Find out what the most common situational interview questions are and how to answer them. Prepare to rack your brain and visualize hypothetical scenarios that are thrown at you.
Imagine this: You’ve just learned that you’ve landed a job interview, and now, you want to prepare as best you can, so you imagine yourself answering questions about your skills and experience. You realize that you’re pretty comfortable talking about yourself…
But you’ve also just found out that situational interview questions are a THING… a very common thing. Luckily, there is a way to prepare for them. So put your thinking cap on and let’s go:
In this guide, you’ll find:
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Situational interview questions are questions that assess how the candidate would deal with a hypothetical challenging situation they would face. These types of questions are designed around a number of situations that might arise on the job. Basically, you're presented with a theoretical situation that will test your imagination.
These questions often start with:
The best way to nail these types of questions is to prepare for them.
Now, there is no way you can predict what questions will be asked, but you can find out what the most common ones are and get an idea of what’s the best way to answer them.
Although situational interview questions are often asked in a hypothetical format, you can also respond with real-life examples of how you have handled similar situations before.
This will provide the interviewer with valid evidence of your skills and abilities and give you a couple of bonus points.
Your answers are supposed to give an idea of your problem-solving abilities. So what are the top tips for preparing yourself for situational interview questions?
First of all, tell a story. Mesmerize the interviewer by talking about how you handled a similar situation in the past… or how you would handle one in the future. Explain how you would use your skills to overcome the challenges that might come your way.
When telling your story, take different angles. Even though the question specifically asks for a hypothetical answer, we also recommend illustrating your answer with a compelling story that demonstrates your approach, your values, and your reasoning.
Situational questions can be difficult if you've never thought about them before, so you will have to improvise and react quickly. When you describe your hypothetical actions, talk about the problem, the solution, and the benefit.
Below you will find some sample questions to consider. Even if you are not asked them specifically, they will help you train your brain to formulate answers to situational questions.
Expert Hint: The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action and Results) is one of the techniques used to answer the questions asked during a job interview. It helps you organize your responses around the when's, where’s, what’s and how’s.
During your job search, you are likely to encounter one of the following situational interview questions:
When answering this question, the best approach is to be honest in admitting that in a situation where you wouldn’t know how to accomplish a given task, you would ask for help. Ideally, a strong candidate would also show initiative and at least try to find a solution before asking for help.
I’d gladly accept the challenge and do my best to find out how it is done first. I’d try to learn the process myself. However, if I found myself just not being able to get it done myself, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask for help.
This hypothetical scenario determines if you have a team spirit. Your goal is to tell your interviewer that you will take the time to get to know a coworker and find ways to collaborate with them by finding common ground.
I would approach this person privately to understand what was going on, and what was preventing them from working well with the team. Hopefully, they would share their struggles with me, so I’d then offer them the proper support and resources. I’ve actually had a similar situation in the past. By taking the time to nurture the situation, rather than simply terminating the person, I was able to mentor and grow one of the best assistants I have ever had.
Feedback is very important for improvement, so you should show that you are receptive to constructive criticism, take it into account and apply it proactively.
I believe that criticism, constructive or not, is not the same as judgment, an insult or a reflection on who I am as a person. It’s information. I usually treat it that way and try to understand where it’s coming from. I’d also say something like: “I’m glad you’re telling me this. I simply believed that analyzing the reports for Barbara was a higher priority, so I’ve been letting some deadlines on this project slide. I might have been wrong about that, though.”
The ability to recognize your own mistakes is a sign of maturity. Your answer should demonstrate how you are using your judgment to review the situation to determine why it happened and what steps you can take to prevent it from happening again.
Obviously, at first I’d feel ashamed and disappointed, but I’d try to evaluate what happened with a calm, objective eye. If there was a way to fix it, I’d do it immediately. Then, let my boss know what happened and apologize. I’d do anything to avoid a similar situation in the future. I constantly try to adjust my work style to find a routine that works best.
Interviewers want to assess your leadership and management skills. Therefore, make sure that you can explain your approach to leading and managing projects and teams. Explain how you would use your skills if you found yourself in a similar situation.
First, I’d choose the right person for the job, then I’d tell them why I chose them specifically and how I hope to see this help them grow. I’d then tell the person what my goals are, or the milestones we hope to hit, and let them tackle the problem in their own way. I’m not a fan of micromanaging.
Showing initiative and being able to motivate colleagues is always a good skill to have. Talk about how you would motivate and inspire other people to look at a project or idea differently.
I always make sure my employees are aware of my vision and what my ultimate goals for the business are. This encourages everyone to work together to achieve better results. I also try to check in regularly with my team and give them the opportunity to come and talk to me. I do my best to be always available to contact and be open and approachable in my attitude to communication.
How you manage your time and your to-do list will determine how effective you are. Regardless of how you prioritize your tasks, your organizational skills and attention to detail are both very important.
I take the time to think about the purpose of the project, the deadlines, the objectives, KPIs, and possible challenges. Having absolute clarity on the project, the project deliverables, and the result I want saves me a lot of time. But also, I always try to be honest with myself and those around me about what’s not working for, so if the workload is simply too heavy, I’d acknowledge that I can’t do it all, and look for better solutions.
This situational interview question can come up if you’re interviewing for a startup that experiences structural changes regularly, or if a company’s product changes a lot. Adaptability is an important trait to have because it shows your willingness to work for a company, rather than a specific project or job.
My approach is simply accepting the change and staying positive. The silver lining to any change at work is opportunity, often to add new skills to my repertoire or work with new team members. So that’s always something exciting to look forward to.
The objective of the question is to assess whether you know how to be diplomatic in difficult situations. Can you adjust your perspective to be on the same page with everyone else on the team?
First of all, I’d let the team members express their feelings. Before any kind of problem-solving can take place, these emotions should be expressed and acknowledged. Then I’d talk to each person separately to find out what their individual needs are. Ultimately, the goal is to reach a solution that everyone can live with.
By asking this questions, the interviewer wants to see how committed you are to the task at hand. It also shows the degree of ownership for the goals that you have. How do you react to not meeting your goals?
First, I’d try to analyze the goal to see if it’s possibly too vague or not measurable. If that’s not the case, I’d change the way I do things. I’d also make sure to sync with any other team member whose goals are in any way dependent on my own progress. And of course, if I didn’t get it the first time around, I’d learn from the experience and go for it again with a different approach!
Here are some other common situational interview questions that you might get asked:
Remember to answer truthfully, there is nothing worse than lying on a job interview.
Now practice some more, and don’t forget to wear a smile to that meeting!
When preparing to answer situational interview questions, keep these tips in mind:
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Aleksandra is a career expert with a solid professional background in various industries. At ResumeLab, she shares her knowledge, insights and expertise with all applicants looking to make a career move with a perfect resume and cover letter that guarantee recognition and success.
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