How to Answer: What is the riskiest decision you have ever made in the workplace?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Workday job interview.
3. What is the riskiest decision you have ever made in the workplace?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Being a top company in tech sometimes requires calculated risks, and your interviewer wants to know how you approach risky decisions. Workday didn't get to the top by doing what everyone expected. They pride themselves on being pioneers and disruptors in the cloud services industry. A blog on the Workday website, written by Workday Co-President and CFO Robynne Sisco, says, "If you're not willing to take some risks and try new things as a company, you face the potentially greater risk of falling behind competitors who will. Innovation requires companies to step outside of their comfort zone. But some business leaders struggle to find the right balance between risk-taking and innovation so they delay decisions, ultimately leading their organizations into stagnation." Later in the article, she advises, "Measure and move on, if necessary."
Written by Rachelle Enns
How to Answer
As a successful professional, you know to calculate risk in your industry. Tell the interviewer about a work-related risk you have taken and what the outcome was. Before preparing your response, research Workday and its values to understand their approach to risk assessment. For instance, a tech company may pride itself on being innovators in their particular product.
Written by Sue Oberliesen on June 27th, 2022
1st Entry Level Example
"I've made a habit of making my comfort zone stepping outside of my comfort zone. I find I perform at my best when placed in a slightly uncomfortable situation where I am working under pressure. Task procrastination is the killer of productivity. But, you have to think fast, quickly assess everything you have at your disposal, and take account and take advantage of every advantage you've got. So, think fast. Move fast. Measure what you have at your disposal. Waste no opportunity and make a plan."
Written by Kevin Downey on May 3rd, 2023
1st Experienced Example
"The riskiest career choice I have made was asking for a reduction in hours, from full-time to part-time employment, to pursue my degree in computer science. My boss could have let me go, but he didn't. He openly supported my pursuit of higher education."
Written by Rachelle Enns
2nd Experienced Example
"One of the riskiest decisions I made was to leave corporate America and join a startup with an innovative idea. The company sought to provide a product/service that would pioneer a new industry. We worked harder and smarter to launch and create a new space in the nutraceutical marketplace. We failed a lot along the way, but we learned to fail fast, and it made us better professionals."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback
Anonymous Answer
One particular risk that comes to mind is when the COVID-19 Pandemic hit, as a dept we were told to leave office. Instead of simply leaving we decided to take a sample of the Hardware available to our home with us and this subsequently allowed us to fulfill Priority 1 Issues from our Home base while the company was reorganizing."
Jaymie's Feedback
Anonymous Answer
Jaymie's Feedback
About the Author
When I started my career in business management, branding, and marketing, I believed in the company I worked for. The company was growing, they operated with integrity, and it was truly a fun place to work. They had a great brand; people loved shopping there. I was popular just because I worked there. To this day, I am grateful for everything the company gave me and how it changed my life for the better. That’s the kind of place you want to work - a place that feels like a good fit for you. This should be the mutual goal of both the interviewer and the interviewee. I knew that going into my interview for that job, and I knocked it out of the park. When I was recruited into management, I had no idea what I was getting into. I assumed the harder I worked, the faster I’d rise through the ranks. But I had no idea how much I had to grow and develop personally and professionally to get there. I accepted the challenge, but it was an uphill battle, nonetheless. Not too many people helped me out, either. There was a lot of competition, and I was just thrown to the wolves. And there were not only wolves but sharks in that tank. Talk about tough. So I learned most of my leadership skills the hard way, and the journey was long.
Conducting interviews is an art form. As a leader, my favorite parts of the job were interviewing, recruiting, building the perfect team, and mentoring and coaching those on my team. Every single individual I mentored advanced far ahead of their peers. But it all starts with that interview and making sure the job was the right fit for them.
I love coaching so much that I later volunteered my services at career fairs and trade schools. I left my management career behind me and am now a full-time writer. Yet, I still love coaching others to succeed, and I love writing for mockquestions.com for this very reason.
Not everybody knows their way around crafting the perfect CV and resume, the secrets to delivering a flawless interview, or how to negotiate a decent raise. It’s hard to navigate that terrain without a map, and I enjoy giving people directions. Here’s what I said to a friend I mentored long ago: “Every single thing you do, at every stage, can alter the perception others have of your professional worth. My goal is to make you look like an asset worth fighting for.”
Learn more about Kevin Downey