Job Interview Questions and Answers

Tag: situation

  • Tell me about a situation that got out of control. How did you handle it?

    This is another of those questions that can easily throw a job applicant if they are not prepared in advance. If you have not given any thought in advance to this type of question you may find yourself floundering for an answer and as a result you may begin to ramble. This is something that should be avoided. Taking the time to prepare your answer for this type of question ahead of time well help you to deliver an answer that is thought out and demonstrates your ability to handle anything that might come your way in a future job.

    The problem with this type of question is that in order to answer it you will have to admit that a situation got out of control in the first place. This is naturally something that you do not want to discuss with someone who may be a future employer. The key to making this answer successful is to ensure that you focus on what you did in order to effectively handle the situation. You should not emphasize how the situation grew out of control.

    When asking this question the interviewer is looking to obtain information regarding how you would get a situation back under control and if you would be able to effectively cope with a situation if it should get out of control. Keep in mind when answering this question that no matter what type of industry you are involved in, any situation has the potential to get out of control.

    Your answer to the question should demonstrate that you have the experience and the ability to take a situation that may have gotten out of control and bring it back under control in the most effective manner possible and preferably in the shortest amount of time possible. In addition, you must also discuss the steps that you would take to help ensure this type of situation does not occur in the future.

    By giving thought and consideration to this question in advance you will be fully prepared to provide an answer to this interview question and will not find yourself floundering to come up with an answer that you think will satisfy the interviewer. Preparation is critical to effectively answering any interview question, especially those that have the potential for causing you difficulty during an interview.

    This is another of those questions that can easily throw a job applicant if they are not prepared in advance. If you have not given any thought in advance to this type of question you may find yourself floundering for an answer and as a result you may begin to ramble. This is something that should be avoided. Taking the time to prepare your answer for this type of question ahead of time well help you to deliver an answer that is thought out and demonstrates your ability to handle anything that might come your way in a future job.

    The problem with this type of question is that in order to answer it you will have to admit that a situation got out of control in the first place. This is naturally something that you do not want to discuss with someone who may be a future employer. The key to making this answer successful is to ensure that you focus on what you did in order to effectively handle the situation. You should not emphasize how the situation grew out of control.

    When asking this question the interviewer is looking to obtain information regarding how you would get a situation back under control and if you would be able to effectively cope with a situation if it should get out of control. Keep in mind when answering this question that no matter what type of industry you are involved in, any situation has the potential to get out of control.

    Your answer to the question should demonstrate that you have the experience and the ability to take a situation that may have gotten out of control and bring it back under control in the most effective manner possible and preferably in the shortest amount of time possible. In addition, you must also discuss the steps that you would take to help ensure this type of situation does not occur in the future.

    By giving thought and consideration to this question in advance you will be fully prepared to provide an answer to this interview question and will not find yourself floundering to come up with an answer that you think will satisfy the interviewer. Preparation is critical to effectively answering any interview question, especially those that have the potential for causing you difficulty during an interview.

  • Describe a situation in which you had to deal with an irate customer. Did you rectify the problem?

    This is a very common question. Regardless of the type of job for which you are interviewing, there is a good chance that you will receive this question so it is a good idea to make sure that you have practiced it and thought about how you will respond. The good news is that no matter what type of background you have or where you have previously worked, you have probably experienced a situation with an angry customer so you can easily relate back to that situation.

    With this question, you must keep in mind what the interviewer is looking for. Primarily, they want to find out how you react when someone around you becomes angry and loses their temper. This can be extremely important in practically all positions, but can be crucial in service related industries. The interviewer is trying to understand whether you have the ability to work in an area where there is the potential for contact with the public and also the potential for situations where customers may become angry.

    The best way to respond to this question is to simply provide an example of a time when you were faced with someone who was being difficult and then explain how you handled that situation. Even if you have never encountered an angry customer, it is like you have experienced an encounter with someone who was angry. Make sure that your answer demonstrates your ability to be diplomatic in such a situation while also demonstrating your awareness of the feelings and needs of others.

    You might explain that when faced with this type of situation you always try to maintain a demeanor and voice that is even and calm in order to avoid further escalating the situation. You always strive to remain professional in such situations and focus on resolving the situation to everyone’s satisfaction. It is also important to make sure the interviewer understands that you are aware of the need to not let your own personal feelings enter into this type of situation.

    This type of answer will clearly demonstrate your ability to work with the public, meet the needs of customers and maintain a professional demeanor even when you are faced with a situation that may not be pleasant.

    This is a very common question. Regardless of the type of job for which you are interviewing, there is a good chance that you will receive this question so it is a good idea to make sure that you have practiced it and thought about how you will respond. The good news is that no matter what type of background you have or where you have previously worked, you have probably experienced a situation with an angry customer so you can easily relate back to that situation.

    With this question, you must keep in mind what the interviewer is looking for. Primarily, they want to find out how you react when someone around you becomes angry and loses their temper. This can be extremely important in practically all positions, but can be crucial in service related industries. The interviewer is trying to understand whether you have the ability to work in an area where there is the potential for contact with the public and also the potential for situations where customers may become angry.

    The best way to respond to this question is to simply provide an example of a time when you were faced with someone who was being difficult and then explain how you handled that situation. Even if you have never encountered an angry customer, it is like you have experienced an encounter with someone who was angry. Make sure that your answer demonstrates your ability to be diplomatic in such a situation while also demonstrating your awareness of the feelings and needs of others.

    You might explain that when faced with this type of situation you always try to maintain a demeanor and voice that is even and calm in order to avoid further escalating the situation. You always strive to remain professional in such situations and focus on resolving the situation to everyone’s satisfaction. It is also important to make sure the interviewer understands that you are aware of the need to not let your own personal feelings enter into this type of situation.

    This type of answer will clearly demonstrate your ability to work with the public, meet the needs of customers and maintain a professional demeanor even when you are faced with a situation that may not be pleasant.

  • In a situation where you are handling insubordinates, how would you describe your approach?

    This is another question that seeks to understand how you would handle a management or supervisory position. Your answer may vary based upon whether you have actually handled this type of situation in the past in your management experience or whether you are new to the idea of management. Once again, the best way to handle this question is to stay as close to the middle of the road as possible. This is particularly important when framing a response to this question because you have now way of knowing what the disciplinary policy is for that particular company and how the company would advocate that type of situation to be handled.

    The safest way to respond to this question is to stick to the situational response. You should indicate that you would respond based on the situation as every situation can be different. Also, your response to the situation could very well depend upon whether this is the first time an employee has experienced an infraction or whether there have been prior problems with that particular employee. As you can see, the situational response gives you quite a bit of leeway in determining how you would respond and allows you to avoid committing to a particular response which might be deemed as either too lenient or too harsh by the interviewer.

    If you do have prior management experience, this may be a good time to relate a particular incident in the past in which you experienced a similar situation and relate how you responded in that particular situation. You should keep your response brief and avoid going into a lot of details. Also, make sure that you do not mention any specific names when relating your experience in this type of situation. The idea is to indicate your experience in handling this situation and demonstrate how you were able to effectively respond to the situation for the benefit of everyone, including the company. Remember, the interviewer is looking for an indication that you are able to handle a situation in which you are faced with insubordinates and that you have the skills and wisdom to effectively handle this type of situation. Keeping your answer situational and relating back to a prior experience will help you to provide the information the interviewer is seeking without venturing into dangerous ground.