How to Handle Situational and Stress Interviews
Simple Guidelines for Answering Complex Interview Questions
Apr 27, 2009
Virtually everyone has an interview horror stories. An employer grilling job seekers about gaps in their resume, interview questions that don’t seem to make sense, and companies who seem to want to make the interviewee squirm in his or her chair seem the stuff of nightmares. Thankfully very few interviews are this bad, but occasionally an employer may elect to put the candidate through the ringer with some tough questions. So how does one get through such an interview?
Surviving the Situational Interview
A situational (or hypothetical) job interview is one where the employer asks the candidate about how he or she would handle a fictitious workplace scenario. For example, “How would you handle a case where the you saw a coworker stealing from the company?” or, “What would you do if your manager asked you to do something unethical or even illegal?” During the interview, the candidate should tell the employer how he or she would resolve the problem in three steps:
- Interpret relevant information and prioritize
- Brainstorm solutions and evaluate effectiveness of each solution systematically
- Choose and implement the best solution based on company's values
The key to surviving the situational interview is preparation. While there is no standard list of situational questions asked by employers, these questions are asked primarily to develop a picture of the candidate’s reasoning, problem-solving skills, and work ethic. The candidate should prepare for these situational questions by focusing on the problem solving process itself more so than the actual outcome.
Surviving the Stress Interview
Fortunately, the stress interview doesn’t happen very often in most cases. But when it does, it can lead to a great deal of nail-biting, beads of sweat on the forehead, and a rapid heartbeat. The reason an employer may elect to initiate a stress interview is because the company wishes to test the employee under pressure to see how he or she reacts to job stress. Stress questions that may be asked by the employer include:
- “You look like you’re 12 years old. Why would anybody buy something from you?”
- “You don’t really have 10 years of experience. From the gaps on your resume, you only have around six. Explain why you are telling me you have 10 years of experience.”
- “We’re not sure you’re right for this position. Tell me why you think you’ve got what it takes, because quite frankly, I don’t see it.”
The key to surviving the stress interview is remembering the three C’s: calm, cool, and collected. If the candidate remains calm yet alert, confident, and able to handle being asked such unnerving questions with finesse and grace, it will be received very well upon the employer. Be cognizant of body language and avoid shaking the head, furrowing the brow, or squirming in the chair. Do exhibit a calm, thoughtful demeanor and maintain good eye contact while answering stress questions.
Bottom Line on Surviving a Situational or Stress Interview
Bottom line, situational interviews are fairly common and occur when the employer asks a hypothetical question regarding how the candidate would handle a fictitious work related scenario. Stress interviews are fairly uncommon but require tact, finesse, confidence, and a calm demeanor when responding to the employer. Understanding how to respond to situational and stress interview types can vastly increase the chances for that coveted job offer.
See related articles, “How to Improve Interview Skills for Job Success,” “How to Write a Job Interview Thank You Letter,” and “How to Succeed After a Job Interview.”
