Commitment, motivation, ambition and drive

Q. When have you demonstrated commitment in the face of adversity? 

Q. When have you excelled under pressure?

City work can be very demanding, and firms will want to know that you will stick around, even when you’re facing long hours and tackling less interesting work. They will also want to see evidence that you’ll be able to rise to the challenge and excel under such circumstances. Demonstrating that you’ve been able to commit to tasks in the past can help to prove that you are a worthy candidate, as can evidencing your ongoing commitment to personal and professional development.

How can you demonstrate commitment, motivation, ambition and drive?

Think about times where you’ve voluntarily committed to something time-intensive. This could include training sessions for a sports team, years of rehearsals for a dance, music or theatre club, mentoring sessions, or a whole host of other extra-curricular activities. Positions of responsibility (e.g. running university societies) can also provide great examples to demonstrate these attributes. After all, choosing to spend your free time doing something interesting or productive requires at least some level of motivation and drive. 

Doing this regularly also requires commitment, whilst if you’re challenging yourself at the same time, there’s your ambition. Moreover, if you continued to commit to a responsibility even in the face of or personal pressure (e.g. stress brought on by the pandemic) or adversity (e.g. if you experienced an injury, but worked through your recovery and continued with a sport), this can help to further demonstrate your drive, as well as your resilience.