Gallup Mock Interview
Master 30 Gallup interview questions covering strengths-based assessments and behavioral scenarios.
Question 9 of 30
Have you ever put your professional work ahead of your personal life?
The Goal
Example Answer
Example Answer 2
What to Avoid
Pro Tip
Community Answers
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.
The interviewer wants to understand the balance between your professional and personal life. The goal of your response is to show the interviewer that you bring loyalty to your work and professional accountabilities while also maintaining a sense of harmony and avoiding burnout.
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.
"Yes, I have. My career is very important to me, and I have worked hard to build a solid, successful trajectory. For example, I work late two to three days per week, responding to clients or reaching a deadline. On these days, I put my personal life aside for a short time to reach my work-related goals. That said, I avoid causing an imbalance between my professional work and personal life."
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.
"I am new to my career and fully prepared to put my work ahead of my personal life for the next few years. I want to build a stellar career and be a reliable and dedicated employee. I will work late or take work home when needed. I will keep my device on silent during the day so that personal matters do not distract me at work. Most of all, I will remain organized in both my personal and professional life so that personal issues do not creep it my workday."
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.
Avoid responding in a way that makes you seem like a workaholic. The workaholic mentality is an unhealthy practice that leads to burnout and high employee turnover. For that reason, being a workaholic is no longer a selling factor for mindful employers. Instead, show the interviewer that you work hard and are flexible with your time when needed.
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.
Be prepared to define what professional/personal balance means to you. Some people find it very natural to put their professional goals ahead of their personal life. Others may view their professional career as the means to build their ideal personal life. When you respond, be true to yourself and answer in a way you can commit to, should you be hired.
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Anonymous Answer
Frequently as I am in the office for long hours and on weekends. However, I have managed to be off the phone in the evenings when I am home and on days off.
Rachelle's Feedback
Good! Your response shows that you strive to achieve balance while also being dedicated and committed to the needs of your company.
Anonymous Answer
When I am at work, I focus on work. I don't take calls or texts. I do asses that a call from home is not an emergency. I feel it's important to give my best to the job when it's their time. And give my family my undivided attention when it is their time.
Rachelle's Feedback
It seems you are very professional and are able to draw important boundaries. This is especially critical these days, with our attachment to devices. Well said!
Anonymous Answer
Yes, I have. I was planning an educational event and wanted to try something different so I decided I wanted to run the program on a Saturday to increase attendance. I had plans on that Saturday with my family that I had to cancel to ensure I was free to host that Saturday Educational event.
Stephanie's Feedback
It sounds like you take your career seriously, which is great. However, since many employers are concerned about employee burnout, I suggest adding a closing sentence or two that explicitly states your ability to maintain work and life balance. For example: "While I am highly ambitious and I'm willing to go the extra mile at work, I've also learned about the importance of self-care and work/life balance. I try to strike a healthy balance between setting high expectations for myself professionally and setting healthy boundaries."
Anonymous Answer
Yes.
Cindy's Feedback
Ok, an example or more detail would be helpful. You might want to use the STAR format to develop an answer. STAR stands for situation, action, task, and result. By following this format, you'll be sure to provide the interviewer with all the information they need to assess your answer. You can read about the STAR format here: https://www.mockquestions.com/articles/Master Behavioral-Based Interviews Using The Star Method/
Anonymous Answer
When I am at work, my concentration, focus, and efforts are to put my work before all else, I planned my day to drive productivity using my time management.
At home, I am always very organized for my daily routine like daily walks, Yoga, simple food, reading, driving, etc. I will remain organized in both my personal and professional life to lead my life as a great discipline and responsible human being.
Marcie's Feedback
Nice! It sounds like you are very self-disciplined and that you tend to prioritize work because it is important to you. This is great, but it's also okay to indicate that a good work/life balance is also important to you. You might say that you are open to working after hours, etc., when needed, but that you strive to work productively and to delegate during the day so this isn't usually necessary. If you'd like, you could also include an example of a time when you went above and beyond for work.
Anonymous Answer
Yes, work is very important to me and I want to be able to build a strong career and understand that personal life may have to take a back seat. You may have to work late to deal with an important query from a customer, you know you have to work so you don't stay out late for the pub on a weekday. Being able to split your time between just work, and just personal time is healthy so the lines don't get blurred,
Marcie's Feedback
Nice! The interviewer will likely be impressed and glad that you place such a strong emphasis on work because it's important to you. This also implies that you have a great work ethic. But don't forget to emphasize that you also recognize the importance of balancing your professional and personal lives and that getting away from the office sometimes can be a good recharge.
Anonymous Answer
Being self-employed, I've probably done this more often than not but even with my previous employer, I cut every Christmas short every year to help the Senior Management Team cover the building and I came in 2 hours early every day to get more work done. As an owner/operator, my phone was always on, even if I had an employee covering the gym, and I can't tell you how many times I rearranged my schedule to accommodate a client's workout time. Part of this was achieving my weekly goal and the other part was making sure they got their workout in and knew I was committed to them.
Stephanie's Feedback
It sounds like you're very committed to your work! However, I suggest adding a sentence or two about how you achieve work-life balance. How do you juggle the demands of your work with taking care of yourself?
Anonymous Answer
I have put my professional life ahead of my personal life at times. Strong commitment to my employer is very important to me, but I also feel strongly about work-life balance. I have put professional life ahead of personal life at times when it is critical to the organization; when I have an influence on a high-impact project that is time-sensitive. I may also put work ahead of my personal life if there is a unique opportunity for growth and development.
Stephanie's Feedback
It sounds like you are very committed to your work, and working actively on balancing your ambition with the needs of your personal life. Since your employer wants to feel confident that you won't burn out, I suggest adding a sentence about your self-care routine or how you take care of yourself when you're not working.
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