My manager once unwittingly gave me this answer. Let me share it.

He was to do a presentation to board on a very short notice. He contracted the slides to a colleague and I, without informing either party. My colleague did a very shoddy job as I was better with slides and had all the expertise on the issue, but he was able to send his to the manager just in time for the presentation.

He was already presenting by the time I emailed mine.

So, when he came back, he said: what's the point in having a great slide that no one gets to see?

That stayed with me for a long time. I learnt the art of turning things in first to beat the deadline and waiting for feedback before I go all cylinders in quality.

Why is the interviewer making the question sound as if the two outcomes are mutually exclusive? A job can be done correctly(Rightly) and also done on time. I pity for Job seekers. To be Subservient is a mental condition from which every man must be exorcized from. Be your own BOSS!!!���

A Businessman is always time conscious. If U can't keep to time then you're not serious with your job. If the company sees that you not keeping to Time would make them lose clients and potential clients then they're not going to hire you. Keeping to Time is very important especially in business.

So I go with keeping to Time

pocohantas:



I like to think there is no right and wrong to this question. I might be wrong though.

I disagree that there is no right ot wrong answer, I believe there is a right answer to it.

This is clearly a difference between speed and efficiency, In a professional environment, a newbie takes pride in how fast a job is delivered, not putting too much thought process into the planning and organisation. Therefore, delivering a task or product without thinking deeply about the cost effect of the quality in the long run.

An experienced professional will focus more of quality, efficiency and series of questions that needed to be clarified before embarking on the task. He will do a feasibility test before embarking on the task to make sure the resources available to him or her is enough to see it to it's completion.

In my few years of experience, I have come to discover that Nigerian companies focus more on speed, while international companies focus more on efficiency. You don't need to be a sooth sayer to already know which one works and which one doesn't.

This can be compared to Nigerian industries:

Tech industry, Artisan industry, Fashion industry, Movie industry. All they want is speed. No efficiency, no stability, no quality. Nothing.

I will settle for a job done well with an extended time than ramping up the work within stipulated time because at the end, the assessment of your performance will be most based on the quality of your job before considering the time frame

I would prefer a job timely done well.

Confuse who wan confuse you.

ShenTeh:
My manager once unwittingly gave me this answer. Let me share it.

He was to do a presentation to board on a very short notice. He contacted the slides to a colleague and I, without informing either party. My colleague did a very shoddy job as I was better with slides and had all the expertise on the issue, but he was able to send his to the manager just in time for the presentation.

He was already presenting by the time I emailed mine.

So, when he came back, he said: what's the point in having a great slide that no one gets to see?

That stayed with me for a long time. I learnt the art of turning things in first to beat the deadline and waiting for feedback before I go all cylinders in quality.

Yours was a clear state of No Quality Needed. They just need to present a slide in whatever form or way.

Also note that slides are more of words and not graphics, the word is the important aspect, not the pictures. You can always explain yourself in a presentation after reading out the words on the slides.

Infact, a black and white slide is perfect enough for anything in this World, be it a Global Apple Conference.

Let's be careful in comparing apples to oranges please.

Tokskob2008:
A job done on time that probably has lots of hiccups is no job in the first place so I will settle for a job well done..

they didn't say the job done on time was done with mistakes.

kingyakos:



taking your time to do a job guarantees a better result than when you rush to finish it in a shorter time.

What's the difference with what I said

you said a job well done is a job done on time, this is totally different from what I said.

pocohantas:


I like to think there is no right and wrong to this question. I might be wrong though.

This question is multi-faced and it largely depends on the organization and role.

In typical mid-level to low-level positions, it's simply testing your knowledge of the difference between effectiveness and efficiency and where you would apply each, so the interviewee needs to relate both to the position they're applying to. For example, In a banking teller job, efficiency is very important when processing payments and withdrawals, which means, deliver the job without errors, in reasonable time. In certain other positions, let's say security job, effectiveness matters, which means, get the job done as fast as possible (few errors can be tolerated).

For supervisory and management roles, this may likely not be an interview question but rather a pre-assessment question to determine your culture fit for the organization. For instance, fast paced organizations using agile/scrum methodologies require an incremental delivery approach, which means jobs must be done on time, incrementally, and the focus is not being perfect, but being usable with a feedback loop to fix errors

A job not well done is not even expected to be done at all.
Why will I do a job that won't make them to patronize me again.
If they can't wait for a well done job then they shouldn't bother to bring them in the first place.

Recap: anything good takes time.
Thank you

Contekbbc:
A job not well done is not even expected to be done at all.
Why will I do a job that won't make them to patronize me again.
If they can't wait for a well done job then they shouldn't bother to bring them in the first place.

Recap: anything good takes time.
Thank you

Actually I'd prefer a job well done. Why??
A job done on time maybe be carried out of being in a hurry or pressure so there's room for error or mistake. But a job well done is done in the precise and adequate fashion it ought to be carried out irrespective of time.

Tho it's good to carry out an assignment on time.

abi now!

truthsayer009:

I think it only the job well done that can withstand the test of time. I go for job well done

My answer: I prefer a job well done

Most people will go for a job well done as the answer to the interview question.

However, in practice, I've observed there's more emphasis on timely delivery within the corporate environment, simply because time itself is money to a business. For example, you take 8 hours to conclude a clients order to perfection, another staff takes 4 hours to conclude the same order to 70% perfection and closes 2 orders within your own 8-hour single order. Who do you think will be assessed as more competent?

If you miss your deadlines, you will be perceived as incompetent no matter how well your deliverables are done to avoid errors. Within the available timeline for completing a task, it is expected that you'd put in an above average quality in the deliverable based on your assumed competence per your role.

So realistically, companies generally place more value on a work delivered on time with 65 - 75% accuracy than work done with 100% accuracy for a missed deadline.

So if you are mandated to chose one, go for delivering on time as a good degree of quality should be reflected in work done on time anyway if the performer was averagely competent.

pocohantas:



I like to think there is no right and wrong to this question. I might be wrong though.

A job well done is a job done on time....

My ans : A job well done is a job done on time...

It depends on what the result I'm trying to achieve and the consequences of my actions or inactions. If the consequences of being on time means a shoddy work that will cos me to start afresh, then I prefer it done on time. Eg in construction, there's a number of days required for certain process, if those days are not allowed, then the whole work could collapse. But then again if the minimum requirement is all u have time for, and the minimum requirement is enough to achieve the results u seek, then I will seek for on-time. However, I always strive to make sure my work is done well and on time through proper planning.

truthsayer009:


Yours was a clear state of No Quality Needed. They just need to present a slide in whatever form or way.

Also note that slides are more of words and not graphics, the word is the important aspect, not the pictures. You can always explain yourself in a presentation after reading out the words on the slides.

Infact, a black and white slide is perfect enough for anything in this World, be it a Global Apple Conference.

Let's be careful in comparing apples to oranges please.

I beg to disagree. In fact, it is to the contrary (@the bolded).

Besides, when you are given a task, it is presumed that you will input the best possible quality you can mutter.

That said, my point is, what is the point in working on a task without a deadline? Life itself is locked in a deadline. Whatever is to be done, with whatever excellence required must be delivered within a time frame. Being able to get the best possible output under a given time frame is what the real world is made up of. No task is untimed and open-ended.

So, please deliver to time. The quality of your skills is measured by what you can achieve with it under a timeframe.

If I have not answered your enquiry this time, then I'm out.

placeofallure:
My answer...

Why settle for one when you can have two? In this era of speed and accuracy, you can have a task conscientiously done and timely too.

Thank you.

you have the job,would you resume now?

zealkane:
Actually I'd prefer a job well done. Why??
A job done on time maybe be carried out of being in a hurry or pressure so there's room for error or mistake. But a job well done is done in the precise and adequate fashion it ought to be carried out irrespective of time.

Tho it's good to carry out an assignment on time.

E go shock you. After focusing on quality, you will personally still see errors on the task you took eternity to deliver.

Deliver the to time. It means you are reliable.

ShenTeh:


I beg to disagree. In fact, it is to the contrary (@the bolded).

Besides, when you are given a task, it is presumed that you will input the best possible quality you can mutter.

That said, my point is, what is the point in working on a task without a deadline? Life itself is locked in a deadline. Whatever is to be done, with whatever excellence required must be delivered within a time frame. Being able to get the best possible output under a given time frame is what the real world is made up of. No task is untimed and open-ended.

So, please deliver to time. The quality of your skills is measured by what you can achieve with it under a timeframe.

If I have not answered your enquiry this time, then I'm out.

This is the exact reason Nigerian companies don't progress and I stand to be corrected. Every Nigerian company I have ever worked for, this is the same ideology that was instilled into the minds of the employees & they never progressed or done anything excellently. There is always a certain amount of time expected to do a proper quality work on a specific task, an experienced person who has done this multiple times should be able to ascertain how long it would take. Now if the given time is an under-estimation of the known expected time, then you know you can never receive quality work, except you increase your workforce. EOD.

I do agree that every thing is timed, but if the person given the task comes back with a feedback of what is realistically able to be delivered in good quality over a short period, then It should be looked into and not shoved down the toilet.

The quality of my skills in the overall long term satisfaction of my client, not the quick delivery scheme that will over-bloat my ego for a short period and then the project will be re-done in 6 months because it is not scalable.

Good day everyone

I believe I am motivated enough to do a job well done on time in your company

Its simply asking you if you can work or if you have the ability to work without supervision.

I totally agree with this. I used this strategy to secure a job ahead of others in the past. After scaling through the first, second and third stage, we were given some drawings to be reproduced in AutoCAD under a very short time. The last time I used AutoCAD was seven years ago before that day, so I have forgotten some autoCAD commands. So what I did was that I attempted all the drawings to about 50 to 60% completion. If you give me additional 10 hours I can't finish the drawings as at then because I have forgotten some important commands to complete the whole drawings. So I fooled the assessors by attempting all of them at a very short time and I finally got the job.

GloriousGbola:
Do you deliver the project on time or do you deliver the project well done?

Very loaded question, especially if the project is supposed to generate income for the business.

For management, on time is always better than well done. I learned that the hard and bitter way. You tell management the truth - that this project cannot be feasibly delivered in this timeline, they will push you out and get someone who will say it can. It then becomes a game of managing expectations.


Ironically I have read that the iPhone was not ready when Steve jobs presented it. A lot of smoke and mirrors goes into project commissioning ceremonies because the owners have set a date in stone for showtime

I guess you have to identify the critical parts of the job that MUST BE Ready, and focus on those while putting off non critical parts to later.

Also for the end user and management you must focus on finishing / UI. A well presented incomplete project can fool the people who need to be fooled

a job well done is definitely the right choice, doing it timely but having reworks could be disappointing.

Aswearugaaad

In software engineering, if you intend to be perfect on the first try, your code will never ship and your team mates will probably lose confidence in you. A job is never fully done as there'll be further iterations, so I'll do it as well as I can within the time constraints.

No just end up confusing urself

Seyiemath:
This is the right time to use plenty grammar confuse your questioner

enonche85:


two separate options were given. no other specifics was given.

...Yes it can still have errors but the errors could be minimal compared to a job done timely.

And whats your proof on this?