Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Mock Interview
Master 26 LLNL interview questions covering security clearances, technical expertise, and mission-driven research.
Question 3 of 26
At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, workloads in our lab setting can vary on a daily and weekly basis. How do you prioritize your time on the busiest of days?
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Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
As you've likely experienced throughout your career up to this point, no two days are alike in a laboratory setting. For this question, your interviewer is looking to hear about your ability to plan and prioritize your work based on need while also having the ability to take on high need items that pop up throughout the day. If possible, try explaining this by walking through an example of a hectic day that you've had to deal with in the past that demonstrates your ability to be planned, flexible and accomplished at the end of the day.
Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
"Honestly, the biggest aspect I love about my job as a Clinical Lab Scientist is the variety of work that I do. A couple of months ago, our lab had a Monday morning where we were slammed with a lot of high priority tasks that needed to be done by the following morning. I took the lead in getting together with our Lab Technicians in making a plan for getting everything done. My philosophy is always to focus on one task at a time and finishing it to completion before moving on the next task. This plan worked well through diligence, focus and teamwork and our Director was very pleased the next morning with the accolades that we received."
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I typically set my tentative schedule at the end of the previous day, utilizing Eisenhower matrixes and Gantt charts to prioritize my tasks. On an extremely time-crunched day, I look to start with tasks that require downtime, such as allowing reaction to run or automatic data collection, and then perform labor-intensive tasks in between.
Stephanie's Feedback
It's evident that you've worked out a thoughtful strategy to support your time management and task completion. Good for you!
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