Common Interview Question – How Do You Prioritize Multiple Projects?
Your ability to organize is constantly on trial at the workplace. People that put no thought into how they prioritize multiple projects tend to struggle when coming up on deadlines. So employers may ask you how you organize.
How to Answer
The employer is looking for specifics about what you do to organize. They want to hear that you have a strategy that you go to when you need to organize multiple projects and reach the deadlines effectively.
There is not necessarily a “Wrong” answer here, only an answer that is not specific enough, or one that relies on someone else. Try your best to think about what strategies you do use to prioritize multiple projects, and be detailed in how you respond to the interviewer.
Bad Answer
“I ask my supervisor what he/she thinks should take priority and I start working on that, unless told to stop.”
Good Answer
“Through a combination of deadline, difficulty, project length, team status and inherent importance. For example, a short deadline, difficult project where a team requires my work is going to get priority over an equally short deadline, easy project, because the team’s productivity is based on my own productivity. I also try to group similar items together and get started early on difficult, time consuming projects so that when I brush up against the deadline I am not scrambling and can give attention to other projects as needed.”
This is all the interviewer really wants to hear – that you understand how to give priority to certain projects and you put thought into how you give that priority. Supply this type of answer and you should have no problem impressing the interviewer.
Take Away Interview Tips
- Explain factors that go into giving priority.
- Explain how you incorporate those factors into your decision.