CBSA Mock Interview
Master 60 CBSA interview questions covering border security, integrity scenarios, and situational judgment.
Question 49 of 60
You don't have the information you need to prioritize your projects. Your co-workers and supervisor are unavailable for you to ask for assistance. How do you handle the situation?
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Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
"Well, without knowing how to prioritize my projects, I couldn't possibly know what my deadlines are. So, if I had been assigned a great deal of work without the deadline being established, then I would have to assume none of these projects have a deadline nearing, which would incite a sense of urgency. So, I would stay productive until they were able to return and furnish me with the necessary information. I'd probably start tackling the smallest projects first to make progress. It seems counter-productive to start working on a big project if I have to switch gears soon. That would undermine any progress or productivity. So, tackle the smallest projects first until the vision is clear. That way, progress has been made, regardless."
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
This question aims to reveal how resourceful you are, whether you are capable of outside-of-the-box thinking, and if you adhere to the chain of command. Your decisiveness, as revealed through your suggested course of action, will speak to how sound your judgement is, and should serve as an indicator of your leadership skills.
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
The only way to respond to this question is by evaluating the facts. So without the information needed to prioritize your projects, the only thing you have left is the projects themselves. So the heart of this question is what action you take versus being less productive through task paralysis. Staying productive is the only course.
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Anonymous Answer
Even in this situation, I would try to be as productive as possible. I would start with the projects that I judged to be the most urgent and the ones that I had the most confidence to do. I would write down all my doubts and when the supervisors returned, I would check with them the deadlines and what they would like me to prioritize.
Marcie's Feedback
Awesome! Remaining productive and working the best you can off the limited information you have is perfect. You might also talk about your ability to be resourceful and to find out information without the help of coworkers. Good job!
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