"How did you handle a difficult situation?" in Job Interview Video Lecture | Interviewing Skills: The Ultimate Guide - Career Development

[ON-SCREEN: Handling a difficult situation
appears on board]
>> Narrator: Employers like to ask the question:
Tell me about a difficult situation, conflict
or challenge you faced in the workplace.
You will most likely be asked this question
in one form or another.
The employer is checking your critical thinking
skills by asking you to relate a specific
instance where you:
a) took charge in handling a challenging situation
or conflict, and
b) collaborated with your coworkers as a team
in order to do so
>> Narrator: The employer is checking your
critical thinking skills, approach to the
problem and the level of responsibility you
take in challenging situations.
So it is important that you think of good
examples that involve you handling and resolving
a problem.
[ON-SCREEN: At the Office-Boss Office]
>> Boss: Tell me about a time you faced a
challenging situation at work
Interviewee 1: One time a customer was yelling
at me, I don't write the rules, so I let her
know that and went and got my manager.
[ONSCREEN: Narrator appears in foreground]
>> Narrator: It is important to make sure
that you use an example that demonstrates
your ability to handle a tough situation.
It does not make sense to use an example that
involves elevating the situation to a superior
and not being the one responsible for the
resolution.
This is also a good chance to show your ability
to work as part of a team.
Being able to analyze a problem, utilizing
the advice and suggestions of others demonstrates
good critical thinking skills and shows you
are a team player.
[ONSCREEN: PAR System written on board]
>> Narrator: In order to tell an effective
story and frame your example, use the PAR
model:
[ONSCREEN: P-Problem appears on board]
>> Narrator: P stands for Problem-What was
the problem or challenge you were facing?
[ONSCREEN: A-Action, appears on board]
>> Narrator: A is for Action-How did you and
your coworkers analyze the problem and what
actions did you take in order to solve it?
[ONSCREEN: R-Result, appears on board]
>> Narrator: R is for Result-What was the
positive outcome as a result of your actions?
[ONSCREEN: Emphasize a positive outcome appears
on board]
>> Narrator: Ending the story strong is necessary-
you want to show that you learned from the
experience and created a positive situation
or environment for all parties involved.
[ONSCREEN: At the Office-Boss Office]
>> Narrator: Lets look at a good example of
a candidate who has structured his answer
well.
Here, we have a project manager working with
2 of her colleagues to meet a deadline.
Her colleagues were not able to agree with
each other on the details of the project:
[ONSCREEN: Narrator disappears, Boss and Interviewee
speaking]
>> Interviewee: One time, while working as
a Project Manager at Slate Construction, I
was working with 2 of my colleagues to meet
a deadline on a proposal we were drafting.
They could not agree with each other on how
to approach the proposal and the deadline
was near.
It was obvious we needed a to work better
as a team, so I invited them both to lunch
where we were able to openly discuss the details
of the project, allowing both of them to hear
the full scope of each other's plans.
Having lunch together gave them the opportunity
to see that they both had similar visions
of the big picture but disagreed about smaller,
less important details.
After hearing both of their plans we made
a single list using the best and most efficient
ideas that we all agreed on.
In the end we ended up drafting one solid
proposal that was under budget, making our
client very happy.
It turned out that afterward the two worked
together even more; producing some of the
best projects we had in my time with the company.
I feel that the experience helped me improve
my ability to collaborate and work as an integral
part of a team, while growing in my leadership
skills as well.
[ONSCREEN: Simple layout-Character]
>> Narrator: Remember, when answering the
question pertaining to a time you were faced
with a challenging or difficult situation
in the workplace, use examples that demonstrate
how you stepped up and took a leadership position
by collaborating with your coworkers.
Remain upbeat and positive when giving your
answer and use the PAR system to frame the
story.