How to Answer: Tell me about the last time you had to delegate a job to someone.
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Costco job interview.
15. Tell me about the last time you had to delegate a job to someone.
What You Need to Know
When talking about his philosophy on leadership and the leaders of Costco, James Sinegal said, "If you're a manager, teaching is 90 percent of your job. There's only one reason you hire someone, and that's because you can't do everything yourself. If you're not prepared to teach, you just don't get it. And if you hire well, and if you teach well, those people wind up doing the job better than you would have done it anyway. Our managers understand that, and I think that's a major [reason] for the success of our company."
Written by Kevin Downey on June 10th, 2023
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
For many, delegating is one of the most challenging aspects of effective leadership to master. It goes beyond assigning tasks catered to the strengths of the right people or micromanaging their every move. The most important aspect of delegating is the details and effectively communicating those details. Telling someone what to do is not even half of the equation. Explaining why each delegated task is necessary, how it impacts the efforts of everyone else on the team, and what the assembled big picture looks like is just as important. If you can do that, there is no need to micromanage, as each member of the team is now an invested stakeholder in the outcome of the group effort.
Written by Kevin Downey on June 10th, 2023
Experienced Example
"I was halfway through a project when I started to feel ill. It was terrible timing, and I wanted to see the work through, as I always do, but my supervisor told me to pass the project on to a trusted coworker and to go home and rest. So, I spent as much time as I could explaining the nature of the work, why it was important, and what the stakes were. I then explained my approach, what I'd accomplished so far, and what still needed to be accomplished. I then asked them to mirror back to me what I'd explained. There were a couple of minor points that needed clarification. Next, I opened myself up for questions, answered them, and we felt confident we were on the same page. I went home, and the work got done with flying stars. Even better, my coworker learned something new and advanced their skills."
Written by Kevin Downey on June 10th, 2023
About the Author
The retail environment I managed in Seattle, WA, had many similarities to Costco, albeit on a much smaller scale. We didn’t have large backrooms or warehouses attached to our stores, and any shipments we received went straight onto the shelves. We received shipments around the clock and had shifts starting as early as 2:30 am and ending as late as 1 am. We offered great benefits and matching retirement contributions, and our company was expanding quickly, with many advancement opportunities.
It was rumored as a fantastic place to meet people (which it was) and became a cultural phenomenon overnight. You got to socialize with other hip people, and it was a fun place to work. We were a family and wanted our family to be happy. But it wasn’t an easy job. It was hard, athletic work; fast-paced, tough physical labor, where everyone did everything, and you had to be good at organizing chaos. If you wanted to go places within the company or earn seniority, you had to pay your dues. The schedule could be rough, and getting time off approved, or even two days off in a row, really depended on how talented the schedule writer was and whether the person requesting it had earned it. Those who were cut out for the job preferred the lifestyle it offered and stuck around.
Yet, on occasion, an employee would come along who’d constantly ask others to trade schedules or chronically called out sick for other priorities. The rest of the team would grow annoyed with that person, the schedule writer, and the leader who hired that person. That one employee would inevitably end up negatively infecting the morale of everyone else on the team and every facet of the job.
This is one challenge an interviewer faces when determining whether a candidate is pursuing the job for the right reasons. So, anytime I interviewed someone, it was my mission to find out why they wanted to work for us. Were they after the lifestyle, the opportunity for growth, or were they in it for the money, the benefits, and a fun and breezy job to cruise along in until something better came along?
Throughout every interview I conducted, I’d always be curious about what a candidate might volunteer. One candidate I interviewed, for example, insisted he had open availability and was willing to work nights, mid-shifts, mornings, and any day of the week. He liked the vibe of our company and had the attitude and the look. It was a good interview, and I liked him. But I could tell he was holding something back and not being completely forthright.
Toward the end of the interview, I asked about his hobbies and other interests. That’s when he enthusiastically shared that he led a rock band, which performed 3-5 nights a week at a local venue. This was his passion pursuit and his priority in life. There was little doubt in my mind he was more committed to this than working nights or early mornings at our store.
Likely he thought he was saying what I wanted to hear to win the job. But getting the job wouldn’t have been a win for him, especially when it came time to work the hours he’d committed to. And he did eventually tell me what I wanted to hear: the truth. I discovered his passion and instantly knew the job we were offering didn’t align with his goals. In all fairness, he was just looking for a part-time job to support his pursuits, network with like-minded individuals, and build more of a band following. And that’s fine.
An outsider might assume everyone who worked there was having fun, and because of how happy everyone was, it seemed like a pretty laid-back job. Yet, had he learned what the job looked like, he would have realized it wasn’t the right fit for his goals, aspirations, or lifestyle. He may not have known it at the time, but I was doing him a favor by not hiring him. It wouldn’t have worked out for him or us. It would have thrown off his balance and conflicted with the pursuit of his passions.
He had everything he needed to succeed in pursuing the job that was the right fit for him. He upended his life by moving from Texas to Seattle for the opportunity to break into the vibrant music scene of the Great Northwest. He was willing to sacrifice anything and do whatever it took to make it. This was his passion, and it was the job he enjoyed doing most. Had he been equally passionate about working for us, I would have hired him on the spot. Yet it wasn’t the right fit for him or us, and he wasn’t honest with himself about that. This is why it’s important to evaluate your goals. If everything lines up, and the lifestyle of the job you're pursuing works for you, even if your passions lie elsewhere, be honest with yourself and your interviewer every step of the way. Sometimes, that’s all it takes.
Learn more about Kevin Downey