"How Do You Stay Organized?" Interview Question

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How Do You Stay Organized Interview Question

Organizational skills and how you stay organized are topics to be expected during a job interview. These are some of the questions that are asked, without fail, in interviews for jobs across a broad scope of careers.

How Do You Stay Organized

How an employee stays organized is so important because organization is an important interpersonal skill that promotes efficiency and productivity in the workspace. Organized employees use their time and resources more efficiently, which is of course a pro in the eyes of any interviewer.

Types of Organizational Skills

Organizational skills help employees to get the job done, and to do it well. Organizational skills include time management, communication skills, goal-setting, and delegation-- which can also be considered under the category of teamwork. Time management helps you to do your job efficiently and to adhere to deadlines.

Additionally, if you are a good communicator, you will be able to communicate effectively to other team members so that tasks are completed as required. You will also be able to communicate your needs so that you can get assistance and answers as needed.

Goal setting is key to organization in the workplace in that it allows for you to set achievable goals. Setting personal and professional goals allows employees to work hard and perform well. This will also structure an employee’s efforts and keep them focused on the company’s objectives.

Being organized does mean to know your limits as well. Instead of overwhelming yourself, assign some of the tasks to a coworker who is able to handle them. Taking on more than you can chew sets an employee up for failure, so delegation and teamwork is important.

Staying Organized

There are many ways that an employee could stay organized, and certain methods work better for certain people, due to their individual work styles. A simple, but effective, way to stay organized is by making lists. Record the tasks you have to complete and prioritize them, then cross them out one by one. You can do this by writing them down on a physical piece of paper, or by doing so digitally in a project management app or word document.

Keeping to a schedule is another foolproof way to stay organized. A schedule that is detailed with your time commitments and tasks helps you to budget your time and ensures you will not forget deadlines or meetings. You can do this with a physical planner or calendar, or with digital scheduling apps.

None of these examples are too simple to mention during an interview. As long as the method works for you, that is what’s important.

How to Talk About Organizational Skills During Interview

Your skills in the workplace are always important topics when interviewing for a job. Prepare for your interview with how you will discuss your organizational skills-- examples and honesty will make your interview stronger.

Examples

For an interview, you should always prepare with examples of your skills and experience. Share examples of how you stayed organized in your past jobs, or an example of how you dealt with an intense situation that challenged you to stay organized. Being organized should make you able to work well in many different environments. Show an example of this by discussing how you feel your skills will assist you in the new job that you are interviewing for.

Honesty

Be honest about challenges that you have experienced, but be sure to put a positive spin on the story. Interviewers will appreciate hearing about how you are able to deal with unexpected challenges, and how your organizational skills assist you with this. Ensure that you get across how you remain consistent in your methods and can adapt, regardless of the challenges thrown your way. This shows interviewers that you can be flexible and give some insight into your personality.

How Would You Describe Your Ability to Stay Organized

When you describe your ability to stay organized during an interview, you will want to make sure that your answer is personal to you and your work style. Your answer should not sound like something you copied off of the internet, because otherwise, the interviewers do not learn anything about you.

Describe Your Methods

Discuss the methods that work for you as an individual and help you to stay organized. Think about the tools you utilize every day to stay on track. For example, do you use spreadsheets or project management apps to track your progress throughout the day and to keep projects organized? Do you use certain apps to restrict your screen time and certain sites so that you do not lose focus? Describing these methods showcases your level of organization to interviewers.

Explain Your Strategies

Time management is so appreciated because it helps save a company time and money. Explain how you strategize to have the best time management. How do you save time during the workday and keep yourself productive? For example, if you work better with fewer distractions, maybe you focus on one task at a time and avoid checking your inbox until the task is complete.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are organizational skills?

Organizational skills are skills that help you to use your resources efficiently, in addition to effectively. Time management, scheduling, multi-tasking, and project management skills are all examples of organizational skills.

What are your strengths?

During an interview, what you outline as your strengths should be skills that can be supported through experience and examples. Commonly used strengths are leadership, organization, and time management.

Why are organizational skills important?

Organizational skills help employees to perform their jobs according to their job responsibilities. Being organized makes you a more efficient and organized employee.

How can I improve my organizational skills?

Review your current organizational system, practice new organizational skills such as scheduling and list-making, and make organization a team wide effort.

What can you do with organizational skills?

Of course, organizational skills help you to be more organized. They help employees to get their tasks done and to become more productive and efficient.