Tough Interview Questions - How many hours do you typically work?

Following is a tough interview question:

How many hours do you typically work?

Similar interview questions:
What is your normal work schedule? Do you work a straight 40 hour workweek or do you put in overtime? What are your standard work hours?

Why the interviewer is asking this question:
This question is normally asked only by interviewers who will be expecting more than a typical 40 hour work week. It is not as much a question about work ethic as it is about work expectations. However, don't assume that because the question is being asked that the interviewer will want you to put in 80+ hours per week. Yet there are some industries (such as investment banking) where a high number of hours is the expectation.

The best approach to answering this question:
You can try to avoid the specifics of the hours by answering with the "whatever it takes" approach, but you should also be prepared for the interviewer to bring you back to specifics (such as: "For example, how many hours did you work last week?"). If you have any concerns about long hours and/or work life balance, this is a good time to vet this out. You need to answer the question in your mind whether xx number of hours as a work requirement would be a no from you as a candidate for the job. The best way to answer the question is in general terms, then ask a question back before the interviewer has an opportunity to ask you for specific numbers."

An example of how to best answer this question:
"The number of hours varies, depending on the needs. I am willing to put in whatever it takes to get things done. For an example, a couple weeks ago our entire team put in an 80 hour work week to make sure a key deliverable was on schedule, although we do not typically put in that number of hours. How many hours per week do you expect for this role?"

An example of how you should not answer this question:
"I work a pretty consistent 40 hour work week. My view is that anyone who cannot get their work done in 40 hours is not prioritizing their work properly. Whenever I see someone staying late, I know that they weren't being productive during the day to get their work done, so they have to stay late."

Remember to answer each interview question behaviorally, whether it is a behavioral question or not. The easiest way to do this is to use an example from your background and experience. Then use the S-T-A-R approach to make the answer a STAR: talk about a Situation or Task (S-T), the Action you took (A) and the Results achieved (R). This is what makes your interview answer uniquely yours and will make your answer a star!