How to Answer: Would you consider yourself a risk taker?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an ADP job interview.
44. Would you consider yourself a risk taker?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
This interview question aims to determine your approach to taking risks, and whether it aligns with ADP's "One-of-a-Kind Culture and Values", where they detail their approach. How you answer will help them determine whether you take well informed calculated risks while exercising sound judgement, or if you will be more of a liability for their company.
Written by Kevin Downey on May 16th, 2022
What You Need to Know
As ADP details in the core values, "We are driven by a strong, results-driven work ethic. We encourage accountability and prudent, thoughtful risk-taking without the fear of occasional failure. It's what we believe and what we expect."
Written by Kevin Downey on May 16th, 2022
Experienced Example
"I'd say that I am pretty conservative when it comes to taking risks. I've never been much of a gambler and prefer to play it safe. So, if we're in a crunch, and a decision needs to be made now, and I don't have all the information on hand. I will pool the resources I do have to make as informed a decision as possible. I would take into account the consequences of my decision, and would be prepared to hold myself accountable. But, playing it as safe as I do, I feel pretty confident in my decision making."
Written by Kevin Downey on May 16th, 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