How do you determine your priorities when you have multiple things going on at once?
As an experienced recruiter, I know that hiring managers key in on a candidate's ability to multitask with effectiveness during the interview process. in the airline industry, organizations have condensed their staff and have made workloads and duties a bit heavier on their teams and this is no different at Air Canada. The team there will expect you to juggle many responsibilities at once.
"I have always determined which project or task requires my attention by the timeline of milestones on projects and deadlines for daily tasks. I am comfortable delegating tasks when needed, but I am also aware that these times will require additional hours from me. Never have I under-delivered on a deadline."
"When I have multiple priorities at a time, I don't hesitate to ask my boss to rank them based on most urgent. This method helps me to remain focused, and then I know I am concentrating where she needs me to. I tend to use my calendar to block time for project work while continuing to ensure that my daily and weekly duties don't get behind or neglected."
Before your interview with Air Canada, consider how you decide how to manage your competing workload. Assure the interviewer that you can be diligent and organized when assessing your priorities. You'll also want to highlight the tools and resources you use to keep yourself organized and on track in your work.
"In my current role as an administrative assistant, I support four managers and a team of sales staff, and I need to be highly organized to ensure I'm meeting everyone's needs. I keep a daily to-do list on my desk, along with a to-do list through Outlook. Having time blocked on a calendar is also very useful. You'll quickly find that I'm a great multi-tasker."
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
I usually weigh which tasks need the most attention by the urgency or hours when meeting a deadline. I always assess my priorities, and if I need to delegate tasks I do it, but I make sure I check on their work, so I know they did the tasks correctly.
Rachelle's Feedback
Your answer strays to managing people that you delegate to, which is a bit far from the original question. Also, try adding in information on any task management software you have used in the past, if possible.
"When I need to determine priorities, I will approach projects and tasks according to urgency and timeline. I assess my priorities using an app called Asana, which is a project management application that I find to be very helpful. If I am in trouble of not hitting a deadline, I never hesitate to ask for help."
