If a co-worker called out, asking you to take over their project requiring overtime, would you? Where do you draw the line in being a team player?
For anyone to be effective at their job, they mustn't bite off more than they can chew or put too much on their plate. The interviewer wants to know how you balance teamwork with establishing boundaries.
"I will always first choose to be a team player. If a co-worker called in sick, I would take over what I was capable of. The only time I would draw the line would be if I felt I was being taken advantage of."
"If my coworker was being inefficient and expecting me to pick up the slack, I would not jump in. For the sake of the company, I am always willing to go above and beyond what they expect of me but not to where I am being taken advantage of."
Show your confidence to your interviewer by explaining your willingness to be part of the team and pick up the slack when needed. Maintain your focus on the greater good, and know that taking on another person's workload could be detrimental to your success.
There are situations in which others may try to take advantage of you. When answering, steer clear of examples that might come across as bad-mouthing your coworkers. Present all situations, focusing on the positives, while advertising your merits attesting to your strength of character.
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
This happened a lot last year, my peer who is handling the other part of the region got married and took a long marriage leave followed by Christmas leave, then sick leaves, and so on... I was happy to handle it at the beginning but after I started noticing a trend, I started training her team enough to handle the majority of her tasks and I will review and supervise, then requested the management to add a member to help remotely from the other entities whenever the workload is increasing.
Cindy's Feedback
Great that you have the on-point experience to answer this question. It's also a very good approach to talk about your problem-solving skills under the circumstances. Devote some time to explaining where you would draw the line, and perhaps, enhance your answer, explain how you would do it diplomatically.
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