How to Answer: Tell me about a time you had to learn a new task. How did you go about learning it?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an ADP job interview.
15. Tell me about a time you had to learn a new task. How did you go about learning it?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Much of what you will learn at ADP will be self-taught, or on-the-job training. Show the interviewer that you are an intellectually curious individual with a full understanding of how you most effectively learn.
Written by Elisabeth Walter
How to Answer
Think of an example from school or work when you had to learn a new skill. It could have been a challenging course in school that required you to think outside of the box. Maybe you needed to learn a task on-the-job that stretched you beyond your typical realm of thinking.
Start by addressing how you learned the topic. Perhaps you went to study groups to interact with other students. Maybe you reviewed it independently. Or, possibly learning this new task required a more hands-on approach. Think about how you adapted to the new material and what helped you learn in the process.
Written by Rachel Hills on November 13th, 2022
1st Entry Level Example
"I am a self-helper and am passionate about learning, so anytime I have a question or want to learn something new, I seek out videos or articles to learn. I also have a robust network on LinkedIn, so I seek out industry experts to ask questions and explore different topics with. I'm not afraid to ask for help though, so if I've not been able to self-help, I will seek out a peer or leader to get assistance."
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
1st Answer Example
"I recently learned the ins and outs of SEO through an online course sponsored by my previous company. It was a 50-hour course that dove into the key principles of SEO and how we can incorporate its most important tenets into our digital marketing practices. I noticed that our competitors used SEO, so I researched the course and created a proposal for my boss. She accepted my proposal, and my team took the course together. This new skill has deepened our understanding of the industry and made us a better competitor."
Written by Rachel Hills on November 13th, 2022
2nd Answer Example
"Last month our company introduced a completely new client management software program. I am quite tech-savvy, but this program was very robust, even for me. I found a few tutorials online and started to teach myself the program after work. I wanted to have a head start before we had our in-office training."
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
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