Northwestern University Kellogg MBA Mock Interview
Practice 30 Kellogg MBA interview questions covering leadership philosophy, teamwork scenarios, and career vision.
Question 30 of 30
Describe a time you motivated yourself to complete an assignment or task that you did not feel like doing.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
What You Should Say
Example Answer
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Christine Pasqueretta is a human resource and recruitment professional with experience creating, developing, implementing, leading, and measuring HR impact initiatives.
Many students hold full-time jobs while participating in the MBA program at night or on weekends. The combination of the demands of a job, coursework, and life can be overwhelming at times, and the interviewer wants to know that you will still get the job done even when you aren't excited about the task at hand. The goal of your response is to show that you are a reliable person who delivers high-quality work, regardless of how motivated you feel at the moment. By the end of your reply, the interviewer should feel confident that you are a self-motivated individual who takes accountability for your work and has what it takes to finish the program successfully.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
Tell the interviewer about a specific situation in which you completed something you didn't feel motivated to do. Outline the situation, describe your responsibility, and explain why you were not excited about it. Be sure to tell the interviewer that even though you were not enthusiastic about the task, you did it promptly and with care, knowing it would help the organization. Give as much detail as possible about your actions to reach the finish line. If your hard work made a measurable impact, be sure to offer details about this accomplishment.
Karrie Day is a certified career coach and strategist with a passion for helping her clients define and reach their professional goals. She offers career advancement services such as brand development, resume writing and critiques, job search strategies,
"The teams I lead are required to log the time spent on all of their projects. I review and approve the time every week. I was spending extra time each week following up with team members who were late in filling out their time sheets. We are a creative team, and none of us enjoy the administrative function of logging time. However, we must provide a timely and accurate assessment of the time we spend working for our various clients.
I decided to improve the process by making it something we do together. We take turns bringing in a treat and selecting music to play while we log our time. The process goes quickly and painlessly, and I have reduced the amount of time I spend following up on incomplete timesheets by at least 75%."
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