Being organized is one of the key qualities that a recruiter looks for in possible candidates. We will discuss how to stay organized in a day in this article. Be it planning to go for a tour with your friends or planning to build a building. Everything requires you to be organized. Almost all jobs require this trait. Essentially, it can be the deciding factor that can get you a job. Not only from a job point of view, being organized can help in your day-to-day life as well. So how should you answer if you are asked this question? Your responses should stand out from the rest of the candidates.
Before we start with the questions, what does the interviewer expect from you to be organized? And why is it something that every company expects? When an interviewer expects you to be organized, he or she expects you to work in a stringent schedule and bring the most out of all tasks you are given with. And why is it important? There may be times when you are expected to do more than one job at a time, and someone who is organized can prioritize effectively and complete both jobs in the stipulated time.
You can show you are organized before even the start of the interview. Wearing a proper dress, having all the necessary documents in order, and extra in case required shows that you pre-plan for things. This makes you stand out and will translate to jobs in which a team member messes up a task, but since you are pre-planned and had extra things required for the task, the team can stay calm and not lose further time.
Everyone is organized at a base level. We are made to follow strict timetables and schedules in our schools and colleges, to make us accustomed to being organized and to develop that habit in our day-to-day life. It is how you implement what you have been taught in real life that makes you stand out from others. The song list you hear and the arrangement of groceries in a supermarket are all organized examples. So, this is a quality that you can apply anywhere. Another important attribute of being organized is, it makes you punctual, and vice versa. Hence, we can say that all good qualities connect to you being organized. It won’t be easy to keep up with the schedule at first, but after some time, you will get used to it, and it will make such a huge difference in your life.
How to stay organized in a day?
Now you must be aware of why companies and recruiters demand and expect someone to be organized. Here are few sample questions that may be asked in an interview and how you must tackle them. This will give you a fair idea of how you must be prepared to answer.
- How do you define being organized? “In simple terms, being organized is following a set routine, say, a timetable, sticking to it, and managing time as efficiently as possible such that you get the best possible outcome of each task in your routine. A plan for all things, not procrastinating and doing the specific task at the specified time.”
- How do you say you are organized? “I write things down, calculate how much time do I need for each task, categorize them based on the time required to complete the task and tasks that need to be completed the earliest. I prioritize the tasks that I have the resources ready to complete. Having helpful tools is also an effective way to manage time. Having tools that can complete a task faster compared to conventional methods. I never compromise for the quality of the work, however fast I complete it.” You can further give examples of you being organized in your previous jobs or studies.
- What benefits do we get if we are organized? “Since we allocate time for every task that we must do, including breaks, we can concentrate on one thing at a time and need not worry about other things, which ultimately lets us bring the best possible out of each task. Also, there is a psychological satisfaction of completing tasks and categorizing them to increase our efficiency further. We also get to know our capabilities and our limits.”
- How does being organized affect teamwork? “Teamwork, though requiring work and effort from everyone in the team, can very well thrive if you are organized. Say your teammate is not organized, and he/she is swamped with work and is under a time constraint. Since you are organized, you can help them in your free time because you have taken care of your work in your stipulated time and remove some of the burdens from your teammates.”
- Is being always organized helpful? “Though being organized helps you in most cases, in some circumstances, you must mix tasks based on priority and be flexible. Being organized, though time-saving when everything is planned, is not suited for unplanned tasks. So, it would be best if you found the right balance between the two. An individual must be able to adapt themselves to work spontaneously and work with a schedule when necessary.”
- What are some of the examples of being organized in day-to-day lives? “Example of someone being methodical in life is someone who follows a meticulous timetable, however meager the tasks are. An arranged table, with a specific place for specific things, someone who does not procrastinate and does the task at the specified time no matter what, say from brushing their teeth, taking a bath, eating breakfast, to planning tasks for the next day and sleeping, is one who is organized.”
- Being organized is tedious. Why would you choose to do it? “All good habits are tedious to do regularly. Almost everyone will have the urge to quit being organized at the beginning. But it is the result that matters, always. Not only does it bring out the best in you, but it also changes you into a better person. You will begin applying it in small things, and it will stop being tedious, over a period.”
- How do you stay organized despite hard-working environments? “A place where an organized person stands out from a disorganized person is in adapting. An organized person knows their limits well and how harsh they can push themselves. Hence, an organized person will be able to adapt quickly to changing environments because they know very well what to prioritize at the right time. An methodical person will not only adapt themselves but also make the team adapt to the changing environment.”
- How would you make the team organized if you are the leader? “If I am the team leader, I would make sure my team adheres to the schedule I issue them. To not make it forced, I would also put forth a suitable schedule for all the team members to get the best out of everyone. Though this is a time-consuming and tedious process, once the schedule is ready, the results from then on will be fast, and I can get the best out of my teammates.”
- Suppose you are given n number of both time and money-consuming tasks; how will you prioritize them? “First, I will categorize them into client expectations. Then which tasks do we lose more on as time passes by? Then, according to my teammates’ skill level, we will categorize the tasks according to which we will finish the fastest. Since all tasks are time and money consuming, we must plan everything and must be ready with the resources before undertaking it so we can reduce as much time as possible and satisfy all clients.”
Now, you must have a fair idea of what you can expect in an interview. You may have the next question. I answer all these questions, but how do I convince the recruiter that I am an organized individual? Through certain actions, you can show that you are an organized person. How?
- A perfect outfit shows that you care about small things.
- Being clear and precise with your answers
- Your understanding of what being organized is
- Preplanning and always bringing extras of necessary things
Being methodical plays a major part in marketing too. Designing a webpage, reaching out to an audience all require the creator to be organized. The page should not be clustered, organized, and easy for the viewer and deliver the appropriate message. This shows that being organized is not something that you should be in real life, but in things that u apply your knowledge to. You can always trust a well-organized person of important works. Hence it is an important trait to develop, and the sooner, the better. Sometimes, your timetable does not work. Plus, being organized lets you see where you made a mistake, and you can correct it the next time. But it would be best if you did not stop there. Rather, you must learn from the mistakes and come out stronger and with a better plan the next day.
Also read How To Say “Thank You” On Different Occasions
