Tell me about a time you had too many things to do and you needed to prioritize your tasks.

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A hefty physician client load, a constantly ringing phone, lofty sales goals, and administrative tasks require a pharmaceutical sales representative to possess incredible multitasking skills. To get at your ability to successfully juggle many tasks at the same time, your interviewer wants to hear you talk about a time you had to do just this.

When answering this question, go ahead and walk the interviewer through your process of prioritizing and why it works for you. Describe the duties you were handling at once and how you worked diligently to ensure that all tasks were handled with success, Explain the different levels of importance of each task and how you prioritized which tasks were handled first. To really win over your interviewer and prove your ability to be successful in pharmaceutical sales, discuss any tools and resources you used to keep your work on track.

"My current job definitely qualifies as demanding, with many different competing priorities happening at once. On top of my daily call scheduled of clients, I am on a long-term project team, and have my daily paperwork to complete that recaps all sales. I keep myself organized by blocking time on my calendar for my daily tasks and prioritizing my sales calls first. I then ensure that I have weekly touchpoints on my calendar for long-term project work and ensure that milestones and deadlines are met."

Anonymous Answer

"As a teacher, one always has too many things to do. If a situation calls for it, I would meet with an administrator for his advice. Otherwise, I would sit down and prioritize what needed to be done. I would even ask students for their input if it affected them. The students have always come first, so I know to begin my prioritization with the student's needs and the rest can be worked out by due dates."

Amanda's Feedback

This is a situational question that requires the use of a specific example rather than a range of options for prioritizing. Consider talking specifically about a time that you balanced competing priorities to reach your goals within the set timeframe.