Why It Works: This is a smart answer because the speaker shares what is a fairly common challenge for many students, then outlines the steps she took to overcome it. Desirable soft skills : Self-motivation, problem-solving, personal initiative, and tenaciousness. Acquiring successful time management skills was the biggest challenge I faced as a student. It was an aspect to college life that I underestimated the significance of. Now that I am in the workforce, I continue to use the skills I gained, and I am always trying to improve on them as well.
Why It Works: Here the candidate chooses to focus on a single job skill that she knows would make her a valuable and productive employee: time management. She also expresses her belief in continuous improvement. Desirable soft skills: Time management, self-initiative, self-knowledge, problem-solving, and willingness to learn. One of my biggest challenges my first year in college was the volume of work. It was a big change from high school, and standards were also much higher!
I tackled this in a few different ways: I looked for opportunities to start or join study groups, met with my professors for advice on where to focus my attention, and set up a structured schedule to make sure I was putting in the required time studying. This resulted in my maintaining a 3. Desirable soft skills: Strategic planning, problem-solving, personal initiative, communications, organization, and project management.
Practice your answers. Regardless, you should devote some time to practice interviews before you meet with the hiring manager. Ask a supportive friend to conduct mock interviews with you, to get a feel for how to answer questions effectively and organically … and change tracks when necessary.
Emphasize relevant soft skills. Be enthusiastic. Use your tone of voice and body language to express your confidence and willingness to accept the sort of challenges the job would present.
Humor, judiciously used, can also work in your favor. Pro Tip: As long as you're not harping on your mistakes, it's okay to also mention how you would handle the situation a bit differently if you had the opportunity. We were happy to find this particular question from a reader awaiting us in our inbox. Please keep the questions coming. What interview question stumps you every time? Tweet at us or email us at careers idealist.
As the Associate Director of Editorial and Career Content at Idealist and a lifelong nonprofit professional, Alexis offers job seekers, game changers, and do gooders actionable tips, career resources, and social-impact advice. Find something to do. Grad Schools. Mutual Aid Groups. Practice them with a friend or family member and ask for input about how your examples would sound to your prospective employer. Use one or two that most relate to the position you are seeking.
Unfortunately, this colleague had a major role in an important project. We didn't have time to replace her, so I was asked to take over her job so that we could stay on deadline. I had to get up to speed quickly, doing her job, as well as my own. We were able to complete the project on time, and the client was happy. Give them as much context as you can so they get a clear idea of how you handle these types of situations. It's also important to let the interviewer know what you learned from the experience and how you can apply it to the role at their company.
Instead of making it look like you've had an easy career, be honest with the interviewer regarding your previous challenges. Doing this shows you're taking the question seriously and that you have nothing to hide when it comes to your previous struggles. Be careful about the examples and anecdotes you provide in your answer.
For example, if you faced a challenge that you caused, avoid mentioning it during your interview. Instead, consider highlighting situations that showed you in a heroic light or that showed you effectively working as part of a team. After all, it's important for your anecdotes to show your strengths rather than your weaknesses as an employee.
If you don't have much work experience and therefore no work-related challenges to speak about, use an example from your education, volunteer work or any sports activities you were a part of. If you do this, make sure to tie your previous actions to your professional life and the job description of the job you're applying for. No matter your work experience, make sure to avoid personal anecdotes as they relate to your health or other aspects of your personal life.
In the event that a hiring manager asks this interview question, it helps to consider example answers. Seeing how you can answer this question effectively can help you determine how you want to answer the question yourself.
Consider the following examples for this interview question:. Example: "In my most recent role, a former coworker left her job unexpectedly.
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