Tell me about a time you took on responsibility outside of your job duties and why you chose to do so.
Overview
Interviewers ask this question to better understand your approach to ownership and leadership. They want to know if you are able to deliver on your job duties, but also care about the bigger picture enough to take on extra work if needed to keep important projects on track. The "team"-before-"me" mentality makes for great colleagues and leaders.
Answer framework
Prepare a genuine example. Don’t be afraid to think outside of work if the most compelling story is from an extracurricular group or volunteer organization. The point is to show that you’re a team player.
Apply the STAR Method
Structure your response using the STAR (situation, task, action, results) Method. This will help the interviewer follow along and understand the impact of your contributions most clearly.
Sample answers
In my previous role, we were working on closing an M&A (mergers and acquisitions) deal. My role as the VP of M&A was to manage all of the various workstreams. This included closing out the remaining confirmatory diligence, and making sure that the purchase agreements were being finalized and that financing was on track. As we moved forward on all these fronts, I saw a lot of questions coming in from the acquired company’s employees through various channels. They were clearly anxious about the upcoming change. I didn’t see anyone treating these questions with any sense of urgency or risk mitigation, so I took over coordinating the effort. Normally, this responsibility would have fallen to the employee communications team, but I felt that reducing employee anxiety was not only the right thing to do but would also make them feel positively about the change and create loyal new team members. While I wasn’t necessarily qualified to respond to these questions, I pulled together an FAQ to act as a source of truth and ensure that our messaging was consistent. I then coordinated collating responses from the various functional experts and circulated the responses more broadly to the acquired employees. As a result, the employees not only had less anxiety, but they also started feeling like a real part of the new company, which increased their excitement about the deal. Why this answer worked well: It followed the STAR method and clearly laid out the situation, actions, and results. It featured a personal, relatable example which demonstrated leadership and thoughtfulness.
Tips
- Choose an example that shows what matters to you.
- Set the stage so the interviewer understands the stakes.
- Go beyond the facts to describe your thought process.