When working on a project with other technical professionals, do you naturally lead or follow?

Reflect on your previous leadership experiences. It's important to share a past example with the interviewer. While you may not have formal leadership experience as a manager or supervisor, you may have influenced a fellow student or coworker to act or respond in a positive way. Consider discussing an example of a time you showed characteristics of both a leader and a follower. Think about the choices you made and how the situation affected your decision to lead or follow.

"Based on my experience working as a junior engineer, I consider myself to be more of a follower. I enjoy being a part of a team, and I get a lot of satisfaction when I get a chance to contribute to a challenging and successful project. However, a personal goal of mine is to develop my leadership skills. I try to look for opportunities to lead my coworkers in small ways by showing up and setting an example for others."

"I like to think of myself as both a strong leader and follower. I approach each project differently, and I respond to what it needs from me. I enjoy leading projects that relate to my strengths, but I'm also happy to follow the lead of others who may be a better fit for the role. In college, I had the opportunity to work on a group project with graduate students who had more experience and education than I did. Although I typically played the role of project manager on other school projects, I realized that I had a lot to learn from the other students and that it was time to take the role of follower."