegate tasks to meet deadlines. In your response,
share your thoughts around how you prioritize your to-do list. Consider highlighting your
organizational skills as a tool that keeps you on track.

1. Tell me about a goal you set and reached and how you achieved it.
2. Tell me about the last time your workday ended before you were able to get everything
done.
3. Give me an example of a time you had to prioritize certain tasks or projects over others.
4. Give me an example of a time when you had to handle multiple responsibilities at once.
How did you prioritize your time?
5. Tell me about the last time you handle a long-term project. How did you keep the project
on track?

Adaptability

Plans may not always work as you plan, but the ability to adjust your approach shows your
resolve to succeed. Your goal when answering questions on the topic of adaptability is to
demonstrate growth, even if you weren’t successful at the time.

1. Can you share about a time you had to be flexible or adaptable?

2. Tell me about a time when you had to be creative to solve a problem.
3. Tell me about a time you had to learn quickly.
4. Tell me about a time you made a difficult decision.
5. Tell me about how you work under pressure.

Overcoming challenges

Employers ask questions about overcoming a challenging situation to gauge your level of
perseverance. They want to gain a better understanding of how you handle stress and if you’re
able to break down larger problems into smaller tasks. To answer this question, try to tell a
concise personal story about a specific situation. Try to avoid being too general. End your
answer by identifying what you learned from the experience.

1. Tell me about a time when you handled a challenging situation.

2. Tell me about a time when you made a mistake. What did you do to correct it?
3. Give me an example of a time you made a decision that was unpopular and explain how
you handled implementing it.
4. Tell me about a goal you failed to achieve.
5. Tell me about a time you felt you went above and beyond.

Motivation and values

Asking questions about your values and motivations allows employers to gain insight into what
you’re passionate about, how you stay focused and what makes you excited. Your answers will
help employers determine if you’re a good match with the company’s mission and style of work.

1. Give me an example of how you set goals.

2. Tell me about the proudest moment in your professional career why it was meaningful to
you.
3. Can you give me an example of a time when you felt dissatisfied with your work?
4. Tell me about a body of work you felt was most impactful for you or your company.
5. How do you stay motivated when a job requires you to perform repetitive tasks?

Communication

The ability to communicate effectively is needed in and out of the workplace. In an interview,
prepare to answer questions about times you have had to communicate clearly verbally and in
writing.

1. Tell me about a time when you had to say “no.”

2. Give me an example of a time when you persuaded someone. How’d you do it and why?
3. Talk about a time when you’ve had to manage up.
4. Tell me about a time when you had to explain a complex topic to people with less subject
knowledge. How did you make sure everyone could understand you?
5. Tell me about a time you had to build rapport with a coworker or client whose personality
was different than yours?

Teamwork

Whether working directly with other people or working with stakeholders, the ability to interact
and communicate with others effectively is key. When answering questions about teamwork, use
“I” statements to focus the attention on your individual contributions to the success of the team.

1. Tell me about a time when you collaborated with others who were different than you.
2. Tell me about the best presentation you’ve given. Why was it good?
3. Tell me about a time when you felt like a good leader.
4. Can you give me an example of how you’ve contributed to the culture of previous teams,
companies or groups?
5. Share an example of how you were able to motivate a coworker, your peers or your team.

Conflict resolution

To successfully answer questions about tension in the workplace, highlight a situation where you
took the lead to resolve conflict—not your manager or coworker. Refrain from painting the other
person in a negative light. A disagreement with a coworker doesn’t always mean the relationship
is damaged or that the other person is inherently wrong. These questions are meant to surface
stories about how you can view an issue from someone else’s perspective to reach an
understanding.
 1. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a supervisor.
2. Tell me about a time you had to stand up for your beliefs.
3. Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your manager’s leadership style or team
culture.
4. Tell me about a time when you were in conflict with a peer and how the situation was
resolved.
5. Tell me about a time you wish you’d handled a situation with a coworker differently.

Behavioral interview example answers

Here are some examples of 10 common behavioral interview questions with sample answers:

1. Tell me about a time when you handled a challenging situation.

With this question, the interviewer wants to see how you handle challenging situations when
they arise. A great example is one where you successfully problem-solved to overcome the
challenge. It could also be an example of a time you made mistakes in handling the challenge but
learned from the experience and know what you would do differently next time.

Example: "My manager left town unexpectedly when we were in the middle of pitching large
sponsors for an upcoming conference. I was tasked with putting together the slide decks for the
presentations to secure these sponsors but all I had was a few notes left behind by my manager.
Because he was unavailable, I called a meeting with members of our team and we generated a
list of the biggest selling points that would be most impactful with potential sponsors. After
creating the slide deck, I presented the presentation successfully and we got the sponsorship. I'm
incredibly proud of the results we achieved when we worked together."

2. Tell me about a time when you made a mistake. What did you do to correct it?

The interviewer understands that everyone makes mistakes. What they want to know, with this
question, is how you handle mistakes. A great response to this question is one in which you take
full responsibility for the mistake, worked hard to correct it and took steps to minimize the
likelihood that it would happen again.

Example: "When I was working at a printing company, I misquoted the fees for a particular job.
I realized the mistake, I went directly to my manager and explained what happened. He said he
appreciated my honesty and suggested that we waive the setup fee for the job as an apology to
the customer. I spoke to the customer directly and explained what happened and that the quoted
price was actually higher than my original estimate, but that we would be happy to waive the
setup fee. The customer understood and appreciated the effort to make the situation right. After
that happened, I printed our price sheet to have it quickly at hand and implemented a new
process for quoting estimates, one in which I double-check the final estimate before sending it."

3. Tell me about a time when you were in conflict with a peer and how the
situation was resolved.
In workplaces where there are a large number of people with different personality types and
communication styles, conflicts can occur. The interviewer wants to see, with this question, how
you handle conflicts in the workplace and what your conflict resolution strategy is. A great
answer is one where you demonstrate a specific strategy that you used to resolve a problem and
find a mutually agreeable resolution.

Example: "I had a sales manager who was great about stepping in to help when members of our
team were struggling with meeting goals. However, she had a single approach that didn't work
for everyone and members of our team were getting frustrated and felt they were being
micromanaged. I suggested that I sit down one-on-one with our manager, having heard the
frustrations of the team. I avoided us all sitting down because I didn't want her to feel ganged up
on and become defensive. After talking, we decided that she would let team members know her
door was open if they needed help but that she would let them be in charge of the strategy they
used to meet their goals. We also implemented a monthly, optional training program where we
had different team members present what was working for them in order to offer a variety of
approaches."

4. Tell me about how you work under pressure.

The interviewer is using this question to see how well you work under pressure and what
strategies you have used in the past to handle the pressure. This question is especially important
if you're interviewing for a high-stress job. A great answer will give a specific example of how
you managed a high-pressure situation successfully. It could also include what you would have
done differently, looking back.

Example: "I had been working on a large project that my team committed to turning around for
the client in 60 days. My manager came to me and said that the client wanted it back in 45 days
and that we would need to speed up our work without losing momentum on our other projects. I
met with our team and we reviewed the calendar. We eliminated team meetings and shifted
lower-priority tasks until the end of the 45-day period to add extra hours to our workweeks. I
challenged my team to complete the project in 45 days or left and as a reward promised two
days of extra PTO time. Our team got the job done in 42 days."

5. Give me an example of how you set goals.

This question is designed to show the interviewer how well you plan and set goals. A great
answer is one where you discuss an ambitious goal you set for yourself and how you came up
with a plan for success.

Example: "Within a few weeks of beginning my job as a server at a restaurant, I knew I wanted
to work in the foodservice industry as a chef. I decided I would learn all I could in my current
position until an opening became available in the kitchen, even for less pay. I wanted the
experience of working in a restaurant kitchen environment. I also started saving up money at
that time to go to the culinary academy. I knew that by the time I finished school, I would have
been working in the kitchen for a number of years and would be highly competitive as a
candidate for chef roles."
6. Give me an example of a time you made a decision that was unpopular and
explain how you handled implementing it.

Managers sometimes have to make difficult decisions that aren't popular with all employees. The
interviewer wants to know how you handle this situation and how you implemented the new
policy or plan. A great answer is one where you show you moved forward with the decision but
communicated your reasoning to garner the support of more of the employees.

Example: "I took over management of a gym where the trainers were allowed to cover one
another's shifts without the knowledge or approval of management. I didn't like the uncertainty
involved, because if someone failed to show up for a class, there was no way to know which
trainer was supposed to be there. I implemented a new policy that required trainers to go
through management to make schedule changes. I also explained the problem with the previous
approach and how this would resolve any possible issues."

7. Share an example of how you were able to motivate a coworker, your peers or
your team.

With this question, the interviewer is evaluating your ability and willingness to lead, even
informally. A great answer is one that shows you provided encouragement and offered help in
some way. This could mean you offered to help with some work if they've fallen behind or that
you suggested helping them with strategies to move through their work more quickly and
efficiently.

Example: "I noticed that one of my coworkers was having a hard time meeting her sales quotas
each month. I told her that not every sales technique works for every personality and that it can
take time to figure out what will work best for her. I suggested we find time over the next day or
two and I would show her some techniques I was using that I found highly effective. And it
worked! After a couple of weeks of practice and trial and error, she was consistently hitting her
quota."

8. Tell me about a goal you set and reached and how you achieved it.

For this question, the interviewer wants to see how you plan to achieve a goal. A good answer is
one where you were given a goal, created a plan and followed the necessary steps to achieve it. A
great answer is one where you set your own goal, especially a large goal, and took the necessary
steps to reach it.

Example: "In my last role, I managed all social media content. One quarter, I set a stretch goal
to increase conversions to our website by 75%. I broke it down into weekly goals and researched
what other brands were experimenting with. I noticed they were using videos and seeing great
engagement from their customers, so I asked my boss if we could do a low-budget test. She
agreed, so I produced a video cheaply in-house that drove double the engagement we normally
saw on our social channels during the first week. With the new strategy, I not only met my
stretch goal, but I also exceeded it by 5% increasing total conversions by 80% over the
quarter.”
9. Tell me about the last time your workday ended before you were able to get
everything done.

This question is designed to evaluate your commitment, work ethic, prioritization skills and
ability to communicate. While the interviewer doesn't expect heroic efforts daily, they do want to
see a level of dedication to getting your job done. A great answer is that you either stayed late to
finish your work, came in early the next day or prioritized differently. It's also important to
emphasize that you communicated to others that you might miss a deadline in case changes need
to be made or clients need to be contacted.
Example: "We had a client who wanted us to deliver new social media content to them by
Wednesday of each week to get it scheduled for the following week. One week they requested
double the content in order to increase their online activity in advance of a big launch. I decided
to stay late the night before the deliverable was due. I also let the manager know that we might
be a few hours behind for our content that week. A coworker and I went in early the next
morning, together, made our deadline."

10. Tell me about a goal you failed to achieve.

With this question, the interviewer is evaluating how you handle disappointment and failure.
They also want to see how you decide when it's time to give up, accept that something didn't
work and move forward. A great response is one where you set a huge goal, didn't achieve it,
took responsibility and learned from the experience. Some examples of things you could learn
from it are what you would do differently next time, something about yourself, what motivates
you or what is truly important to you.

Example: "I was working on a start-up where our goal was to create content that would educate
parents about why it's important to spend time as a family around the dinner table.
Unfortunately, we were never able to figure out a way to monetize the business. We polled our
audience and tried many different ideas, but after a year we had to move on. However, I learned
so much from the process. I developed numerous skills and realized I'm incredibly good at
shifting direction when something isn't working. I realized I don't let defeats discourage me for
long. Each time something didn't work, I picked myself back up and moved forward."

Tips for answering behavioral interview questions

Here are some tips you can use as you answer behavioral interview questions:

 Prepare ahead of time: While you may be asked a few uncommon questions, most
interviewers ask many of the same interview questions, which is why it's helpful to
review common behavioral interview questions in advance and practice your responses.
This will ensure you have thoughtful anecdotes ready in advance.

 Prepare specific examples: Another way to feel fully prepared with anecdotes is to think
of examples for every responsibility or challenge listed on the job description. Keep in
mind that they don't have to be direct examples. For example, if you're applying for a
 manager job but have never been a supervisor, talk about how you were the go-to person
on your team for training new employees and were widely known as a problem-solver.

 Draw from the job description: Carefully review and use the job description to craft
your answers. It's important that you explain exactly why you’re a good fit for the role by
preparing examples of times you’ve proven yourself to be the ideal candidate. For
example, if the job description explains that the role requires a person who can handle
conflict, you should prepare a specific example of a time you handled conflict well—and
then relate it back to the job.

 Take your time answering: After a question is asked, give yourself a moment to think
of an appropriate story before answering. Take a breath, pause or even take a drink of
water to calm any nerves before responding.

 Be positive: While behavioral interview questions require you to think of a failure or

problem at work, don't focus on that part of your story. Describe the background enough
so that the interviewer understands the situation and then quickly move on to how you
solved the problem and the results you achieved.

 Follow the STAR method: Use the STAR method to answer any question. STAR stands
for situation, task, action and result. For Situation, briefly share context and relevant
details for the challenge or problem you were facing. For Task, describe your role in
overcoming the challenge or handling the situation. For Action, explain what action was
taken by you or your team, although it's important to focus on the role you played,
specifically. For Result, share the successful outcome. If possible, provide quantifiable
results or concrete examples of the effect of your effort.

. Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.

What They Want to Know: If you’re being considered for a high-stress job, the interviewer
will want to know how well you can work under pressure. Give a real example of how you’ve
dealt with pressure when you respond.

Example Answer

I had been working on a key project that was scheduled for delivery to the client in 60 days. My
supervisor came to me and said that we needed to speed it up and be ready in 45 days, while
keeping our other projects on time. I made it into a challenge for my staff, and we effectively
added just a few hours to each of our schedules and got the job done in 42 days by sharing the
workload. Of course, I had a great group of people to work with, but I think that my effective
allocation of tasks was a major component that contributed to the success of the project.

More Answers: How do you handle stress?

2. How do you handle a challenge? Give an example.

What They Want to Know: Regardless of your job, things may go wrong and it won’t always
be business as usual. With this type of question, the hiring manager wants to know how you will
react in a difficult situation. Focus on how you resolved a challenging situation when you
respond. Consider sharing a step-by-step outline of what you did and why it worked.

Example Answer

One time, my supervisor needed to leave town unexpectedly, and we were in the middle of
complicated negotiations with a new sponsor. I was tasked with putting together a PowerPoint
presentation just from the notes he had left, and some briefing from his manager. My
presentation was successful. We got the sponsorship, and the management team even
recommended me for an award. 

More Answers: Tell me about how you handled a challenging situation.

3. Have you ever made a mistake? How did you handle it? 

What They Want to Know: Nobody is perfect, and we all make mistakes. The interviewer is
more interested in how you handled it when you made an error, rather than in the fact that it
happened.

Example Answer

I once misquoted the fees for a particular type of membership to the club where I worked. I
explained my mistake to my supervisor, who appreciated my coming to him, and my honesty. He
told me to offer to waive the application fee for the new member. The member joined the club
despite my mistake, my supervisor was understanding, and although I felt bad that I had made a
mistake, I learned to pay close attention to the details so as to be sure to give accurate
information in the future.

Tips for Responding: How to answer interview questions about mistakes.

4. Give an example of how you set goals. 

What They Want to Know: With this question, the interviewer wants to know how well you
plan and set goals for what you want to accomplish. The easiest way to respond is to share
examples of successful goal setting.

Example Answer

Within a few weeks of beginning my first job as a sales associate in a department store, I knew
that I wanted to be in the fashion industry. I decided that I would work my way up to department
manager, and at that point I would have enough money saved to be able to attend design school
full-time. I did just that, and I even landed my first job through an internship I completed the
summer before graduation.
5. Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.

What They Want to Know: The hiring manager is interested in learning what you do to achieve
your goals, and the steps you take to accomplish them.

Example Answer

When I started working for XYZ Company, I wanted to achieve the Employee of the Month title.
It was a motivational challenge, and not all the employees took it that seriously, but I really
wanted that parking spot, and my picture on the wall. I went out of my way to be helpful to my
colleagues, supervisors, and customers - which I would have done anyway. I liked the job and
the people I worked with. The third month I was there, I got the honor. It was good to achieve
my goal, and I actually ended up moving into a managerial position there pretty quickly, I think
because of my positive attitude and perseverance.

More Answers: Interview questions about achieving your goals.

6. Describe a decision you made that wasn't popular, and explain how you
handled implementing it.

What They Want to Know: Sometimes, management has to make difficult decisions, and not
all employees are happy when a new policy is put in place. If you’re interviewing for a decision-
making role, the interviewer will want to know your process for implementing change.

Example Answer

Once, I inherited a group of employees when their supervisor relocated to another city. They had
been allowed to cover each other’s shifts without management approval. I didn’t like the
inconsistencies, where certain people were being given more opportunities than others. I
introduced a policy where I had my assistant approve all staffing changes, to make sure that
everyone who wanted extra hours and was available at certain times could be utilized.

More Answers: What are the most difficult decisions to make?

7. Give an example of how you worked on a team.

What They Want to Know: Many jobs require working as part of a team. In interviews for
those roles, the hiring manager will want to know how well you work with others and cooperate
with other team members.

Example Answer

During my last semester in college, I worked as part of a research team in the History
department. The professor leading the project was writing a book on the development of
language in Europe in the Middle Ages. We were each assigned different sectors to focus on, and
I suggested that we meet independently before our weekly meeting with the professor to discuss
our progress, and help each other out if we were having any difficulties. The professor really
appreciated the way we worked together, and it helped to streamline his research as well. He was
ready to start on his final copy months ahead of schedule because of the work we helped him
with.

Tips for Responding: How to answer interview questions about teamwork.

8. What do you do if you disagree with someone at work? 

What They Want to Know: With this question, the interviewer is seeking insight into how you
handle issues at work. Focus on how you’ve solved a problem or compromised when there was a
workplace disagreement.

Example Answer

A few years ago, I had a supervisor who wanted me to find ways to outsource most of the work
we were doing in my department. I felt that my department was one where having the staff on
the premises had a huge impact on our effectiveness and ability to relate to our clients. I
presented a strong case to her, and she came up with a compromise plan.

Tips for Responding: How to answer interview questions about problems at work.

9. Share an example of how you were able to motivate employees or co-workers. 

What They Want to Know: Do you have strong motivational skills? What strategies do you use
to motivate your team? The hiring manager is looking for a concrete example of your ability to
motivate others.

Example Answer

I was in a situation once where the management of our department was taken over by employees
with experience in a totally different industry, in an effort to maximize profits over service.
Many of my co-workers were resistant to the sweeping changes that were being made, but I
immediately recognized some of the benefits, and was able to motivate my colleagues to give the
new process a chance to succeed. 

More Answers: What strategies would you use to motivate your team?

10. Have you handled a difficult situation? How?

What They Want to Know: Can you handle difficult situations at work, or do you not deal with
them well? The employer will want to know what you do when there’s a problem.

Example Answer
When I worked at ABC Global, it came to my attention that one of my employees had become
addicted to painkillers prescribed after she had surgery. Her performance was being negatively
impacted, and she needed to get some help. I spoke with her privately, and I helped her to
arrange a weekend treatment program that was covered by her insurance. Fortunately, she was
able to get her life back on track, and she received a promotion about six months later.