6 Real-Life Examples "How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our firm?" in an Interview

The job interview question “how long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our firm?” is a very popular question.

A lot of people want to know what to answer, or how to answer this question.

I'm going to give you six examples of how professionals answered this question in interviews.

You should look:

  • Show that you have done your research on the company and the position
  • Emphasize your enthusiasm and initiative
  • Talk about the specifics of your plan
  • Feel free to ask for their input regarding your plan

Mistakes You Should Avoid:

  • Don't just give a length of time like "three months" or "six months"
  • Don't say "I don't know"
  • Avoid talking about needing to get the job before knowing when you could make a contribution
  • Don't get caught off-guard and let your nervousness show

I've done my research on the position and I feel like I have a good idea of how I can contribute.

The first thing I'd like to do is get familiar with the department, so I would spend some time getting to know everyone, their roles, and what they're working on. Then, once I've gotten my bearings, I'd start by introducing myself to everyone and making sure they know who I am and what my role will be.

Next, I'd want to understand what the department's goals are so that I can set up some meetings with key stakeholders to get feedback on how we can work together more effectively moving forward.

Then, once we've established those goals and priorities together, it will just be a matter of getting up-to-speed on the technology we use here—which shouldn't take long—and putting my plan into action!


I have done my research on the company and the position, and I am very excited about what this role will allow me to do. I want to make sure that I am able to get up to speed quickly so that I can contribute as soon as possible.

Since this is a new role, there are no expectations for how long it will take me to get up to speed, but I imagine it would take between one and two weeks.

I have worked with [insert previous experience] in the past, so I know what types of processes are needed to accomplish our goals. I definitely have a lot of enthusiasm for this position—I think it will be a great fit for my skillset!


In order to be successful in a new role and truly make a meaningful contribution to your firm, I would need about six months.

I did some research on the company and the position, and it appears that you are looking for someone who can start quickly and get up to speed quickly. This is something I am confident that I can do.

I have been successful in every role where I have been given the opportunity to learn on my own, as well as where I have had the chance to work with others who were willing to train me.

In my current position, I have been able to work independently while also learning from other team members who are more experienced than me. This has allowed me to improve my skills quickly and become an asset to the team right away.


I've done my research on your company and the position, and I'm very enthusiastic about the opportunity to work here.

My plan is to start by learning as much as I can about your current processes and systems, and then implementing some changes that will help streamline operations and increase efficiency—all of which will help our firm meet its goals for 2022.

I'm sure everyone has their own ideas about how we can improve things around here, so I'd love to hear yours!


I've done my research on the company and I am very familiar with the position and its responsibilities. I came across a similar position at [company name] that was open for six months before the person was able to make an impact. That seems like a reasonable amount of time for me to make a difference.

My plan would be to spend the first-month learning as much as possible about your company so that I can hit the ground running once my probationary period is over.

Then I would spend six months focused on helping improve your website's conversion rate—which is something you've mentioned needing help with in other interviews—and implement what I learned during my first month of research into improving our SEO rankings.

I'm very excited about this opportunity and am confident that within two months we can see some real improvements in how effective your website is at converting visitors into customers!


I am excited about the prospect of starting out at [Company Name] because it offers the opportunity to work with great people in an environment that values innovation and creativity.

I would love to discuss my plan in more detail with you, but I can give you an overview of what my contribution would look like:

I plan on doing some research into our competitors' marketing strategies as well as looking into what other companies are doing in similar industries.

Then, I would begin thinking about how we could update our current approaches to marketing so they are more effective at reaching our target audience.

Finally, I would put together a presentation for our top executives explaining why these changes are necessary and how they will benefit us financially as well as strategically.