{"id":26400,"date":"2022-09-08T02:40:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-08T09:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/?p=26400"},"modified":"2022-09-08T09:23:06","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T16:23:06","slug":"how-to-answer-situational-interview-questions-example-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/how-to-answer-situational-interview-questions-example-answers\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Answer Situational Interview Questions (Example Answers)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A big part of any job search includes preparing for the interview. And while you can prepare for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/common-interview-questions-answers\/\">common interview questions<\/a> (&#8220;Tell me about yourself&#8221;), you should also prepare for situational interview questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike \u201chard\u201d questions (&#8220;If you could be any kind of tree\u2026&#8221;), situational interview questions are designed to give the interviewer more information about you. And they\u2019re an excellent opportunity to sell yourself to the interviewer. Here\u2019s what you need to know.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are Situational Interview Questions?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Situational interview questions, also known as behavioral interview questions, are nontechnical questions all about you! Specifically, these questions probe how you have handled or might handle a situation you\u2019ll encounter on the job. Often, these questions start with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Tell me about a time when\u2026<\/li><li>Have you ever\u2026<\/li><li>How do you deal with\u2026<\/li><li>What do you do when\u2026<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When you hear these phrases, you know a situational question is coming next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Do Employers Ask These?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It might seem a bit odd to ask these kinds of questions. For example, if a hiring manager asks, \u201cHow do you deal with angry customers?\u201d it\u2019s unlikely you\u2019ll say, \u201cBy throwing them out of the store\u201d or \u201cHanging up on them.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, there are two reasons why employers ask situational interview questions. First, past behavior is often a good indicator of future behavior. Asking how you\u2019ve handled a past situation gives the employer a better idea of how you\u2019ll probably behave while working for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Second, situational interview questions are also a great way for the hiring manager to see if you have the specific skills or traits they\u2019re looking for in applicants. Using the above example, you might focus your answer on your conflict-resolution skills and talk about how you listened to the customer to better understand their concern, then worked with them to find an agreeable solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Do I Answer Situational Interview Questions?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Situational interview questions are a fantastic opportunity for you to tell a detailed (but brief!) story that illustrates your skills and can help the employer understand why they should hire you over the other candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the best ways to answer these questions is to use the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/star-interview-answers\/\">STAR method<\/a>. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Using this method can help you not only explain which skills you possess but how you would put them to use on the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In brief, you explain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The <strong>S<\/strong>ituation you faced<\/li><li>The <strong>T<\/strong>ask you needed to accomplish<\/li><li>The <strong>A<\/strong>ction (or actions) you took to complete your task<\/li><li>The <strong>R<\/strong>esult your action had and what that meant for the company<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Situational Interview Questions and Answers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what does all of this look like in action? We spoke to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flexjobs.com\/members\/career-coaching\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">career coaching team at FlexJobs<\/a> to get their expert insights into why employers ask these questions and how to answer them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a coworker or manager. How did you handle it?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What the employer is trying to find out<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flexjobs.com\/blog\/post\/career-coaching-spotlight-toni-frana\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Toni Frana<\/a> says, \u201cAn employer is trying to understand your communication style, particularly in a potentially awkward or difficult situation.\u201d And as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flexjobs.com\/blog\/post\/career-coaching-spotlight-tracy-capozzoli\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Tracy Capozzoli<\/a> points out, \u201cThe employer is trying to ascertain your ability to build and nurture relationships using communication and problem-solving skills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Answer<\/strong>: &#8220;A coworker and I were working on a presentation and had a hard time agreeing on what information was best to share. It was important that I understood exactly where my coworker was coming from, so I asked a few clarifying questions. From there, we were able to reevaluate the objectives of the presentation and reports we both felt were essential to include. The result was a highly successful presentation. The leadership team thanked us for providing detailed and accurate information, allowing them to make more informed decisions about critical organizational objectives.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tell me about a time you failed at work.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What the employer is trying to find out<\/strong>: Frana says that the employer is not trying to learn about your failures. Rather, \u201cthey are trying to see what you learned from an experience where you failed.\u201d She advises job seekers to highlight what they learned and what they would do differently when faced with a similar situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Answer<\/strong>: &#8220;I was responsible for [X] project. While the team worked well together, we encountered several unexpected obstacles, including [Y and Z]. As a result, we missed some deadlines [or missed this goal]. Even though we didn\u2019t have the outcome we hoped for, we debriefed and reflected on what happened. The team then put processes and procedures in place [include an example] to ensure something like that didn&#8217;t happen again.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How would you approach a task you\u2019ve never done before?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What the employer is trying to find out<\/strong>: The employer is trying to understand how you face the unknown. There may be times you\u2019re assigned a task you don\u2019t understand. Do you ask for help or go it alone? What\u2019s your game plan for difficult tasks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Answer<\/strong>: &#8220;First, I would evaluate why this task is important and what overall purpose it serves. Then, I would do some research to identify who I might need to speak with, including people who have done this task or might have the skills to help me. I would also do some independent research into how to do it. Lastly, if I felt stuck, I would reach out to my manager to clarify any lingering questions. Once I completed the task, I would try to gain feedback about my performance, so I could know what to improve in the future.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do you deal with conflicting deadlines from different managers?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What the employer is trying to find out<\/strong>: Keith Spencer says that the employer is trying to figure out how you manage multiple priorities at the same time. So, talk about how you prioritize tasks and block off time to work on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Answer<\/strong>: &#8220;First, I examine all the assigned tasks and estimate how much time it might take to complete each. I also examine how important the task might be. For example, if the CEO wants something by tomorrow, that\u2019s pretty important! Then, I\u2019ll look at due dates and work backward on my calendar to see how much time I\u2019ll have each day for each task and block off that time to devote to the task. Finally, if I see there are conflicts or just too much to do, I\u2019ll talk to my manager and see if any of the deadlines are flexible or ask if there\u2019s anyone who can help me out.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tell Me About\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Situational interview questions seem difficult\u2014at first! But once you understand why the interviewer is asking it, you\u2019ll be able to formulate an answer that demonstrates you\u2019ve got the right skills and experience for the role!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Situational interview questions give you a chance to highlight your soft skills. Here&#8217;s how to handle common situational questions, plus example answers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":26449,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"old-site-template.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview-tips","category-interview-questions"],"last_modified_at":"","edited_by":"Jessica Howington","acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26400"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26825,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26400\/revisions\/26825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}