How do you decide what gets top priority when scheduling your time?

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Answer Example

Most engineering positions will require you to juggle varying deadlines. These deadlines may be internal, such as a design review with the project manager. Or, they may be external, such as ensuring a piece of equipment arrives before a plant shut-down day or a presentation is ready for the next client meeting. When answering this question, show the interviewer that you can balance deadlines and estimate the amount of time it will take you to finish a project. If you use a system to categorize your tasks, such as the Franklin Covey Time Management Matrix or a planner, mention it here. Additionally, if you are applying for a scheduling position, discuss your formal knowledge of project scheduling, such as the Critical Path Method, Design Sequencing, Construction Sequencing, Fast Tracking, etc.

"Personally, I use a planner to keep track of the deadlines for my projects. I try to categorize tasks according to their urgency and importance and make sure I take care of the urgent and important tasks first. However, I know schedules aren't just dependent on me, and I think it's important to have regular project update meetings with the team so we know what is holding us back and what we need to get done in order to move forward. I anticipate working closely with my manager to determine which of my projects is the highest priority for the company. As far as individual projects go, does your company typically use software such as Microsoft Project when creating schedules?"

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How to Answer: How do you decide what gets top priority when scheduling your time?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Engineer job interview.

24. How do you decide what gets top priority when scheduling your time?

How to Answer

Most engineering positions will require you to juggle varying deadlines. These deadlines may be internal, such as a design review with the project manager. Or, they may be external, such as ensuring a piece of equipment arrives before a plant shut-down day or a presentation is ready for the next client meeting. When answering this question, show the interviewer that you can balance deadlines and estimate the amount of time it will take you to finish a project. If you use a system to categorize your tasks, such as the Franklin Covey Time Management Matrix or a planner, mention it here. Additionally, if you are applying for a scheduling position, discuss your formal knowledge of project scheduling, such as the Critical Path Method, Design Sequencing, Construction Sequencing, Fast Tracking, etc.

Written by Allison Atkinson on February 1st, 2021

Answer Example

"Personally, I use a planner to keep track of the deadlines for my projects. I try to categorize tasks according to their urgency and importance and make sure I take care of the urgent and important tasks first. However, I know schedules aren't just dependent on me, and I think it's important to have regular project update meetings with the team so we know what is holding us back and what we need to get done in order to move forward. I anticipate working closely with my manager to determine which of my projects is the highest priority for the company. As far as individual projects go, does your company typically use software such as Microsoft Project when creating schedules?"

Written by Allison Atkinson on February 1st, 2021

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