3M Mock Interview
Practice 33 3M interview questions covering innovation, technical problem-solving, and collaboration.
Question 31 of 33
If you had a co-worker call in sick and you were asked to take over their project requiring overtime from you, how would you approach the situation?
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Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
This question is more about what your answer will reveal than it is about the question itself. On one hand, you want to show your interviewer that you are a team player who is always willing to come to the aid of the team and support your mutual goals as stakeholders in your unified success. You want to communicate that you wouldn't hesitate to pick up the slack when needed. But you also want to make sure you're not enabling an underperformer, nor undermining the efforts of your superiors. Ensuring you respect the chain of command and the vision of your leadership holds just as much value. Especially when they've entrusted you with assigned work, and trusted that other employee with their assigned projects.
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
"My default is being a team player. But, not holding a leadership role, I may not always be clear on what course of action is best for the team. So, I'll always check with my manager to see if that is how they would like to handle the situation. They might want me to focus my efforts elsewhere. Not to mention, that teammate should be discussing these matters with a supervisor first, before asking me to take over their work. However, if they had done that, and a supervisor asked them to ask me, I would, of course, agree and do everything I could for the team."
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
"If my coworker was purposefully being inefficient and expecting me to pick up the slack, I would likely not jump in, as that is a bigger issue that seems more appropriately handled by our leadership. For the sake of the company, I am always willing to go above and beyond what is expected of me."
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Anonymous Answer
If my coworker had to call in sick I would sure pick up the slack. However, it should be not a habit and not to the point where I am being taken advantage of.
Amanda's Feedback
Being willing to step in and help others in a crunch is a great characteristic to have! You can make your answer clearer by telling the interviewer how you would set and communicate your boundaries around impromptu over time.
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