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Rachelle Enns
Rachelle is a job search expert, career coach, and headhunter who helps everyone from students to fortune 500 executives find success in their career.
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How do you manage your time, even on the busiest days?
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OUR COACH SAYS
The interviewer would like to know more about the types of tools you use to stay on task and meet deadlines. Discuss how you prioritize when everything demands your attention at once. Think about the ways you manage your projects and daily tasks.
Example #1
"I manage my time by exercising the idea of 'time-blocking.' This strategy means that I won't incessantly check my email; instead, I will allow myself to return emails in 30-minute time blocks, four times per day. Setting calendar alerts and personal deadlines for myself has also helped a lot."
Example #2
"I manage my time very carefully! I prioritize deadlines, then work backward from there. When necessary, I utilize my resources and team to pitch in and contribute."
Example #3
"I use a free project management system that helps me to stay organized on the busiest of days. My team can see what I'm doing and what more needs accomplishing, so there is never any need for explaining or questions regarding where we are in the process."
Example #4
"When I'm busy, I seem to get the most done. To prioritize, I make lists of the to-do items and about how long I think they'll take. That way, I know what needs doing first and what small to-dos I can squeeze in in between the larger tasks. I find it an effective way to manage my time and get things done when I'm busy."
Example #5
"I like to be busy- it makes the hours pass faster and makes me feel productive. I am always sure to block things out on my schedule as needed, and love to follow a project management system, too. Something as simple as my calendar on my phone with alarms reminding me of what I'm supposed to be doing and when is helpful. I love to be busy and get things done!"
Example #6
"I love being busy and I thrive when I am the most active. When my to-do list is longer than the amount of time I have in the day, I get creative about how to get things done, while maintaining the high standard of work I set for myself. I know I have no time to chat, or even take too long walking back from the bathroom. I love seeing how many things I can get checked off of that list, and make it my mission to do so."
Example #7
"I have my schedule down to a science which means that unexpected kinks can often throw my day off. To keep those types of situations under control, and my tasks manageable, I will often delegate to my TA. Delegation is often the one thing that saves me in sticky scheduling situations."
Example #8
"I manage my time by exercising the idea of 'time-blocking.' This means that I won't incessantly check my email; instead, I will allow myself to return emails in 30-minute time blocks, four times per day. Setting calendar alerts and personal deadlines for myself has also helped a lot."
Example #9
"I am very strong with time management and will use multiple tools to ensure my time is divided appropriately throughout the week. Just last month I had a major exam to grade for 35 students. Knowing I was under a tight timeframe to grade these, I turned off my phone and email and spent 2 hours focusing solely on grading before I moved to another task. Blocking off sections of time to focus is very helpful for me."
Example #10
"I manage my time very well. I do so by ensuring that at the start of every shift I have a full understanding of what my primary tasks are for the day. I keep organized this way and my supervisors have stated their appreciation for that quite often."
Example #11
"I enjoy planning and organizing my day. Knowing what my schedule looks like before the day begins, is one way I manage my time. I also make sure to know the routes in our city very well, to optimize ride times. Lastly, I have training in how to use our taxi app so that I can respond to ride requests faster."
Example #12
"I am very good with managing my time. When I begin my day, I am sure to map out my tasks and ensure that I have all of the tools and resources at my fingertips. In my previous reviews, my supervisor was very complimentary of my time management skills."
Anonymous Answer
"I will prioritize my jobs according to the due date and the importance of the job; however, emergency jobs always have the first priority."
Rachelle's Reply
Straightforward and effective! Good answer.
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Anonymous Answer
"Use Outlook to note meetings, tasks, and delegate tasks. This tool allows me to manage progress tasks that I have delegated to others.
I prioritize multiple tasks based on the importance of impact if a task completion is delayed or has a hard due date."
Rachelle's Reply
You sound very organized, which the interviewer should be happy to hear :)
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Anonymous Answer
"I like to prioritize the task and start with the most important."
Lauren's Reply
I want your years of experience to be recognized, so I changed the wording to reflect that. See below.
Lauren's Reply
"Over the years, I have created organizational systems that allow me to work diligently and efficiently. I prioritize tasks and projects by the due date and urgency level. This way, I can maintain a logical workload and complete all duties in a timely manner."
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