Even if you thoroughly prepare for your interview, you may encounter questions that are challenging to answer. One interesting question is “Describe your perfect workday,” which employers use to assess what you value in your career. Preparing your answer for this question ahead of time can help you appear confident and assure interviewers that you meet the role’s qualifications. In this article, we teach you how to answer the “Describe your perfect workday” interview question by providing instructions and sample answers.
It’s easy to highlight your previous experience if the interviewer asks, “Tell me about the best day you’ve ever had at work.” Even if they don’t use this phrasing, you can recount an example of a perfect workday that you’ve already experienced.
What’s Your Perfect Day?
Interviews for Top Jobs at Perfect Day
Fermentation Lab Tech Interview
I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Perfect Day (Berkeley, CA)
Interview
Had a one on one phone interview and was offered a second round interview with 10+ people at the company’s Berkeley location. Even though I was not offered the position the interview experience was nothing but enjoyable! Everyone was so nice and the process wasn’t intimidating at all.
- How would you deal with potential conflict
Research Associate II, Strain Engineering Interview
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Perfect Day in Apr 2022
Interview
Unclear communication of structure or individuals to anticipate calls from initially. Ultimately there were two one-on-one phone interviews (1 hour total.) Then they scheduled a 3 hour panel interview with the team over a 4 hour window (12pm-4pm) for which they sent me a schedule. The initial part was a 45 minute “seminar” that I assumed had to do with the company since they had me sign an NDA for the panel interview.When the seminar started, the lead asked me to go ahead and take the floor to give my seminar. Apparently, the company forgot to send me the e-mail specifically regarding the expectations for the seminar. I ended up presenting an old project report from a prior job just to fill the time.I received text notice between sessions that it was confirmed the error was not mine, identifying the issue with the missing e-mail.The rest of the interview went solidly, ultimately I could tell I wasn’t the perfect skill set for the job, but I interviewed well.After the panel finished, in a separate e-mail, I was provided one more apology, AND THEN ASKED IF I WOULD LIKE HELP WRITING THE PANEL THANK YOU NOTES. I was told to “please sit tight as we will have feedback for you soon.”OVER TWO WEEKS LATER (the entire process up to this point had been 12 days), they responded to let me know the obvious, they had “decided not to move forward with my candidacy.” I had already accepted another position.What a waste of time.
- Standard stuff“Tell us your relevant work experience?”“Have you had to manage a project independently?”“Tell us about a time things went wrong and what you did to fix them?”“Is there anything about Perfect Day that drew you to us specifically?”“What is your preferred style for managing/being managed?”“What do you like to do to relax outside of work?”
IT Position Interview
I interviewed at Perfect Day (Berkeley, CA)
Interview
I did a phone screen then a Zoom interview. Felt things were going well then got the standard “we have gone with someone else.” I got nothing else after that in terms of reason or response. I really did want to work for this company.
- How do you manage tech in the office
Example 1: Grocery store associate
“My perfect workday is one that allows me to provide exceptional customer service. It would begin with organizing the store to make all the displays look presentable. I would also ensure I have enough time to help customers find the products theyre looking for and make recommendations. Throughout my experience, Ive found that these small acts ensure customers feel valued and increase the chances of them returning.”
Research the company’s values
Aside from reviewing the job description, try to research the companys values when preparing your answer. You can look at the website, review social media posts or ask current employees about the companys culture. Youre likely to find key values like work ethic, integrity and commitment to customer satisfaction. Employers often prefer candidates with similar values, as theyre passionate about working toward the same goals.
Consider someone who wants to be a retail manager. If they apply to a company that cares about the environment and share this value, the candidate can incorporate this information into their answer. In addition to creating a safe workplace and providing customer service, their perfect workday could involve implementing policies to help the store reduce its ecological footprint.
Review the job description
As you prepare your answer, consider reviewing the job description. You can see what the employer expects from you and incorporate the main duties into your answer. For instance, a job description for a marketing role might require candidates to have experience with social media management. You could mention that your ideal workday would involve conducting research to increase engagement. This answer highlights your ability to perform the job descriptions requirements while emphasizing your drive to get more customers for the company.
How to answer the “Describe your perfect workday” interview question
Follow these steps to answer the “Describe your perfect workday” interview question:
This isn’t the place to debut your fantasy career as a tennis pro. If the job you’re interviewing for includes managing a team, talk about how the day includes productive meetings with your squad (leadership skills). If you’ll be in a marketing role, talk about how the day would include a breakthrough by using a new form of digital media (tech-savvy skills and being results oriented). This question is a great way to wave your passion points in with the skills you want to emphasize in the interview.
Recently, it came out that Facebook’s head recruiter’s favorite interview question to ask is more like a personal essay question. “On your very best day at work—the day you come home and think you have the best job in the world—what did you do that day?”
As interview questions go, this one is actually a pretty useful one to consider for your general career goals. Long before you step into any interview, you should know what makes you tick, professionally. And being able to focus in on that in an interview will make you a stronger, more confident candidate.
Now that this is making the viral rounds, don’t be surprised to hear it in your non-Facebook interviews as well. Here are some tips for breaking the question down and being ready to pounce on it. If you have a upcoming job interview, make sure to go over these 10 toughest interview questions.
Kate Lopaze is a writer, editor, and digital publishing professional based in New York City. A graduate of the University of Connecticut and Emerson College with degrees in English and publishing, she is passionate about books, baseball, and pop culture (though not necessarily in that order), and lives in Brooklyn with her dog.
I love listening to podcasts. It’s summer in Berlin and that means I take my bike everywhere I go. And one of my favorite things to do is to listen to podcast while biking home from work. These days I’ve been hooked on Chase Jarvis’ podcast. He does such an amazing job interviewing other creatives; wisdom that come from them are so good, sometimes I have to stop my bike, pull out my little notebook and write them down. So I decided to start writing about those inspiring quotes I hear from those creative people.
Your answer to this question, what would your perfect day could be in five years?, tells you what you really want in life, and what you should stat working on today to get that life you want. We should ask ourselves and answer every year, I think. Because we tend to change our mind a lot and life constantly changes.
Today, I was listening to Debbie Millman’s episode, and this was the inspiring phrase that stopped my bike.
I write mini articles about inspiring quotes I hear and random thoughts I get in the shower
What’s so special about this is that usually the way we are asked this sort of questions, they don’t give us the chance to be imaginative, specific and define what we really want. “Where do you see yourself five years from now?” A classic job interview question. It’s so vague. In our mega fast-paced world with thousands of options to take, we don’t even know what we’d be doing in a month. How are we supposed to describe where we’d be 60 months from now? That’s 5 christmases, probably a couple of job switches and life crisis. A lot of us hate this question because we get lost. So we just say, I see myself running several projects and managing a motivated team.
How to Prepare Your Answer
Use these tips to help you prepare and construct your answer to “What does a typical workday look like?” and similar questions.
FAQ
What is your ideal workday answer?
- Read the Job Description. …
- Lay Out Your Tasks at Your Current or Most Recent Job. …
- Find the Overlap. …
- Go in Chronological Order. …
- Make Sure Your Answer Is Concise. …
- But Don’t Forget to Mention the “Why”
What would a perfect work day look like to you?
How does your day look like interview question?
Think about what you do during your average day of work. Consider what are your biggest tasks or responsibilities. Share how you manage your time and what makes you an effective employee. Explain what you enjoy about your job and what you might hope to do in this new role.
What makes for a great workday?
