“Situational Interview Questions”

Situational Interview Questions

1. Tell me about a situation where you had to work with a colleague who was hard to get along with.

The interviewer wants to assess your ability to work in a team and collaborate with people. Use an example that shows you can stay composed even while dealing with difficult people and meet the work objectives.

Sample answer: ‘I had a colleague who always wanted things done his way, invariably getting into confrontations with many co-workers. I had to team up with him on a month-long social media campaign to develop creative post ideas and strategically schedule them for maximum reach and engagement. I was tactful and kept my cool throughout. When we disagreed, I heard him out. If I still believed that my idea was better, I supported it with enough data and proven theories to convince him. Ultimately, the campaign was a success and my colleague came to respect me greatly.’

2. Tell me about a time when you exceeded a customer’s expectations?

Interviewers often ask this type of question for roles in the customer service or hospitality industry but it may apply to other industries too. It is important that your answer shows that you possess a good emotional quotient to understand the customer’s needs and are passionate enough to go above and beyond to give them a delightful experience.

Sample answer: ‘I was on a long-haul flight to New York in my previous job as a flight attendant. There was a teenaged girl travelling alone, looking nervous. While serving the meals, I noticed on the passenger manifest that her birthday was in three hours. The scheduled landing was 12 hours away. I worked with the crew to give her a little surprise with the leftover cake and a birthday song. Later, before landing, the captain wished her a happy birthday on the loudspeaker on behalf of the airline and the crew. She was pleasantly surprised and overjoyed by the gesture.’

3. Tell me about a time when you were loaded with too many tasks and not enough time to complete them. How did you cope?

The interviewer wants to know how you deal with and perform under stress. Use an example that shows you can stay calm, focused and come up with innovative solutions when faced with a challenging situation.

Sample answer: ‘As an HR executive of an MNC, most days were busy and packed with back-to-back meetings. But, one day I found my inbox flooded with emails because of half our team being sick. I took a moment to make a priority list of different types of requests in order of importance and urgency. I decided payroll-related queries were required to be handled first. By the end of the day, I managed to get through the tasks successfully and had a great priority list ready for the rest of the team to work more efficiently.’

4. Describe a mistake you made at work. How did you handle it?

Apart from measuring your weaknesses, the interviewer also wants to see how you deal with failure and if you are able to derive the required learning from such experiences. Be honest in admitting a mistake, but also mention how you rectified it, the learning you took from it and how you prevented it from occurring again.

Sample answer: ‘As a data scientist, one has to be very careful with stats and figures. While analysing my previous company’s potential markets, I accidentally used data from an unreliable source. The results confused my manager and he did not know how he would explain that to the investors. Later, while checking the source files, I noticed the error and immediately notified my manager so we could rectify the information before his presentation. He was thankful and after this experience, I always made sure I cross-checked the details several times with the original files to avoid such mistakes.’

5. If your manager assigned you a task that you had never done before, how would you approach it?

The interviewer is trying to check if you can learn things quickly and grow with new challenges that may be present in the new role. In your answer, show your openness to learning new things and using available resources to your advantage.

Sample answer: ‘As a marketing assistant, my manager asked me to do new market research and present a detailed report. This was my first such assignment. I informed my manager that I was willing to learn and give it my best shot. I started by reviewing the basics of market research that I had studied in college but never applied.
I also took a short-term course online on how to perform basic research and analysis. By the end of the week, I had an in-depth report ready and a deeper understanding of different research methodologies. This impressed my manager and eventually, I got promoted within months.’

6. Describe a time when your team or company was undergoing some change. How did that impact you, and how did you adapt?

Interviewers want to know how you handle organizational change. Your story doesn’t necessarily need to be about some massive company reorg, it could even be about a new system for sharing files. The key is to make sure you clearly describe the steps you took to adapt and then generalizing your experience.

Sample answer: ‘This past year my manager left and the company was unable to fill her position for several months. This completely upended the way our team operated since she’d been the one who made sure we were all on the same page. After a couple of weeks of missed deadlines and miscommunications on the team, I sheepishly suggested we do a quick daily check-in. It took no more than 10 minutes a day, but it helped us get back to working efficiently again and really reduced the frustrations that had started brewing. It helped me understand that adapting to change requires understanding the gaps a change creates and thinking creatively about how to fill them.’

7. Give me an example of a time you managed numerous responsibilities. How did you handle that?

Multitasking. It’s impossible and yet we’re all expected to do it. Your job is likely going to involve more than one responsibility and the hiring manager is going to want to know how you plan on juggling a number of tasks, projects, or deadlines.

Sample answer: ‘This is almost a cliché, but being part of an early-stage startup meant I wore a lot of different hats. One second I was recruiting, the next I’d be in front of potential clients, and then I’d be meeting with the cofounders about the product. Switching gears so quickly often felt like getting whiplash. I realized that it wasn’t necessarily the juggling that was the problem, it was the constant switching back and forth. I started chunking my work so I could spend several hours focused on similar tasks. One block for recruiting. One block for sales. One block for product. Once I figured out the secret to multitasking was to not multitask, it got a lot more manageable.’

8. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully persuade someone to see things your way at work.

No matter your role, communication skills are critical and interviewers are going to keep asking related questions until they’re sure yours are up to snuff. When asked about persuasion, emotional intelligence and empathetic listening can be good pieces of your communication skill set to emphasize.

Sample answer: ‘I once was tasked with pulling the plug on a project. Of course, this can be incredibly disappointing for those affected. Done poorly it could destroy a team’s morale. I can’t discuss the project too much, but suffice it to say that everyone on it worked really hard and it took some serious convincing for them to agree this was the right choice. Rather than letting the idea take hold that months of their work was being scrapped, I proactively shared with everyone all the ways their work would still be utilized by different parts of the company. It’s not what they had intended, but seeing that their work wasn’t wasted softened the blow and allowed me to share the hard truth that we wouldn’t be able to realize our original goals. Taking the time to consider what negative reaction they might have and making the effort to be empathetic allowed me to directly address their concerns and show them that this was the best way forward.’

9. Tell me about a time you failed. How did you handle it?

This question is usually asked in order to see how you overcome adversity and if you take responsibility for your actions. The key here is to also share what you learned from the experience.

Sample answer: ‘During my first month as social media manager, I posted an infographic that I downloaded from the internet. I didn’t check it carefully and got a call from our CEO asking why my post had profane language. I looked closer and sure enough, there were some curse words in the infographic. I apologized profusely and immediately took it down. I’ve never forgotten to thoroughly read a post since then.’

10. Describe a time you had to make a good impression on a client.

This question not only helps interviewers see what you’ve achieved, but it also shows them what you are most passionate about in your work. Just make sure your answer applies to the job you’re applying for as well.

Sample answer: ‘When I was teaching second grade, I noticed that students in one of my classes were struggling with their spelling tests. I made up some review games and rewarded them for any improvement in their test scores. Their average scores increased by 10% by the end of the year.’

Also See: Hiring Manager Intake Meeting Questions