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?
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.
"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."
"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."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
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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