Practice 30 Department of Veterans Affairs interview questions covering mission commitment, veteran-centered care, and federal service values.
Question 18 of 30
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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.
This question is a test of your communication skills. It also gauges how well you know yourself regarding your capabilities balanced against your limitations.

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.
"Early on, I wanted to display myself as an overachiever by taking anything and everything on, all on my own. But I realized this was hurting my performance more than it was helping. I realized my supervisors were distributing the workload based on what every member of the team promised to deliver. But when one person on the team has taken on too much work that will then need to be redistributed, that'll hurt these big picture goals and set everyone behind. Once I realized I needed to recruit help or risk over-promising and under-delivering, I took on fewer responsibilities first, then when I'd finished early with high-quality results, I'd step up to help wherever I was needed."

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.
Demonstrate how you back up your decisions. Exhibit your ability to adapt, detailing how quickly you react. Keep your eye on the big picture and that it is more supportive of your superiors and your team to be honest and ask for help when you've taken on too much. Intentions to overperform won't go very far if those intentions weren't actualized. So, avoid examples that reflect poorly on your performance. Describe the situation, the obstacle, and how you overcame them.

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Anonymous Answer
If assigned more tasks than I can handle, I would ask other coworkers if they could assist me to make sure that goals that are set, don't get behind.

Jaymie's Feedback
This is definitely one strategy you could use. Consider also mentioning that you would speak with your manager to ensure they knew about your workload and work with that manager to define priorities for the day or week.
Anonymous Answer
I have the ability to multitask in a proficient manner. I prioritize and put the most important urgent requests/needs first. Also if I need assistance, I will ask a coworker if something is extremely urgent. Time management is important.

Jaymie's Feedback
Great strategies! Don't forget to include communication with your manager if you're feeling overwhelmed or need to talk through and re-establish priorities.
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Written by Kevin Downey
30 Questions & Answers • Department of Veterans Affairs

By Kevin

By Kevin