How do you balance life and work?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
How to Answer
Pro Tip
1st Answer Example
2nd Answer Example

How you answer this question will offer the interviewer insight into how you handle stress, either at work or home. If you are continually stressed out at work, you'll likely burn out faster, and your performance will suffer. If you are stressed out in your personal life, it could affect your performance at work.

Be confident in your answer. Emotional maturity goes a long way and is integral to leadership. Demonstrate that you've stricken a balance between both worlds through your approach to life. Offer an anecdote to drive it home.

Talk to the interviewer about how you can maintain a balance between your work and home life. It's okay if you occasionally have to take your work home with you or if you need to take time off of work. The interviewer wants to know how you achieve that balance.

"I think it's important to respect boundaries, whether these are boundaries I've set or ones that others set. I've worked with people who'd duck out of work and be on the phone trying to solve personal issues while they were on the clock. I've also had friends whose personal relationships because of a toxic work environment. My spouse has made it very clear I shouldn't talk about work when I get home. Instead, we discuss matters surrounding our lives together as a couple. The same thing goes with work. When I am at work, and I am getting paid for my time and my skills, I focus solely on my job."

"I find that, with the right company, it's pretty simple to balance life and work. When I enjoy what I do, it doesn't feel like a chore. When I am at home, my family gets my attention first. I take time on the weekends to do things for myself and ensure that I refuel before the work week begins. The perfect balance of work and life is difficult to achieve 100% of the time; however, I feel that to achieve a satisfactory balance, one must have hobbies outside of the workplace that they find fulfilling. These don't have to take up a lot of time, but they should energize you. I like to go mountain biking on the weekends."