ANSWERING SITUATIONAL-BASED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Interviewers ask situational-based interview questions to help them see your thought process, agility & how you’ve used your skills in the past.

Situational or Scenario-based interview questions rely on hypotheticals, they are easy to recognize, as they start with a hypothetical scenario and ask – What would you do if…there is a…? or Suppose there is a …..How would you respond to this? Or If there is a conflict arising out of ……How would you handle it?

These types of questions don’t just exist to give you sweaty palms. Instead, they present an opportunity for you to showcase your critical thinking skills and how you think on your feet, and score up against other candidates.

Sometimes you may get tossed out a hypothetical interview question based on a scenario that has actually happened at their or your company.

Here’s how you can best take it forward:

💡 Ground your answers in reality by connecting situations to what you may have done or heard or seen.

💡 Use the STAR method to frame your answers – Specific situation, Task, Action, and Result.

💡 Be brief and don’t get too hung up on specifics and don’t expose anything confidential.

💡 Don’t put your foot in your mouth by being taken literally, use caveats in your answers i.e. assuming, suppose, for example, etc.

💡 Use the 90-second rule to think and respond rather than react.

💡 Address these situations in a way that’s concise and impressive.

💡 Don’t go overboard and ensure that you only answer what is asked.

💡 Focus on the action you took to remedy the challenge.

💡 Talk about the compounding effects of the results you achieved.

💡 Mention what caught your eye which revealed the cause of the issue.

💡 Before the interview, note down some of the most difficult situations you faced in your last job.

💡 Keep a compelling, cohesive account of the incident with the necessary details.

💡 Finally, practice answers to various situations to acquaint yourself and answer professionally.

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