What are employers trying to find out when they ask you in an interview to talk about a difficult situation..?

Question

that you have had in your previous position and how you handled it? What are some good "stories" to use?

Answer 1

This is a new trend in HR called "Behavioral-Based Questioning." Anyone can make their credentials look presentable or lie about how great they are. These questions aim to get at the real you, even your faults.

Don't try to make anything up. Skilled interviewers will know when you're lying (your eyes will move up and to the right- it's a natural reflex signalling you're pulling information from the "creative side of your brain" i.e. lying. Truth tellers look to the left because they're accessing their memory).

The best answers to these questions aren't necessarily "I overcame the adversity and saved the day." They want to see how you handle failure. It's okay to mention failing, but be sure to finish with the strategy you implemented to make sure it wouldn't happen again.

I usually mention a time when I was assigned so many projects I had to either delegate or prioritize the most important ones. When some of the less important ones weren't completed on time I met with my boss to discuss an organizational plan that would ensure in the future multiple deadlines didn't fall so closely together.

Answer 2

You should be honest about your response. Which one would you actually do, what do you do when someone confronts you? Your first response says that you have leadership ability. Your second response would be best said as "I would take the matter to the manager to avoid further confrontation." There isn't a right or wrong answer and neither answer will guarantee you a job. You just don't want to tell that you are confrontational and will not back down. Don't be too wordy in your response. I've been in interviews where the person answer the question then keeps talking. Some times it's good to elaborate but only if you're ask to. I've seen managers decide before the end of the day to pull a candidate out the application pool because of this. Good luck.

Answer 3

When they ask you about difficult situations they want to find out a number of different things:

1) How you handle yourself under-pressure
2) How honest you are
3) Do you admit to mistakes
4) How you handle interactions with others when things aren't going great

There are a number of other things too but way too many to tell on here. But feel free to ask me via a message.

As for good stories to tell, I would suggest a situation where you had to sort out a disagreement as these are easier to elaborate on and there is no right or wrong.

Good luck

Answer 4

They are trying to find out your inter personal skills, they want to see how you handle a difficult situation and if some problem persists in their company, how would you be able to handle it.

It depends on your work and where you worked for it. In any case, you're kind of a victim who had to handle the situation all by urself.

Answer 5

They are trying to find out - A: What do you think was a difficult situation and B: How did you handle it.

Examples - had a difficult/demanding boss. Had a lazy co-worker, sexual harassment, poor working conditions, knew the company was breaking some law (i.e. health laws).

They are basically trying to find out if your a whistle blower or whiner.

Answer 6

When employers ask this question, the are most often always trying to determine your decision-making skills. This is a big issue for employers since they value people who are level-minded during a crisis and who won't make hasty decisions without contemplating all the different options.

Answer 7

It's not good stories they are after it's good answers.... they want to know how you worked yourself out of a bad situation or prevented a situation from turning bad. Think about it... employers want self thinkers, motivators, someone who can do the job without holding their hands but effectively and with courteous customer service.

Answer 8

Tell about how an emergency came up, and you were the cool headed cat. Stuff like that, so that when an emergency comes up at their company, you will be the cool headed cat for them, not the ranting and raving crazed lunatic you are!!
Tee hee, that is what they are trying to find out, how well are you at dealing with difficult situations.

Answer 9

they want to know how you problem solve and handle stress. just talk about a deadline that was tight and how you had tons of work but you still made it on time at the end. mention how you are a fanatic about never breaking your deadlines so you were working extra hard to get it done.

Answer 10

They are trying to gage how you handle pressure and stress. Tell a short but interesting story that has a happy ending in your favor it doesn't have be true. Be careful not to go overboard though so their bs meter doesn't go off.