How to answer the job interview question: "Tell me about a time you went above and beyond at work?"

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A common question in a job interview is to be asked how you've stepped out of your comfort zone in handling a problem in a prior role.

Perhaps you addressed a challenge with a customer or covered for a team member who was away.

A simple way to help craft your answer is by framing your response using the SOAR model: Situation, Obstacle, Action, and Result.

The first step is to set the scene: where, when, and what was behind the situation that lead you to take action? A sample situation could be this:

I was on a team that was nearing an important launch date for a product.

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The second step is to define the obstacle. A sample obstacle could be:

A key person on the product launch team suddenly took ill and was not able to complete their tasks.

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The third step is to explain what you did to overcome the obstacle. A sample action could be:

I offered to cover for the sick person, and requested key documents from them in order to get up to speed quickly on what needed to be done.

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The fourth step is to explain the outcome. As a result of going above and beyond in handling a challenge in the workplace, what happened? Was the project completed on time? Was a customer satisfied? Did a team become more closely knit?

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To be ready when you're asked in a job interview about how you've gone above and beyond in the workplace: