I'd like you to share a time when you had multiple competing priorities. How did you deal with this?

Question Analysis

This is a behavioral interview question designed to assess your time management and prioritization skills. The interviewer wants to understand how you handle situations with multiple tasks or projects that require your attention simultaneously. They are looking for evidence of your ability to prioritize effectively, manage stress, and communicate with stakeholders. Your response should highlight your organizational skills and decision-making process.

Answer

Situation:
During my previous role as a project manager, I was responsible for overseeing multiple projects at once. There was a particular week where two major projects were reaching critical milestones, and a new client request came in with a tight deadline.

Task:
My task was to ensure that all projects were on track to meet their deadlines without compromising quality or client satisfaction.

Action:
To manage these competing priorities, I first assessed the urgency and impact of each task. I held a meeting with my team to delegate responsibilities and ensure that everyone was clear on their roles. For the new client request, I communicated with the client to understand their needs and negotiated a more feasible timeline. I also used project management tools to track progress and set clear deadlines for each task.

Result:
As a result, both ongoing projects met their critical milestones on time, and the new client was satisfied with the adjusted timeline, praising our responsiveness and quality of work. This experience improved my prioritization skills and reinforced the importance of clear communication and effective delegation.