An interview is a nerve-wracking experience, especially if you have to handle it the very first time. You sweat a lot and get confused quickly. The best way to control these emotions is to be fully prepared for a job interview. Hiring managers nowadays don't rely only on job-related questions, but they ask some situational interview questions to test your skills and behavior. 

When you are going to prepare for a job interview, ensure that you consider them. The more prepared you are, the better performance you will show in an interview.

What is a Situational Interview?

It is categorized under difficult interview questions. The purpose of an interviewer is to put the interview in a difficult position and situation. He asks about a particular situation and your way of handling that situation.

Particularly he checks the following skills:

• Problem Solving
• Persuasion skills 
• Communication
• Interpersonal
• Anger Management
• Stress Management

Some situational questions are a test of your honesty, integrity, and moral values.

How to Respond to A Situation Interview Question?

No matter what situational question you encounter in your following job interview. Please follow a simple method of responding or answering to it.

Remember, one technique known as STAR technique stands for S-Situation, T-Task, A-Action, and R-Results.

Here is an example.

Tell me about a time when you got credit for work you didn't do anything about. 

This is a situation where the employer is testing your honesty and work ethics.

Situation: Once, my colleague came to me for help and asked me to suggest a solution to an account-related issue he was facing multiple times. He needed to know the best way to cut costs for financial gain. I shared a few methods with him. He followed my suggestion. He got a bonus from the company because he cut the cost and boosted sales volume. He gave the full credit of work to me and asked the hiring manager to provide me with a bonus.

Task- I approached him and explained to him that it was all his effort.

Action- I refused to credit for this work as my colleague put two weeks into this work.

Results- I made a friend at my workplace who knows that I'm there for his support and guidance without requiring any credit.

Please read: What to Wear to a job Interview?

This situation explains quickly that you are entirely a person who doesn't care about bonuses but is more interested in improving workplace culture.

Common Situational Interview Questions

An employer can ask for any situational interview. Follow the STAR method to answer the questions. Although any question or situation can be a part of an interview plan, here are some most popular questions. So, please have a look and know how to answer it.

1.Tell me about a time when you failed to Deliver

Everyone fails in his job sometimes. A fresher usually experiences failure a lot. So, the main idea is to make a mistake and then learn from it.

Situation: Our team was busy, and my client asked us to deliver within a week. We could deliver on time. But we couldn't, unfortunately.

Task - I felt bad that I couldn't keep a commitment with my client. So, I had to do something to retain the client's trust.

Action- I approached the client personally and asked him to give us a chance.

Result: We got a chance and kept the client with us.

2.Did you ever encounter a difficult customer? If yes, how did you handle him/her?

The purpose of this question is to check your communication skills or whether you can handle a problem in the best manner or not.

• Situation -When I was working as a receptionist for an insurance company. I came across a client expecting a temporary vehicle from our auto shop, but he didn't get it. He had to take a rental car. He was upset about this miscommitment as our company assured a free rental car during repair service.
• Task: The customer was upset, and he was using bad language, but I kept my temper intact. I apologized to him and asked him to wait for one day. 
• Action- I connected with the auto center and asked them to dispense a vehicle right away.
• Result: The customer called the next day and thanked me for the quick response. He even shared his satisfaction story on social media- from where we got more clients.

Explore; How to Answer a Difficult Interview Question

3.Share your Professional Achievements you are pretty proud of?

That question seems pretty straightforward. However, it would help if you had to focus on an achievement that adds some value to you and your company. 

• Situation - I was working as an IT Assistant when I explored some files that have a virus issue. I ran a scan test and found many corrupt files. I patched the error and ran a system-wide scan to prevent further problems.
• Task-I asked an IT Administrator and their team to set some preventive measures.
• Action: We spend one week on cybersecurity and install some new software and applications. I updated and refreshed some scanning apps to prevent further fire damage.
• Results: My manager monitored this cybersecurity project and asked me to work as a team leader for a cyber head. I enjoyed working on this role and learned the best way of risk management to meet the company's security roles.

4.Did you ever hide your mistake to run business operations smoothly?

It is another typical situational interview question. The purpose of it to test your integrity and see whether you recognize your mistakes or simply hide them.

• Situation - I worked for one year in the order dispatch department. A customer asked for blue T-Shirt packs, but I mistakenly dispatched a Black t-shirt pack. It was the promotional period. I made that mistake due to workload.
• Task- I approached my manager and explained that I made a blunder.
• Action: Upon his guidance, I called the customer and told him about this mistake. He Liked that I informed him beforehand. I asked him to send me a parcel back; we will cover the shipment cost. 
• Result: The customer was happy with the way we approached the matter. He understood that sometimes mistakes happen. By admitting my mistake, I kept the customer with us and saved the company from trouble and negative reviews.

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