For most people job interviews are never fun. In fact, they may be one of the most stressful situations you may find yourself in. Many people do not like the recruitment process but it is one you must go through if you want to get the job you want and it is important to handle it right. The best way to prepare for a job interview is to be prepared for the questions you will be asked. in most cases, there will be a standard set of questions that the job interviewer will ask you. these will likely be the same no matter what type of job you are applying for in whichever field you would like to work in.
One of the most difficult interview questions recruitment agencies or HR departments love to ask is: How do you handle stressful situations? We can’t answer this one for you but here are some example answers that you might find useful.
When asked to describe a stressful situation and how you handled it you should consider that the interviewer wants to find out how you handle difficult situations. they want to know that you won’t crumble under pressure and you can handle anything the job may throw at you. All good employees will be able to handle the unexpected and deal with it competently.
You don’t want to do is be stumped by question and stutter in the interview. have a good answer prepared before you go into the interview room and be able to recite it naturally. We have put together some example answers to help you answer this question. if this question comes up on a job application form and you can select an answer below without waffling on in an essay type answer.
How to You Handle Stress With Deadlines
The job you are applying for involved working to a tight schedule or deadline then these answers will be for you. You want to tell the interviewer that you are good at working under pressure and can manage deadlines effectively. They don’t want to be chasing you for work after it is past due.
Example answer number one: I have learned that the best way to deal with a looming deadline is to break the task or project down into manageable chunks. I also attribute time slots to these aspects of the project in order to see what needs to be done and prioritise the pressing matters first. This way I managed to have plenty of time to complete the work without having to rush. I have had plenty of opportunity in my previous employment to practice this technique and it has always worked successfully.
Example answer number two: I find the use of tools such as excel spreadsheets help me achieve my goals when I have a deadline to meet. And keep track of every single task I need to do and when it needs to be done. this way I can eliminate any stress of a task by not letting the work pile up. This is where most people fail and I have great strength in my ability to plan and arrange tasks.
Example answer number four: when working as a team I find myself as the leader in the group. This is all down to my ability to plan and organise time-related tasks. In these situations, we can collaborate and work as a team effectively. Often times I find myself as the leader of a team and can delegate and arrange tasks between each member of the group. I enjoy being part of a team and contributing effectively to the group.
Mention your experiences with awkward colleagues
Sometimes colleagues can be awkward and unreasonable even inside a professional workplace setting. Your new potential employers might want to hear about these experiences during your interview. mentioning them may give you an advantage over other candidates.
Example answer one: In the past, I have worked with awkward people. This was not a fun experience. However, I have gained valuable insight into how team members and colleagues operate. This has been highly valuable and just help me become a stronger person in the workplace because of it.
Example answer two: Some colleagues can really try and ruin a job experience for me, but I have learned not to be phased by this. I now have the skills to avoid conflict and can effectively manage a team or a co-worker who tries to derail the group’s efforts.
Example answer three: Colleagues come in many different shapes and sizes. I don’t expect to be able to see eye-to-eye with everyone I work with and that is fine by me. I will always strive to complete my work on the right schedule and with the rest of my team if need be. I can effectively communicate with any team member, whether we get along or not.
Customers & Clients
In quite a lot of jobs, you will be dealing directly with the public and this is where the question, how do you handle stress really comes in handy. The paying customer is often one that is the toughest to deal with and employers want to know how you will handle them. They don’t want staff that will mistreat customers or be rude.
Example answer one: My experience found that customers often get stressed when they think they are not being listened to. to as a result of this I always make sure that I give a customer or client I contact and rephrase the question or statement to make it sound like I have listened to them. This helps us to gain common ground and helps them to trust me. I find this combo customer down very quickly and they are much more pleasant and easy to deal with from then on.
Example answer two: I don’t have a natural aggressive manner and I think customers really respond well to this. The best thing to do in these situations is to be calm and quiet and listen carefully to the customer. Once this is done, it is much easier to find an amicable solution to their request or complaint.
Example answer three: In the past, I have had occasions where an order has been filled mistakenly. In these situations, the customer can get upset and angry very quickly. This can lead to a stressful situation if it is handled incorrectly. When I was on shift however I managed to calm a customer down by giving them reassurance that the matter would be dealt with quickly and at no further cost to them. This seemed to calm the customer down effectively. customers can get stressed if they’re all a goes awry. This was no fault of my own and happened due to an error in the computer system.
Unexpected Events
There are often occasions where something might go and expectedly in your workplace. An employer wants to know that their business is in safe hands when you are on duty. They want someone responsible who will handle anything unexpected professionally. The last thing they want is is a member of staff who gets stressed when put under pressure.
Example answer one: Feel that I can adapt to any situation that I’m put in. This is one of my greatest strengths as an employee. the best way that I can give an example of this is when in my previous workplace software system stopped working unexpectedly. My colleagues around me got stressed by this situation but I was calm and level-headed. I proceeded to quickly research an alternative that we could use for the remainder of the day until our main software was fixed.
Example answer two: In my last role, there was one day where our wholesaler did not manage to supply us with the requested products in the delivery. My colleagues were unsure what to do in this situation but I used my quick thinking to come up with a solution to the problem. I managed to arrange the staff and assign everybody a role so that they could contribute effectively to replace the missing goods using alternative suppliers. This allowed us to carry on with our working day with only minimal disruption.
Example answer three: Nobody can tell when something unexpected is about to happen. Most people do not prepare for it and this is why I am a strong candidate for this job. I always plan ahead and think of ways that I can improve my performance. I also think of ways where I will have a backup plan ready in case something happens that nobody expects. This allows me to take charge of a team very quickly and we can come up with ideas to provide the solution to a problem very effectively.