How many hours a week do you normally work?
The answer to this question is different for different work settings and therefore it is important for a candidate to prepare a personalized answer beforehand.
In this article from the How To Answer Series by Your Legal Career Coach, we bring you guidance and tips on how to answer ‘How Many Hours A Week Do You Normally Work.’ during an internship or job interview. Read on!
WHY DOES A RECRUITER ASK THIS QUESTION?
Interview questions about how much you work can be challenging because employers ask this for a variety of reasons. Some companies may inquire about your working hours in order to determine how well you manage your time and fulfil your tasks. Others want to know if you’re willing to put in long hours for the company’s benefit. At other companies, a 40-hour workweek is the norm, and everyone gets home on time. However, at some businesses, everyone is expected to work 50 or 60 hours per week without question.
TIPS TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION
- DO THOROUGH RESEARCH
Certain industries and companies like the legal field and law firms in particular are known for having long hours, and employees that prioritize putting in the hours. For instance, if you’re applying for a role at a company that offers perks like free dry cleaning for employees or offers free meals on the company campus, that’s a good signal that, in return, managers will expect employees to work long hours. At other companies, the culture may skew toward strict nine-to-five hours, with late nights seen as a reflection that an employee has poor time management. You will be able to give a stronger and structured response if you research the company and industry beforehand.
Read Our Article On ‘How To Answer- Are You Willing To Fail’ HERE.
- HIGHLIGHT YOUR WORK STYLE
While the question is about hours, it’s best to avoid giving numbers in your response. Instead, focus on how you do your work—you can talk about how you stay on schedule. Speak generally about the way you typically complete your work. This gives you some leeway in your answer and allows you to play up some of your strengths, like your efficiency, time management, or persistence.
- EMPHASISE YOUR COMMITMENT
Even a company that’s keen to provide employees with a decent work-life balance will frequently want to know that you’re willing to put in the time when it counts. It’s a good idea to mention that you’re willing to spend long hours to assist coworkers in need or to launch vital projects.
Read our article on ‘How To Answer- Do You Take Work Home With You’- HERE.
For example, if you are applying for a law firm, an ideal answer may be something like this-
I have always been able to create and maintain an efficient work schedule that allows me to work on the same number of hours per week. Of course, when I am working on a particularly important or difficult project, I am happy to occasionally increase those hours to produce my best work.
OR
Work-life balance is important to me, so I work extremely hard on weekdays so that I can complete my duties and focus on my family on the weekends. I will certainly come in on occasional weekends whenever needed, but I think my time management skills will make that the exception rather than the rule.
HOW NOT TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION
- DO NOT MAKE A COMMITMENT
Make sure your answer does not pin you down to a specific number of hours, instead you can say that you will work according to what the workload requires.
- DO NOT IMPLY LAZINESS
Refrain from giving an answer that could make it sound like you work inefficiently (e.g., “Since I’m slow to get started in the morning, I usually wind up having to stay late once everyone else has left the office”). It is also important to avoid implying that people who work short hours are lazy. Instead of being condescending, you can focus on conveying that you get the job done, efficiently.
YLCC would like to thank Sachet Labroo for his valuable insights in this article.
Read our article on ‘How To Answer- What Motivates You’- HERE.
