How do you prioritize multiple projects when they all seem equally important?
In answering this question, show the interviewer that you have a system in place that helps you to think through what needs to happen, and when. The better you can prioritize, the more productive you will be, making you an asset to Huron Consulting Group. Customize your response to the nature of your role and convince your interviewer that you will not let your client commitments go unfulfilled.
"I prioritize based on urgency and time required on the project. I have a list of what needs to be done, by when, and how long I project that it will take to accomplish. I am great under pressure, but try to make sure that I don't get myself or my team into a sticky situation by not allotting enough time for any particular project. That said, I also try to be as effective and efficient as possible and make sure I can use all minutes of a day for a project, so I generally have a few things going at once: I am the lead on some, the delegator on others, and the reviewer on another, for instance. This way, by splitting up the work to the appropriate parties, both my team and I will be the most effective and impactful as possible."
"From each client's perspective, their project is important and they are not concerned with the commitments I have outside of what I am working on for them. Regardless of the order I take to my work, I ensure that each client receives what they need on time and that they feel like I treat them as a top priority.
I review my commitments on a quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily basis and develop a plan to make sure that I am working toward the delivery deadlines for all of my tasks as efficiently as possible. I typically have multiple items in flight each day and use strategies such as taking on tasks that require collaboration or follow-up first to allow others to do their piece while I work on other tasks.
I am proactive and I know that any time spent procrastinating is time that would be better served working on a billable project. I make sure that I always know what the priorities are from an internal perspective and I reach out for assistance if my workload becomes a risk to my ability to meet deadlines. I feel confident I will be able to partner with my superiors here at Huron Consulting Group to initially understand the prioritization methods and then go on to self-manage shortly thereafter."
