The reality of most business environments is that individual deadlines, project team pressures and shifting goal posts are all part of a normal days work. That means that you’re going to be put under stress, not just now and then but quite possibly most weeks. The employer is going to want to know how well you handle that stress before they consider giving you the job.
Behavioral Interview Question: Everyone reacts differently to time pressures. Can you give me an example of when you have had to cope with constant time pressures in your current role?
Every single person has been in some type of time pressure situation before, so finding an example to use in your answer should not be very difficult. You’ll want to keep the answer focused on the solution rather than the problem. Start your answer by mentioning the time pressures involved but move quickly onto your ability to overcome the time pressure and thrive. Try to avoid focusing too much on what it was like to have to deal with time pressure and instead put the focus on the solutions you used to overcome it.
How to Answer
“While working for the state, my team and I were always working towards different deadlines set forth by the legislators, and there was never a time when a deadline or some type of report was not due. You could feel the pressure in the office every day. I found the best strategy was to focus on the task ahead of me rather than the stress of the situation. I am always well organized, and by staying focused on the reports due I found that the time pressures were more of a motivator, not a deterrent. I actually became quite used to the pace and found it odd when the pressure was not there.”
All behavioral questions about stress are looking to see that you can handle it, and that’s why no matter what stress management interview questions you’re asked, you want to make sure that your answers are showing that you’re not only capable of handling the pressure, but that you can overcome it and thrive from it as well. Managing stress at work is something that everyone needs to be able to do, and if you prove it you’ll give yourself a leg up on the competition.
See Also Related Posts:
When Faced With Tight Deadlines, How Do You Handle the Stress?
Show you Can Reduce Stress and Help Your Team
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