Page 56 - How To Answer Interview Questions (II)

Job Interview Question 24

How do you balance life and work?

This question can be a fishing expedition to see what you’ll reveal about yourself that they aren’t
allowed to ask you about directly.

Very often, this question is really the new version of, “Who takes care of your children when
they’re sick?” The employer wants to know if you are willing to work extra hours, or if you’ll be off
a lot with personal matters (like sick children), or if you’re the kind of person whose desk chair is
empty at 5:01 every day, no matter what.

Once in a while, it means that they’re actually concerned with your overall health, because they
know that a healthy individual is a better contributor who makes better decisions.

Your best answer is, “I am very organized.”You can elaborate by talking about how you fully
engage at work and when you get home, you fully engage there—and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to talk
about how stepping away from work frees your mind so that you often come up with great ideas at
home, and keep a notebook handy to jot those down.

You could assume that the employer is asking about what you do in your spare time to offset the
stress of work, and this would be a good opportunity to mention an active hobbysuch as running,
dancing, hiking, tennis, or even traveling, that makes you seem full of energy. I always like to hear
candidates talk about how they take classes to learn something new, because I believe that is a
positive, that you’re willing to learn new things.

You might be able to make a connection with the interviewer, if you happen to have the same hobby
they do.Play it safe—tryto mention common hobbies like running, hiking, etc. rather than unusual ones
(like taxidermy).

If you are really unsure about what to say, toss the ball back into their court: “What do other
employees here do?” Or, “What do you do?” This will give you an idea of where they are and where
you should be aiming when you answer this question.

Keep in mind that even with this question, every word you say has a purpose—to convince them
to hire you.