Organisational skills are extremely important in most jobs and career paths. This means that you are likely to be asked about these skills, and expected to show that you have them, in job interviews.
But what are organisational skills and how can you answer interview questions about them? Read on to find out.
What Are Organisational Skills?
Organisational skills come under the category of self-management skills, which are all about taking responsibility for your time, your output, and your behaviour in the workplace.
Organisational skills are related to your ability to plan ahead, manage your time effectively, prioritise tasks appropriately, and juggle all your different responsibilities. A person who is highly organised works efficiently, meets deadlines, and always knows where they need to be and when.
Employers value organisational skills across almost all jobs and industries. This is because organised employees are more productive, more reliable, and tend to need less supervision.
Now that you know what organisational skills are, here’s how you can demonstrate that you have them in job interviews.
Show Them in Your Behaviour
If you’ve ever taken a creative writing class, you might have heard the advice to “show not tell.” This also applies to showing your organisational skills in job interviews by being organised and efficient on the day.
Arrive in time for your interview (5-10 minutes early, but no more, is ideal). Plan your journey in advance so that you arrive looking and feeling calm and professional, rather than rushed and under pressure. Make sure you have brought anything you need with you, including identification, a copy of your CV, your interview notes, and any other paperwork you have been asked to provide.
Simply presenting yourself in an organised, efficient manner on interview day will go a long way.
Plan Your Answers in Advance
Think about some of the questions you may be asked, and plan out some possible answers in advance. Writing the details of your examples down and rehearsing them can help you to feel more confident before the interview.
Every interviewer will phrase things slightly differently but here are some examples of the types of questions you might be asked:
- “When you have several conflicting tasks and deadlines on your plate, how do you prioritise your work effectively?”
- “How do you stay organised when you have a busy workload?”
- “Tell me about a time when you had to work to a tight deadline?”
- “Have you ever missed a deadline? If so, how did you handle it?”
- “Tell me about a time when unforeseen problems arose at work. How did you deal with it?”
- “Have you ever felt overwhelmed by your workload? What did you do?”
- “Tell me about a time when staying organised was crucial to your success?”
Use the STARRS Method
The STARRS Method is a simple system for giving comprehensive answers to interview questions and is particularly useful for those “tell me about a time when…” questions. STARRS stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result, Reflection, and Strengthen.
Here’s how to do it:
- SITUATION: Briefly set the scene. What happened, where and when did it happen, who was involved?
- TASK: What needed to be done in response to the situation and what was your role?
- ACTION: What did you do to complete the task or solve the problem?
- RESULT: What was the outcome and what difference did it make?
- REFLECTION: What did you learn from the situation? Did anything go particularly well?
- STRENGTHEN: Is there anything you would do differently next time? How has this situation added to your overall learning and growth?
Commit the STARRS acronym to memory and make sure any examples you use in your interview follow this formula.
Think About Your Organisational Systems
You might be asked a question like “how do you stay organised at work?” or “how will you make sure you meet deadlines?” This gives you an opportunity to show off your organisational skills by talking about the systems you use to keep yourself organised.
There’s no right and wrong answer here. The exact system you use is less important than the fact that you have created one that works for you. You might talk about using a paper or digital calendar (or both) to track your deadlines, project management software such as Trello or Asana, productivity techniques such as calendar blocking or the Pomodoro method, or even simple to-do lists and routines.
Be as specific as possible when describing your personal organisational systems and strategies. If possible, give examples of times when you have used them effectively.
Focus on Outcomes
When a prospective employer makes a hiring decision, one of their main considerations is whether the candidate will be able to deliver results for the company or organisation. Therefore, when you talk about your skills in interviews, you should focus not just on what you did but on what the outcomes were. In other words, what great results have you achieved because of your stellar organisational skills?
For example, did you meet a tight deadline that impressed a client? Did you go above and beyond to successfully juggle several projects? Did you develop a new organisational system that was rolled out and helped to improve processes across your entire team? If so, tell your interviewer and be as detailed as you can.
