How to answer "How do you balance multiple priorities?" in a job interview

You’re at a job interview, and the interviewer asks, "How do you balance multiple priorities?" You freeze for a second.

What’s the best way to show that you can manage multiple tasks? Luckily, there’s a simple model to help with that — the Eisenhower Matrix!

The Eisenhower Matrix is a model to manage tasks by urgency and importance, so you can effectively prioritize your most important work.

Image courtesy of Asana. To hear an audio description of the text in the image, click play on the audio player below.

The Eisenhower Matrix organizes tasks into four categories:

• Urgent & important: Tasks you need to do immediately.

• Important, not urgent: Tasks you should schedule for later.

• Urgent, not important: Tasks you can delegate to others.

• Not urgent, not Important: Tasks you should eliminate or put off.

Juggling tasks is part of almost every job. Interviewers want to know that you can notonly stay organized, but also prioritize effectively under pressure.

The Eisenhower Matrix is a proven way to approach this — and employers love hearing about a structured method.

1. Introduce the Eisenhower Matrix "I use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks by urgency and importance."

2. Explain your approach "I focus on urgent tasks first, schedule important ones, and delegate or drop the rest."

3. Share a real example "For example, when managing multiple projects, I handled deadlines first and planned future tasks accordingly."

4. End with confidence "This method keeps me organized and ensures I meet deadlines efficiently."

Photo by Walls.io on Unsplash

You're in an interview. The interviewer tells you about a typical week when you would be assigned the following tasks:

• Task 1: Submitting a client report due tomorrow

• Task 2: Organizing a team meeting happening next month

• Task 3: Responding to a non-urgent customer email

You're face to face with the interviewer and they ask you, "How do you balance multiple priorities?"

Which response is better?

A: I use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks by urgency and importance. I focus on urgent tasks first, like submitting the client report that’s due tomorrow. I’d then schedule the team meeting for later, since it’s important but not urgent. The non-urgent email would be handled later or delegated. This method helps me stay organized and ensures I meet my deadlines efficiently.

B: I prioritize tasks as they come in. I would start with the customer email because it’s been sitting in my inbox for a while. After that, I’d focus on organizing the team meeting, since I want to get a head start on it. Finally, I would submit the client report, since I have some time left to finish it. This approach allows me to handle tasks as they arise and stay on top of things.

Now that you know how to answer the question, "How do you balance multiple priorities?" take some time to prepare your answer: