How often do you take work home with you?

What You Need to Know
Entry Level Example
Answer Example
Experienced Example
Community Answers

Most of the world's workforce occasionally work overtime or take work home, and academic advisors are no exception. The interviewer wants to gain insight into your dedication to work and students and your ability to prioritize tasks effectively. They also want to understand your work-life balance and how you manage your time outside of work. It's important to answer honestly and provide examples of how you handle workloads and prioritize tasks to show your commitment to your job and your ability to manage your responsibilities.

Talk to the interviewer about how frequently you take your work home.

"I try not to take my work home with me, as everyone needs downtime. However, if something needs to get done, I will get it done, even from home."

"I make sure to utilize my work hours very efficiently, so the only time I take my work home is when there is an extremely stringent deadline. I would say that, overall, I take my work home maybe twice per month. It's all about being diligent with your time in the office!"

"I take my work home with me whenever it is necessary. In some positions I have held, I work from home nearly every day. In other roles, such as my current position, I work from home just a few times per month."

Anonymous Answer

"I often do not take work home. But there are always exceptions if a large project or a deadline is coming up. I will stay later in the office or take my work home. I remember once we were starting a new term plus it was graduation. I had to focus on graduation and then take my laptop home. I was able to get all the emails out to the faculty so faculty would have the resources they need to be successful for the upcoming term."

Marcie's Feedback

Great response. You show that you maintain a good work-life balance and that you generally leave work at the office. But you also indicate that you are a hard worker who will make sure to get all of your work done on time, even if it means working from home sometimes too. A very balanced reply. Nice!