How do you get people from other departments to prioritise your project work when they do not report to you?

What the interviewer is looking for

• This question tests leadership without authority. Gets commitment from people who do not report to them through clarity, relationships and accountability, and handles performance issues with care.
• What to bring out: Builds relationships, explains why the work matters to them, agrees commitments with their managers, and makes progress visible.
• Expect a follow-up like: What do you do when that still does not work?

Another way it may be asked: You need help from the finance team, but they have their own priorities. How do you get them to make time for your project?

A structure to follow: STAR, with the weight on Action and Result

1. Step 1

   Situation

   One or two sentences: where, when and what was at stake. Pick a real example you were close to.

2. Step 2

   Task

   What you personally were responsible for. Say "I", not only "we", so the leadership without authority you showed is visible.

3. Step 3

   Action

   The two or three things you did and why you chose them over the alternatives. This should be about half your answer.

4. Step 4

   Result

   What changed, in your own measure of it, and what you would do differently. Only use numbers you can stand behind.

This is guidance on shape, not a script. Use your own real experience and facts; never invent details to fill a gap. See the STAR guide and answer frameworks.

Common slips

• Describing what the team did without saying what you did.
• Choosing an example with no clear outcome, or one you cannot answer detailed questions about.
• Ending on the action and skipping the result and what you learned.

How to practise it

Write two bullet points for each STAR letter, then say the answer aloud in about two minutes.

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• Tell me about a project where a key dependency slipped. How did you rework the schedule?
• How do you identify risks early on a project, and how do you track them once you have?

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