Among all the different interview questions in the world, some of the most difficult to answer are questions about your work ethic. How do you answer a question about yourself without sounding overly confident, borderline egotistical? 

What tip would you give a candidate on how to answer the interview question, how would you describe your work ethic?

To help candidates in the process of interviewing for a new job, we asked business leaders and HR professionals this question for their best tips for describing work ethic. From making meeting commitments to telling a story, there are several tips that may help you to better describe your work ethic in your next interview.

Here are 14 tips to help you describe your work ethic: 

• Own the First Sentence With Honesty

• Elaborate on How You Strive to Improve the Organization

• Passion, Commitment and Achievements

• Meeting Commitments

• Avoid The “I’m a Hard Worker” Answer

• Highlight Your Health Habits

• Give Concrete Evidence

• Keep Your Examples Centered Around You

• How Would Your Friends Describe You?

• Explain How You Like to Work

• Tell a Story

• Be Honest About How You Work Best

• Say How Your Prioritize and Manage Your Time

• Explain How Your Actions Affect Your Co-workers

Own the First Sentence With Honesty

First, come into the room with shoulders open, a smile, eye contact. Be in the right mind space with deliberation and authenticity. When answering, don't begin each sentence with "I" and own the first sentence in the response with honesty. Describe work ethic in ways that are of value to the employer, the team and to you. Don't try to fake it with words you don't necessarily mean. Posture and countenance will answer this question as much as words

-Kim Allchurch-Flick, Mighty Epiphyte

Elaborate on How You Strive to Improve the Organization

Explain that you have a good balance of both planning, working, and reflecting. Working all day and night is a great skill but the planning and reflecting part will let the interviewer know that you are striving to improve yourself and the goals of the organization. Additionally, that you take risks to try new things, tweak them, or let them go if they don't work out.

-Michael Jonas, Rational Unicorn Legal Services

Passion, Commitment and Achievements

Describing your work ethic can be powerful if you break it down into a couple of categories. 1) The passion for the work you do. This will show your commitment and knowledge to advance your work. 2) Your achievements. Sharing achievements around your work tells the interviewer you are successful. Success comes from working hard and intentional.

-Lisa Faust, Pacific West Bank

Meeting Commitments

I think in the past, having a good work ethic meant working crazy hours to the detriment of one's own wellbeing. Today, having a good work ethic really means meeting commitments. Make a practice of understanding expectations, and then take a proactive approach to staying on track, communicating status, and providing an early warning when something puts a project or task at risk. Having clear boundaries that balance dedication and passion for an organization's purpose and personal wellbeing will benefit both in the end.

-Jen Coyne, The PEAK Fleet

Avoid The “I’m a Hard Worker” Answer

The easy answer in describing work ethic is to say “I’m a hard worker.” Most candidates will answer the work ethic interview question this way. Stand out by sharing what motivates you to work. Talk about a time when you worked hard to achieve an objective, but make it a point to share what motivated you throughout the journey. By letting an employer in on what motivates you, they’ll better be able to gauge whether you’ll stay engaged.

-Brett Farmiloe, Markitors

Highlight Your Health Habits

Describing your work ethic used to be a question only of how you could put in as many hours as possible. These days your answer should demonstrate professionalism to deliver per your commitment, your ability to work hard beyond regular hours, but also an awareness of self-care. An answer should include that you can work as hard and long as needed to get the job done, but that you have regular and healthy habits to ensure optimal work performance on a daily basis and that you strive to plan the timing for executing under deadlines. Your goal is to deliver quality work on time and in such a way that the work gets your best energy and efforts.

-Diane Henkels, Henkels Law LLC

Give Concrete Evidence

Most people will describe their work ethic with alternative adjectives if they don’t first say they are a “hard worker.” Instead of the typical answers, answer that question with concrete evidence. Give the employer one or two short anecdotes that show you giving full effort and having a strong work ethic. When you can answer with real life examples, you set yourself up to look a lot more credible. 

-Ryan Nouis, TruPath

Keep Your Examples Centered Around You

When trying to describe your work ethic you need concrete examples, strong verbs and strong adjectives. Keep your examples short, to the point and centered around you. For example, you could say to your potential employer, “I am a disciplined individual who will not quit until the work is done and done well. An example of this is when I stayed in the office two hours past work hours in order to get this important report done and on my boss’ desk.”  

-Vanessa Molica, The Lash Professional

How Would Your Friends Describe You?

Consider what types of examples other people, like your friends or past coworkers, would use to describe you and your work ethic. Then, use those examples to illustrate your work ethic rather than just claiming you’re a hard worker. When you can back up your claim with examples, you become more attractive to employers.

-Rex Murphy, American Pipeline Solutions

Explain How You Like to Work

Don’t give short answers, like “good” or “excellent.” It actually proves the opposite. Explain how you like to work. Do you plan your day with a to-do list or do you like to power through? Do you get satisfaction from checking off that final project as done or are you always looking to the next task? Your answer doesn’t have to be terribly long and complicated, but it should definitely be more than a word or two.

-Carey Wilbur, Charter Capital

Tell a Story

I would recommend that the candidate draw upon and include real examples in their answer. I love it when candidates state what their work ethic is and then tell me a story to describe it in action. It allows me to picture them in our office and interacting with other employees, and that can make all the difference in an interview!

-Jeanne Kolpek, Cadence Education

Be Honest About How You Work Best

Don’t tell the interviewer what you think they want to hear, tell them the truth! Do you work best first thing in the morning? If so, you may value a flexible work schedule. Do you prefer to take charge? If so, you may be considered for special projects in the future. My point is if you are honest about how you work best, your employer will be able to better align the position to you and your work ethic.

-Elliott Greenberg, Touchfree Concepts

Say How Your Prioritize and Manage Your Time

The interviewer is likely trying to predict how productive and efficient you will be in the role. You could give insight into how you prioritize your work, manage your time and your definition of done. Saying that you will work as many hours in a day is needed doesn't reflect on a mature and experienced knowledge worker, but rather someone who works harder vs. smarter.

-Philip Botha, Culture Advantage

Explain How Your Actions Affect Your Co-workers

Don’t forget to touch on your respect and empathy for your co-workers. An individual with a good work ethic shows respect to co-workers and especially decision-makers. They look for ways to have their work impact others in their company for the better. In your answer, show that you are not just working hard to benefit yourself, but that you care that your work is benefiting the company as a whole. 

-Henry Babichenko, DD, Stomadent Dental Lab 

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