Recruiters often ask candidates about their preferred work tasks during selection interviews, in order to understand what motivates the person on a day-to-day basis.
When it comes to a job, the task represents work at the atomic level: it’s the smallest common denominator. Talking about a person’s preferred tasks provides a concrete way to discuss how satisfied the person is with their job.
For a candidate, being asked about their preferred tasks can seem like an easy question with few potential pitfalls. After all, the candidate is being asked to talk about something they are well acquainted with, and they can take a positive approach by highlighting their interests at the same time.
That being said, it’s important for candidates to treat this question as an important one and to prepare in advance for it.
As well, if you are a candidate, keep in mind that this question is focused on your preferences, not your abilities. Many candidates confuse the two when preparing for the question.
Be precise and avoid banal responses
The challenge for candidates answering this question is to give a response that’s both interesting and relevant, which can be a little more tricky than expected.
This is because most candidates spend too much time giving non-specific answers that could be given by any person with a job.
For example, a candidate might say that they prefer tasks that are “stimulating.” But who doesn’t like tasks that are stimulating? As a recruiter, receiving this response from a candidate will prompt me to ask what specific tasks they find stimulating.
Often, they will reply with “Hmm… that’s a good question… Uh, I guess any task I find interesting.”
It may seem like I’m exaggerating, but this exchange happens on a regular basis. Once a candidate gives this response, I move on to the next question since we’re just going in circles. It’s a missed opportunity for me to get to know the candidate better.
Put some color in your answer
Once a candidate is able to provide specific examples in response to the question, it can be enlightening.
“I really enjoy working with clients who are perceived as being difficult, because I enjoy the challenge of finding a way to satisfy them. It’s pure psychology! For example, I had a client who liked to ask me questions meant to throw me off balance and I had to think about how to change the dynamic of our exchanges. I like getting pushed outside of my comfort zone.”
From this response, I learn that the candidate likes to work with people and isn’t overly bothered by people’s hostile attitudes. I also know that they value their own ability to adapt to new situations.
The candidate’s manner of speaking and their choice of words also helped me to analyze who they are and how they work.
Regular tasks vs. exceptional tasks
There’s an important distinction to be made between the tasks you do every day and those that you do in a special case.
If your job involves a lot of repetitive work, your spectrum of responses to such a question may seem limited. For example, say you’re a server working in a restaurant. At first glance, it may seem you’re limited to talking about taking orders, serving customers, cleaning tables or accepting payments.
Many candidates hesitate to get into the exceptional tasks they have to accomplish now and then, because these tasks are not representative of their day-to-day work. If you feel this way, try framing your answer like this:
“The task I’d most like to talk to you about wasn’t part of my day-to-day duties, but I think it will give you some insight into my personality. I hope that works for you.”
Here’s an example of an exceptional task.
You’re a server in a restaurant and, one day, you are asked to replace the manager during their vacation, requiring you to organize the company Christmas party for all employees.
This task highlights a valuable characteristic that may have gone unnoticed in the context of a different question, and sheds light on you and your potential as a possible future employee.
Remember to not appear enthusiastic to the point that you seem as if you view all your other work-related tasks as annoying. This is especially true if the job you’re interviewing for is similar to the one you’re talking about.
The tasks you like the least
The question about what your favorite work-related tasks will often be followed by the reverse question: What are your least-favorite tasks in your job?
Whatever you do, don’t say: “I like all tasks! I’m a positive person.”
This response doesn’t come across as credible to me, and is little more than a waste of time.
It’s clear that the recruiter will have to double-down on the question, perhaps with an air of exasperation: “That’s very nice for you, but surely there must be some tasks you like less than others?”
There’s always a risk that you may be judged negatively based on your response, but it’s far better than taking on the risks associated with dodging the question.
You’ll no doubt want to avoid mentioning a task that you would be doing on a regular basis as your least-favorite. If you’re a server, don’t tell the recruiter that you hate serving people!
But you can talk about specific types of customers (arrogant people, or those who try to haggle over price) and situations (having to serve several large groups alone, or long uneventful stretches of work) that you dislike.
Also, the important thing isn’t so much the task itself, but the reason you dislike it. For example, if you say your least-favorite task is serving large groups of people, the recruiter may conclude that you have a hard time managing stress.
But if you say “I find serving large groups of people difficult because I’m not able to establish a connection with each customer, which is what I like to do”, suddenly this weak point seems more like an asset.
In conclusion
If you’re preparing for a job interview, I suggest you complete the following exercise.
For each job you’ve had, make a list of the three tasks you enjoyed the most and the three you enjoyed the least. It could prove to be very useful, not to mention interesting!
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