Did you miss any days at work last year?
If you truly haven't, tell the recruiter so and add that you believe in an excellent work ethic which is why you avoid absences as much as possible. If you have, then let the interviewer know that it was only because of a legitimate reason.
"At my previous job, I only had a total of 3 absences for 2 years. I don't get sick often; and unless there is truly an emergency, I come to work on time."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I take pride in my attendance records and avoid absences as much as possible. Unless there is an emergency, I am always at work on time.
Amanda's Feedback
This is a good response. Make it more thorough by clearly stating whether or not you were absent from work during the prior year. If you were absent, clarify what caused your absence and any steps you've taken to reduce future absences.
Anonymous Answer
In the last year, I had two doctor's appointments which made it necessary to miss a half-day of work, 4 hours, on two occasions. But I planned for it and was able to accomplish my work by staying late for 2 hours the day before and the day after the half-day that I missed. Reliability, dependability, and punctuality are very important to me and all of my previous employers will verify that they were able to depend on me to be there.
One aspect of working remotely from home that I find very beneficial is the fact that on those off days when I don't feel a hundred percent because I have a cold or something it's much easier to do my work than it would be if I had to commute downtown and commute home etc. I don't have to worry about passing my cold on to a co-worker and so it's much easier not to miss a day of work than it would be working in a traditional office.
Stephanie's Feedback
It sounds like you're highly dependable and rarely ever miss work! While this is music to the ears of many hiring managers, I suggest also including a sentence or two about you navigate self-care and how you keep your own cup from running on empty. While a strong work ethic is important, employers also want to trust that you won't burn yourself out and that you have the skills to balance your own care alongside your work.
Anonymous Answer
My job as a customers service representative requires me to always be on the ground, I ensure that I meet up to the expectations, although there was a day I had to attend to a family emergency, I called the office to explain to my line manager and a colleague was scheduled to fill in for me.
Stephanie's Feedback
This is an honest, well-rounded response. Most employees have to miss a day on the job every now and then, but it sounds like you went through all of the proper channels to communicate to your manager and to make sure that your shift was covered.
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