How do you manage multiple priorities at the same time?
Employers ask this interview question to evaluate your time management skills and assess your ability to distinguish between urgent and important tasks. Your answer to this question allows the interviewer to get an idea of how you'd manage and complete your work assignments should they hire you for the job. Highlighting your time management skills, organizational skills, and your ability to maintain a healthy work-life balance can show employers that you are capable of performing efficiently while taking on multiple responsibilities.
Explain how you re-prioritize your workload as needed. For instance, you could explain to the interviewer how you'd handle inheriting tasks amid other projects. Describe how mindful you are of urgency as you prioritize items in your workload.
"At my last internship, there were a lot of important people who had a lot to carry on their shoulders. Sometimes they looked at the interns as a resource to 'get it done' without considering what that intern already had on their plate. Deciding how much you can accomplish should never be based on stress. It should be based on quantifiable measures and organizational skills. To take full responsibility for my actions, I communicate my priorities while effectively managing my time. That way, if someone requests something of me that can't be done without something else being re-prioritized, I'll communicate that with confidence, knowing I've done everything I can to perform at my best."
As they state on their site, an NBCUniversal Page embodies a 'spirit of adaptability and flexibility, especially in a fast-paced and quickly changing environment.' Ensure you exude confidence in your own written and oral communication skills, which will aid in how you establish your priorities on the job.
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
At my last internship, there were a lot of important people who had a lot to carry on their shoulders. Sometimes they looked at me as an intern as a resource to 'get it done' without really considering what I already had on my plate. So what I’d do was communicate my priorities to my bosses or co-workers while effectively managing my time. That way, if someone requests something from me that can't be done without something else having to be re-prioritized, I'll communicate with confidence, that I’m getting this task done at the moment if I finish the tasks that I’m currently doing ahead of time and my help is still needed I will then make that a priority now knowing I've done everything I can to perform at my best.
Jaymie's Feedback
Effective communication is critical when you have competing tasks or more tasks than can be done in a day! Good job!
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