How to Answer: Tell Me About a Time You Juggled High Priority Tasks

As a flight attendant, one of the most critical skills you should possess is the ability to juggle multiple high-priority tasks simultaneously. Your potential employer knows this, which is why they often ask job seekers during interviews about their experience in this area. So, if you want to increase your chances of landing that coveted flight attendant job, it is essential to know how to answer this question effectively.

After all, the airline company wants to know that you are capable of managing numerous tasks without getting overwhelmed or forgetting important details. In order to answer this question, you should provide a specific example that demonstrates your ability to juggle multiple projects or activities at once.

Discuss any strategies or techniques that you used to stay organized and ensure that everything was done properly. Be sure to back up your answer with tangible examples of how successful your efforts were and what was the outcome.

Why is the Airline Company Recruiter Asking This Question?

The recruiter is asking this question because he/she wants to see how well you handle pressure while working in a fast-paced environment.

Flight attendants are responsible for ensuring that everyone on the plane is safe and comfortable, and sometimes, that means dealing with multiple issues simultaneously. The recruiter wants to know that you can take care of this aspect of the job and that you have experience in prioritizing and multitasking.

The type of question may be similar to “How do you prioritize your work?” but it is more specific and challenging because you need to come up with a past experience that you’ve already done. You don’t want to make it up, but rather provide a real-life example that shows you have the skills to handle multiple tasks at once.

Other Variations to This Question

Here are some variations of the question you may encounter during your flight attendant interview:

• How do you prioritize your work? Can you give an example?
• Describe a time you had to juggle multiple tasks.
• Tell me about a situation when you had to manage numerous tasks at once.
• Talk about an instance where you successfully managed several competing priorities.
• How do you handle pressure when it comes to managing multiple tasks?
• Tell me about a time when you had to handle multiple tasks in a high-pressure environment.
• Give me an example of a time when you had competing demands on your time.
• Describe a situation where you had to manage multiple priorities at once.

Also Read: How to Answer: Tell me About a Time You Took a Leadership Role

Step-by-Step Procedure to Answering This Question

To answer this question effectively, follow these steps:

1. Identify an appropriate example from your work experience that demonstrates how you handled competing tasks simultaneously and the outcome of that experience.
2. State the problem that confronted you and list the tasks assigned to you.
3. Examine your response, what approach did you take, what steps did you take to resolve the issue, and what did you learn.
4. Describe how you prioritized and decided which tasks to tackle first and why.
5. Highlight how you balanced competing responsibilities and managed to complete all tasks.
6. Conclude by stressing how this experience equipped you with the required skills to effectively manage competing and high-priority tasks in your future role as a flight attendant.

Sample Answers to This Question of Juggling Different Tasks

Here are some sample answers to this question:

• “I had to juggle multiple tasks when I worked as a sales assistant at XYZ Department Store. My job was to ensure that the floor was well-stocked with merchandise while also attending to customer inquiries. In order to successfully manage both responsibilities, I made sure that my team and I were organized by dividing up duties among us and following a strict timeline for stocking shelves. We were also able to assess which areas of the store needed more attention and prioritize accordingly. In the end, we were able to complete all our tasks on time, leaving the customers satisfied.”
• “When I was working as a medical receptionist, there were times when I had to handle multiple tasks at once since patients were always coming in with different needs. I would prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance, making sure to attend to the patients that required immediate attention first. This involved efficiently multitasking between fielding phone calls, scheduling appointments, and assisting visitors in the reception area. I was able to successfully manage all of these responsibilities and ensure that everyone’s needs were met.”
• “There was a moment in my job in the hotel where I had to manage a number of tasks at once. We were expecting a big conference and I was chosen to be the point person for the event. It meant that I had to plan all logistics, order supplies, coordinate with vendors, and look after customer service inquiries. To successfully juggle all these responsibilities, I divided up tasks into manageable chunks and delegated them among my team members. This allowed us to get everything done on time and ensure that the event ran smoothly.”
• “During my time as a flight attendant for ABC Airlines, I often had to handle multiple tasks at once while ensuring that passengers remain safe throughout their journey. For example, during an eight-hour flight from Los Angeles to New York City, I had to make sure that the cabin was stocked with food and beverages while also addressing passenger inquiries regarding entertainment options or other services. In order to
• “During my previous job, I worked as a personal assistant, balancing the needs of my boss and my several other clients simultaneously, ensuring each received the same high standard of service delivery. One time, my boss requested a critical and urgent report on his desk within an hour, whereas my client needed me to wrap up a project they were working on urgently. After analyzing the workload, I began by breaking down the tasks into smaller achievable ones, then prioritized the most urgent ones to complete first. I then set out a clear action plan that helped me meet both demands effectively, and both projects were delivered on time and met all the requirements.”
• “One time, I was working as a server in a busy restaurant. I was taking an order for a table when another group of customers raised a concern about their food order. The waiting time for the food was becoming a concern for them. I assured them and quickly went to the kitchen to check on the situation regarding their meal. I communicated their concerns to the chef and worked with the kitchen team to ensure that their orders were prioritized with the next batch of orders. While doing this, I was also communicating with the two other tables that I was serving to keep them updated.”
• “During the peak season at a clothing store I was working at, a customer requested the manager’s attention, who was away on lunch. At the same time, another customer had walked into the store seeking my assistance with finding a specific item that they wanted to purchase. Of course, we always aim to give our customers full and uninterrupted attention, but I had to manage this situation. I greeted both customers, then turned to assist the one who needed help finding an item, looked up the item by SKU, provided the correct size and helped her complete the purchase, while communicating politely with both customers. Afterward, I apologized for keeping the first customer waiting a little longer than expected but promised to assist them fully to their satisfaction, which I achieved.”
• “When working as a nurse during a shift at a hospital, I was required to manage competing tasks, such as administering medication to patients, providing care to the elderly, and responding to emergencies. Clearly understanding each unique scenario’s urgency and prioritized each task by running a series of quick risk-benefit analyses. Still, it’s critical to maintain situational awareness of each patient’s unique needs and circumstance. I managed to complete all the tasks thanks to my attention to detail and quick decision-making skills.”
• “During my previous job at the customer service desk, I was working during a particularly busy day. Phones were ringing continuously, while several customers were vying for my assistance simultaneously. One customer had a billing issue, while another needed assistance booking a flight. To handle the situation, I made a quick decision to assess each customer’s unique needs, taking care of the less complex tasks first to create space to address the more complex ones. I resolved the billing issue and provided assistance to the customers that needed to reschedule or book their flights, ensuring that they were satisfied with the outcomes.”
• As a student, I had to balance academics, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and a part-time job. During a busy week, I received the challenge of completing a challenging paper that required extensive research. However, I had other commitments and needed to create a plan that would enable me to complete the task without compromising quality. I created a schedule that allowed me to spend a designated amount of time on research, as well as time for completing homework and meeting other commitments, and set a deadline for each task. I managed to get excellent grades in my coursework, participated in extracurricular activities, and met the deadlines set for volunteer work and job requirements.

The above points are various examples based on different work professions and scenarios that demonstrate my ability to manage competing tasks. I am confident in my ability to assess each situation and prioritize tasks accordingly.

Please align your answer based on your personal experience. Use the samples above as references and be sure to provide specific details about the situation you experienced. You don’t want to end up making up your answer and lying!

Tips on How to Answer the Question

If you are asked this question, take time to think about a relevant experience that demonstrates your multitasking skills. Here are some other tips:

• Think of an example of when you had to manage multiple tasks, prioritize them efficiently and still achieve the desired outcome without compromising quality.
• Be honest and specific in your response.
• Use action words to describe what you did.
• Explain the reason for the approach used.
• Emphasize the outcome of your response in handling the varying priorities.

Questions to Ask Yourself to Help You Answer

Should you get asked this question, you can use the following questions to help answer it:

• What tasks did you have to manage at the same time?
• How did you prioritize them and why?
• What strategies and decisions did you make in order to handle each task successfully?
• Did any positive outcomes or results come from your approach?
• Do you feel confident in your multitasking skills? Why or why not?
• What were the competing priorities?
• How did you decide on which task to tackle first?
• What action did you take, and why did you take that approach?
• What was the outcome of your response?

The above questions will enable you to provide a detailed response that accurately highlights your multitasking abilities. Employers will be looking for evidence of how well you can work under pressure, so remember to emphasize any successes that came as a result of your decisions. This will demonstrate that you are

Examples of Bad Answers

While you should avoid fabricating an answer to this question, here are some examples of bad responses that could give the wrong impression.

• “I’m really good at multitasking because I like to get things done fast.” – This response is too vague and does not provide any evidence of your multitasking abilities.
• “I have no issues with multitasking – I’m a pro!” – This response is too boastful and provides no example of how you handled multiple tasks simultaneously.
• “I don’t really have to multitask, because I’m usually able to finish whatever tasks are assigned to me.” – This response does not demonstrate your ability to handle multiple tasks at the same time.
• “I can’t remember the precise instances I juggled multiple tasks simultaneously.” – This response does not provide any insight into your multitasking abilities.
• “It wasn’t’ a big deal.” – This response undermines the challenge of multitasking and suggests that it is not a difficult task.

By avoiding these types of responses and providing an honest and specific answer based on your own experience, you can present yourself as a strong candidate who is capable of managing competing tasks under pressure.

Video: How you would handle finishing multiple tasks

Check out this quick video by Career Confidential on YouTube where they share a helpful tip about how to answer the question about task prioritization:

Based on the video, they discussed that it’s not about how you successfully completed all tasks, but it’s about the skill of taking a step back and assessing the situation. This involves the ability to recognize which tasks have priority, and in what order they should be completed.

Also Read: How to Answer: Do You Prefer Working Alone or as a Team?

Summary

Being a flight attendant requires you to juggle several tasks simultaneously, and potential employers understand this. Thus, the importance of the “Tell me about a time you had to juggle multiple high-priority tasks. How did you handle it?” question during interviews.

To answer this question in the best possible way and increase your chances of landing the job, use this guide, follow the steps, answer truthfully, and emphasize the approach used and the outcome of your response.