Core java interview Questions You'll Most Likely Be Asked (Second Edition)

318.
CHAPTER
03
Deadlines and Time
Management
Tell me about a time when you didn’t meet a deadline.
Answer:
Ideally, this hasn’t happened - but if it has, make sure you use a
minor example to illustrate the situation, emphasize how long ago
it happened, and be sure that you did as much as you could to
ensure that the deadline was met. Additionally, be sure to include
what you learned about managing time better or prioritizing tasks
in order to meet all future deadlines.
As an example:
I rarely, if ever miss a deadline. With that said, I do recall about
two years ago I missed a deadline in submitting a report to the
finance department. The problem ended up being that I had
taken on too many projects all at once, and then had a couple of
“urgent” unexpected issues thrown in as well that same week. I
failed to ask for help, thinking I could do it all on my own and not
wanting to give my supervisor the impression that I couldn’t
handle the job. What happened though was that I did let the
supervisor down and when I sat down to discuss the issue with
them they assured me that if I had just kept the communication
open about my workload, they would have helped pick up the
slack. From then on, I made sure to be more open with my
supervisor with my current workload and express any concerns I
have with deadlines. I have not missed a deadline since, and my

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320.
relationship with my team mates and productivity within the
department have both improved along with the more open
communication.
How do you eliminate distractions while working?
Answer:
With the increase of technology and the ease of communication,
new distractions arise every day. Your interviewer will want to see
that you are still able to focus on work, and that your productivity
has not been affected, by an example showing a routine you
employ in order to stay on task.
As an example:
Each morning, I look over the days tasks and prepare for what I
need to do. I check my e-mail, messages, and other personal
items and then put away my personal devices. I make sure my
family and friends know that I check messages only during
breaks, and that if there is an emergency they have a good
phone number to reach me. During breaks during the work week,
I do not engage in a lot of social media, as that can drag in to the
work day. On my breaks I prefer to walk, read, check in with a
coworker for a few minute chat, or message a family or friend to
say hello then it is back to work.