Interview Questions and Tips
1.Describe A Time When You Were Faced With A Difficult Situation And How You Handled It :-
Think about a time when you came up against a challenge that you successfully resolved. Don’t dredge up a catastrophe that resulted in personal or professional failure – stick to a story with a happy ending. Ideally, don’t make it about a personal clash with a co – worker but rather a professional challenge that places you in a positive light.
The interviewer is also trying to determine what you define as ‘difficult’ so try to choose an example that was challenging but not impossible to resolve.
Good examples are:
- pulling off a big project on a miniscule budget
- a contract falling through at the last minute; having to do the work yourself
- how you dealt with client requests to meet tight deadlines
- an unexpected event throwing your plans into disarray, and how you got things back on track
The interviewer wants to see that you have resilience, problem-solving skills, initiative and the ability to work around less-than desirable situations. Clearly explain how you identified the problem and reached a solution both professionally and quickly, and what the final positive outcome was.
Keep in mind they are interested in determining how your actions and decisions will affect the business, so always describe a conclusion that shows you acting in a positive way for the company.
2.Describe a time when you had to deal with conflict :-
Dealing with a workmate, boss or client from hell is likely to happen with every job, so your new employer wants to know that you won’t deal with it by screeching and scratching. They want to know that you are able to compromise with the people around you and get the job done regardless of personal clashes.
Don’t get bitchy in your response; rather, emphasise the fact that you had a different point of view. Show how you were able to overcome this difficulty in a professional manner. It is also a good idea to explain that you learnt/grew from the experience in some way, for example, while you and another employee may not have seen eye to eye on a certain project, it taught you how to take into account other people’s perspectives which, in turn, made you a better team player.
3.Describe a situation when you were under pressure :-
Being able to operate in stressful situations is essential in nearly every workplace these days. If you operate well when the pressure is on, give examples of high-octane work environments you have been in and how you have achieved within that.
You might cope reasonably well with pressure, but tend to organise your workflow and priorities to ensure you don’t leave yourself open to out-of-control situations. In this case give an example of a time you were faced with a stressful situation and rose to the challenge. Be specific – describe the situation, your response and the outcome. Aim to show that you remained in control of the situation, stayed calm and communicated effectively throughout.
4.Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it :-
An interviewer will ask this question if they want to find out whether or not you can work under pressure. Describe the heavy workload – perhaps a time when you had lots of simultaneous deadlines to meet or a period at work when colleagues were on leave and you were covering more than one person’s responsibilities. It’s good if you can do this with enthusiasm. For example, if you had five huge projects that all had to be completed in the same week, it’s good if you can give a brief description of a couple of the projects to show that you enjoyed the work you did on them.
The interviewer doesn’t just want to know that you got the work done; they want to know how you achieved it. So, if you’re a person who likes to make lists, tell the interviewer this but also explain why you find this useful. Show that you know how to prioritise – this might be as simple as asking the person who gave you the work when they need it done by or creating a chart that shows a timeline of what needs to be done.
In this answer, it might also be useful to point out how you handle stress in these situations as a way of dealing with heavy workloads. If hitting the gym helps you combat stress and clear your head at times when your brain is working overtime, tell the interviewer this. It will show them that you know how to deal with a heavy workload, and know your limitations and how to manage them.
5.Describe A Situation Where You Had To Show Leadership :-
If you’ve ever played a project management, supervisory or managerial role at work, then this question should be a piece of cake since you’ll have plenty of experience to call upon. Even if you haven’t done so in a formal capacity, you may have demonstrated your leadership skills by running a team meeting, mentoring a newer staff member, representing the company at a conference, or organising an office event.
However, if you’ve never played a leadership or management role at work, don’t panic. You can use any number of personal experiences to illustrate your leadership experience and potential. All it requires is a little lateral thinking and an understanding of what makes a good manager.
For example, if you’ve ever taken the lead in organising a social event or group activity – e.g. a party, a group presentation at university, a book club or a volunteering event – you can use that as an example. Or perhaps you were faced with some sort of dilemma or crisis that required quick decision-making and effective action on behalf of others – that’s a good example too. Describe the situation, how you came to be in a leading role, the steps you took to keep things running smoothly, and the result – for example, a successful event or crisis averted. Remember that this is not the place to be modest, so don’t be afraid of saying ‘I’ instead of ‘we’.
As any parent knows, organising children and family activities and events requires strong leadership skills – from organising trips and outings to organising car pools or sports coaching. All of these can potentially be used as examples of leadership experience as well.
The important thing is to demonstrate that with this experience you had to display qualities such as initiative, decisiveness, organisational abilities and the ability to manage, guide and motivate others. These are skills that can be transferred to any work context and will be invaluable to your future employer.
