Tell me about a time when you took on more work than you could handle and were unable to complete your assigned work.

Keep your eye on the big picture. Describe the situation, the obstacle, and how you overcame it. Exhibit your ability to adapt, detailing how quickly you react. Reveal that you ask for help when you've taken on too much work or have fallen behind. Send the message that you are more supportive of your superiors and your team when you are honest about your limitations. Intentions to over-perform won't go very far if those intentions weren't actualized. So avoid examples that reflect poorly on your performance.

"Early on, I wanted to display myself as an overachiever by taking on anything and everything all on my own. But I realized this was hurting my performance more than it was helping. I bit off more than I could chew. I was afraid of admitting it, worried it would reflect poorly on me. Once I realized I needed to recruit help or risk over-promising and under-delivering, I asked for help. I came to realize my supervisors were distributing the workload based on what every member of the team promised to deliver. When one person on the team takes on too much work, which later needs to be redistributed, it hurts the big picture goals of the team and sets everyone else behind. Since then, I have learned to take on fewer responsibilities. Then when I'd finish early with high-quality results, I'd step up to help wherever I was needed."