To answer ‘Describe a time when you went above and beyond your role at work’ when having a graduate interview, it is integral that you show how you would be perfect for the role and provide an example that not only shows your character but exhibits strengths that the company is looking for.
Research the company
Before interviewing for any company, research is vital so that you can learn about the mission statements and values. It can help you structure a response that naturally incorporates what the company finds important, as well as what they are looking for in their employees.
Choose a relevant example
Using what you know about the company, find an example that applies their values. Use a situation that highlights how you were able to adapt to a stressful situation, take on more responsibilities or even work well with your co-workers. Exhibiting teamwork and understanding is a necessary skill that employers are happy to hear about. It is then important to provide the background for when you went above and beyond, for example, it could be that your supervisor was unable to come into work one day, and you had to take over their role, due to being the employee that had the most experience. This example shows that you are also ready to show initiative and that you are confident in taking on new tasks.
Use the example to detail the specific actions you took
Make sure to describe the actions that you took to go beyond your role at work, and how you used your knowledge, and experience and applied it to the situation. You can detail your actions by highlighting the initiatives that you took, and how you utilised skills you were taught at work that you applied to the situation. There also does not need to be a big situation in that you went above and beyond, for example, maybe in your role you noticed that you liked to go to work earlier to get more tasks done. You can still show initiative through doing smaller tasks, as long as you highlight that you can go beyond your established role.
Reflect on what you learnt going above and beyond
Finally, reflect on what you learnt during the experience, and how it has contributed to your professional growth. You can highlight any skills you learnt and how you applied them to your job or recent jobs after.
✏️ Example:
“During my time at [company] I experienced a situation in which I had to take on a higher leadership role. It was a very busy night at my restaurant and the manager was unable to work because they were sick. I was the most experienced worker at the time, so I had to coordinate all the workers and assign them roles for the night. While it was intimidating, I had been watching the manager and therefore knew what to do. It ended up being a busy night and even though I was stressed, I tried to stay calm and be a good manager. That night I learnt that it is important to relegate tasks that work for specific employees, and I also learnt time management. These are tools that I used going forward in my job and because of that I was promoted to supervisor.” |