Common Interview Question – When and How Do You Plan Your Work Day?

Your ability to organize is probably one of the most overlooked components of a good employee. Even the best worker is going to struggle if they have no concept of what is due or when the best time to do it would be. Employers that recognize this may ask you how you plan every day.

How to Answer

Your answer does not need to be too complicated, and it does not necessarily matter “what” you use. What matters is that you have an actual answer that shows that you are organized and reliable. This will be best illustrated by the two sample answers.

Bad Answer

“I usually write down what I need to do on a calendar and check it every morning.”

Okay, well, that’s great, but it says very little about your long term planning, your ability to notice deadlines, etc. Anyone can simply write down some junk in a calendar. What do you write down? When? These are all things that need to be considered.

Good Answer

“For daily activities, like meetings, phone calls, etc., I use Microsoft Exchange and set up two email reminders – one usually the day before the event, the other usually an hour before. For projects, I set up an Excel spreadsheet where I place every project in list form, based on a combination of priority and due date. For example, something of top priority due immediately is going to be first. Something of considerable priority but not due for quite a while may be a little further down the list, etc. Then I update accordingly, using highlights to show which projects I am currently working on. Finally, I give my supervisor access to the document so that they can also verify that I am on the right track. Once I complete the project at the top of the list, I mark it off and move to the next project.”

It’s a longer answer, but it is considerably more comprehensive, and it shows that you take your organization seriously. This is a clear strategy, and one that the employer will respect. You should explain your own strategy in detail to the employer with this answer.

Take Away Interview Tips

• Explain exactly what you will do to organize your daily activities.
• Use details and show that you have thought about it.

Related posts:

1. Common Interview Question: How Long Do You Plan on Staying With Us?
2. Common Interview Question: Tell Me About the Work You Did at Your Last Job
3. Common Interview Question – How Would You Describe Your Work Style?
4. Common Interview Question – What Type of Work Environment Do You Prefer?
5. Interview Question: Have You Ever Lost Your Temper At Work?