University Administrator Mock Interview
Excel in higher education interviews with 35 University Administrator questions covering policy, operations, and stakeholder management.
Question 14 of 35
Tell me how you organize, plan, and prioritize your work. Do you use specific tools or techniques to assist you in the workplace?
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"I am a big fan of to-do lists and Outlook. I review each morning, midday, and each night to understand what needs to be done, develop an order to complete the tasks, and devise a plan to address anything that is in jeopardy of not being done within the given time frame. I color-code my tasks by priority so they will visually jump out at me. In any task that I am given, I always note when it must be achieved and also make an assessment of the effort I think it may require. If I feel that the assessment means the effort far outweighs the deadline as being achievable, I will raise this immediately so that expectations can be set. For long-term assignments, I use reminders and block-off time on my schedule to make sure that I am working toward those items proactively."
Karrie Day is a certified career coach and strategist with a passion for helping her clients define and reach their professional goals. She offers career advancement services such as brand development, resume writing and critiques, job search strategies,
Think about all three aspects of this question as they are equally important to a successful answer. If there is an aspect you are less skilled or experienced in, spend some time researching simple methods you can start using to improve.
Karrie Day is a certified career coach and strategist with a passion for helping her clients define and reach their professional goals. She offers career advancement services such as brand development, resume writing and critiques, job search strategies,
Discuss your methods for success in planning, organizing, and prioritizing your work. Keep your process and tool descriptions high-level and generic (e.g. do not discuss a company-specific process or tool with acronyms your interviewer won't understand).
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Anonymous Answer
I use a To Do List daily. Prioritize work according to its importance and deadline. I make sure that I keep up to date and minimize procrastination. I use outlook as a diary and for reminders.
Rachelle's Feedback
Great! Are these the tools that the university uses? If you are not sure, you can ask the interviewer. By finding out this information, you can ensure that your approach to planning and prioritizing resonates with your future leadership team and coworkers.
Anonymous Answer
I like to organize and plan my work methodically and strategically. For example, I use Microsoft Outlook to plan meetings and reminders via the diary system and keep a clear log of my tasks using colors and labeling folders for a specific job. If I have emails that have been actioned and completed, I move them to the designated completed folder and keep a copy of the email for my information. I also use an internal system provided by the University called 'Core' to create a list of deadlines, which enables me to keep track of when objectives are due. By reviewing this and analyzing what needs to be done and what has been completed, I can prioritize my tasks and evaluate my capacity to carry out tasks for the day and week.
Stephanie's Feedback
This is a thorough and well-rounded response! You have clear systems and techniques to stay organized and optimize your performance in the workplace. While the strategies you mention are useful, none of them feel especially modernized or tech-savvy. If you've used tools such as Asana for project management or Calendly for scheduling, I suggest including those examples as well.
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