The interviewer wants to see whether you can negotiate scope and deadlines professionally under resource pressure instead of either accepting burnout or refusing the request.
Show that you would first clarify priorities, quantify your current workload, then propose a specific alternative timeline or a trade-off, and confirm the decision in writing.
Start by thanking your manager for trusting you with the project, then say plainly that you want to make it work without sacrificing the hard deadline next week. Explain that you would first map out your team's current tasks and hours against the remaining days, so you can speak in concrete numbers rather than vague feelings of being busy. Then propose a specific trade-off, such as moving a lower-priority deliverable, reassigning one task to another team member, or asking for a temporary extra resource, and let your manager choose. Frame it as a collaborative decision, not a refusal, by saying something like, "I can take this on if we agree to shift the reporting deadline to Friday or pull in one contractor for two days." Ask your manager to confirm the chosen option in writing through email or a chat message, so everyone is aligned and you have a record in case priorities shift again. In the Philippine BPO context, be mindful that hard deadlines often tie to client SLAs, so acknowledge that you respect the client commitment while protecting quality. Keep your tone respectful and solution-driven, and avoid apologizing excessively, since a calm, structured proposal signals competence better than a nervous apology.
Some candidates over-apologize and say 'Sorry po, hindi ko po kaya, ang dami ko pa pong gagawin' without offering a solution. Instead say, 'I can take this on if we agree to move X deadline or reassign Y task.'
Situation
In my previous internship as a project support intern at a digital agency, my supervisor asked me to help prepare a proposal for a new client while I was still finalizing the weekly status reports for an existing account.
Task
I needed to respond to my supervisor without dropping either task and without agreeing to an unrealistic deadline.
Action
I listed my current tasks and estimated the remaining hours for the status reports. I then told my supervisor, 'I can support the proposal, but I will need until Friday instead of Wednesday because the account reports are due Tuesday. Would it be acceptable if I draft the proposal outline Thursday and complete the full draft Friday?' I also asked which task had higher priority if a conflict arose.
Result
My supervisor agreed to the Friday deadline and moved one small task to another intern. The proposal was submitted on time, and the status reports were delivered without errors.
When asked to take on more work, do not just say no; respond with a clear trade-off and a revised feasible deadline.
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