Apple Mock Interview
Master 31 Apple interview questions covering design thinking, technical depth, and cultural fit.
Question 17 of 31
How do you deal with distracting coworkers who stand in the way of your progress?
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Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
Even the most well-meaning coworkers can distract you from getting things done at work from time to time. The funny and entertaining coworkers who like to chat online and send YouTube videos are often the ones who can get in the way of your productivity if you let them. Talk to the interviewer about how you would respond in this situation. Showcase your ability to set professional boundaries, when needed.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"I typically just set a kind, but clear, boundary and tell my coworker that I need to focus on my work at hand. I will sometimes offer an alternate time for a catch-up, over lunch for example. It is important for the sake of workplace culture to set aside time to be social with coworkers, so I usually just let them know when I'll be available for a quick break in the day."
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Anonymous Answer
Coming from an Australian cultural background, I prefer to be straightforward in my communication. So if a coworker is distracting me, I politely explain how I’m sorry but have another commitment that needs my immediate attention. If it appears that the coworker truly needs the connection, I will suggest we schedule a time to catch up and chat.
Marcie's Feedback
Perfect! Being polite yet straightforward is a great way to handle distracting coworkers. It's also nice that you would offer to schedule a time later to talk if you feel your colleague needs that. If there's an example you can include here of a time when you successfully managed a colleague who was distracting you from the task at hand, that would further strengthen your answer. Good job!
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