Interview questions › Teamwork
Tell me about a time you took on work outside your own remit. Why did it end up being you, and how did it turn out?
Teamwork · commonly asked in most interviews
No account, no credit card for the first three questions.
How to answer it well
Separate 'I' from 'we': name your part, and what would have been missing without you.
Two mistakes that cost you points
- Making it sound like you were simply assigned the extra work.
- Not saying what you handed back or dropped to make room for it.
What to do with this question today
- Answer it out loud once, without stopping. Do not write it down first.
- Read back exactly what you said. Mark the filler words, and the length of your longest pause.
- Answer it again and change one thing — usually the opening line, or the number at the end.
This question is one of the questions you can be asked out loud in a free practice run.
More questions
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate and still reached agreement. What did you do? · Teamwork
- Tell me about a time a colleague was struggling and you helped. What did you actually do? · Teamwork
- Tell me about a difficult relationship you had with a stakeholder. How did you work with them? · Teamwork
- Tell me about a manager or senior person you found hard to work with, and how you handled it. · Teamwork
- In one minute, introduce yourself and explain why this role should consider you. · Communication
- Walk me through your resume. Tell me about the choices you made along the way. · Communication
Also searched as: tell me about a time you went beyond your job description; taking on extra work interview answer
Dimension: Teamwork — the same skill is probed again with different wording, so practise the pattern, not just this sentence.