How to Answer: How do you prioritize multiple projects when they all seem equally important?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an ADP job interview.
7. How do you prioritize multiple projects when they all seem equally important?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Prioritizing is a skill that requires practice. Your ability to do so effectively will impact the quality of your work and how much you're able to get done. Hiring managers want to make sure you have the skillset in place to effectively differentiate the important from the not so important.
Written by Elisabeth Walter
How to Answer
There are many approaches you can take to prioritizing multiple projects. Here are some suggestions:
1) Make a list. By thinking through and writing down each item that needs to be completed, you can see it on paper.
2) Mark what is urgent or essential. Take into account deadlines and meetings.
3) Order each task based on effort and estimated value. Considering due dates and how long it will take to do each item (also considering how much time you have).
While answering this question, show the interviewer that you have a system in place that helps you to think through what needs to happen and when. The better you can prioritize, the more productive you will be, making you an asset to ADP!
Written by Rachel Hills on November 13th, 2022
1st Entry Level Example
"I make lists of things that need to be done and what priority they are. I have a color-coding system in Sheets that I utilize when making my lists. I have weekly touchpoints with my manager for accountability and recalibration of the current priorities. I also collaborate with peers to share best practices and ensure we're all being as effective as we can be with templates and documents, etc."
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
1st Answer Example
"My job is fast-paced, and it's not uncommon to have multiple projects with conflicting priority levels. Typically, I plan my week out and create time blocks to ensure I have time to do certain tasks without interruption. As soon as I feel overwhelmed or fall behind, I meet with my manager to communicate my concerns. We discuss the current projects, and I get their feedback on priority and see if other team members can support some of the work."
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
2nd Answer Example
"I will determine which project requires my attention by the number of hours we are behind and then the project size. I am comfortable delegating tasks when needed but I am also aware that these times will require an additional commitment of hours from me. Never have I underdelivered on a deadline."
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
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About the Author
When I started my career in business management, branding, and marketing, I mistakenly assumed hard work and integrity alone would get me noticed. Back then, I assumed the harder I worked, the faster I’d rise through the ranks. Yet, even in a meritocracy, this is rarely the case.
The goals of my peers competed with mine, and too often, they were better at getting noticed for their accomplishments. And, some of them were all too happy to watch me working harder, as they worked smarter, rising through the ranks faster than me. At one point, a boss of mine labeled me a stealth worker. They said they had no idea I was the one performing all that great work. If only I’d drawn more attention to what I was doing, maybe I would have gotten rewarded for it. So I learned most of my leadership skills the hard way, and the journey was long.
As a leader, my favorite part of the job came to be coaching others. I took pride in sharing the secrets to my eventual success, and offering my outside-of-the-box view of the role. Where other leaders were only in it for themselves, I was genuinely in it for the company and the team. So I taught those I mentored not only what they needed to do, and how to do the job right, but why each step was important. I spelled out how everything fit into the big picture and shared every trick of the trade that no one shared with me. Every single individual I mentored advanced far ahead of their peers, surpassing those who were only in it for themselves.
Another favorite part of the job was recruiting and building the perfect teams. For me, conducting an interview was an art form. I later volunteered my services at career fairs and trade schools, offering advice, from crafting the perfect CV and resume, to delivering a perfect interview, to negotiating a decent raise. Now I am a full-time writer, and left my management career behind me. Yet, I still love coaching others to succeed, and I love writing for mockquestions.com for this very reason.
Here’s what I said to a friend of mine whom I mentored a long time ago: “Every single thing you do, at every stage, can alter the perception others have of your professional worth. My goal is to make you look like an asset worth fighting for.”
Learn more about Kevin Downey