Find solution
How To Answer Interview Questions?

How do you quickly answer the job interview questions that start with "describe a time..."?

  • You know when you have a job interview and they have a list of questions like "descibe a time when you had to be in control of a situation ...."(just an examply). How do you answer those without taking alot of time to think of something? Just curious. I HATE those questions...

  • Answer:

    There's a handful of those questions which you should come to expect at an interview so at least you can do some thinking about those ahead of time. You don't have to memorize answers (and you shouldn't try to either), but here's a list of common ones: Describe a time when you had to deal... - with a difficult customer - with ambiguous instructions - with conflicting instructions - with a difficult boss - with a difficult teammate - with too much work and too little time - with a time you had to disobey orders etc. Feel free to take 10 seconds to think about it if you don't know off the top of your head what to say. I'm not overly fond of being on the receiving end of these questions, but as an interviewer myself I know behavioral-based questions are more effective at figuring out a person; any one can answer "correctly" what they should do with an unruly customer, but that's not always what people do in the moment. Asking for a description of what they have done in the past is a much better indicator of what people will do again in the future. Those who try to make up a situation are usually quite obvious to spot too.

Thomas at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

It's actually quite a simple process. I just reply with a counter-question and put the interviewer on the "spot-light" as if He [If it's a she I leave] is the one being interviewed. For example; "Describe a time when you had to be in control of situation..." Response, "Why don't you ************ u phaggot".

Mike

Just be honest, its okay to take some time to think. I would take some time to think of potential questions before your interview and come up with answers. Questions could be Describe a time when you had to handle an upset customer. Describe a time when you took leadership in a situation Describe a time when you failed Describe a time when you succeeded Describe a time when you had to think on your feet Describe a time when you had to handle a conflict

Ang

Good advice from Malika and Ang. First, prepare for those questions. But, second, take some time--if you need it--to compose your answer. Those sorts of questions are quite good (from the interviewer's standpoint) because it's been found that past behavior is an excellent predictor of future behavior. So rather than asking: "How would you handle an angry customer," it's far more revealing to ask, "Describe a time you had to handle an angry customer." For that reason, you really want to give an answer that puts you in a good light. So, prepare your answers, to the extent you can. And if you get caught with a question you haven't prepared for, feel free to take a bit of time to find an example that best portrays you. Hope that helps.

Donald

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.