We understand, the question ‘Tell Me About a Time You Handled a Difficult Situation’ can be daunting but like any behavioural interview question, the interviewer simply wants to understand how you may react to similar situations in your potential new role.
Why are you being asked this question? It provides the employer an insight into a number of traits such as:
- Your communication skills
- How well you listen
- Your composure
- Your resilience
- How you prioritise
- Your ability to think on your feet
An example of how to approach this question using the STAR interview method –
Situation: I was hesitant to speak up at work when I felt a process wasn’t working well for our client. I felt this way as in the past other team members contributions hadn’t been listened to.
Task: I wanted to suggest a process improvement idea to my manager.
Action: I spoke with another colleague who was knowledgeable about the matter who gave me feedback and helped me to structure what I wanted to say.
Result: This gave me the confidence to speak with my manager about the issue, and because I was able to clearly provide reasoning behind the idea, she received it more positively than I anticipated.
Remember, difficult situations arise in every workplace so focus less on the problem and more on the resolution.
