A Quick Look at the Best Situational Interview Questions Available

Need a quick revision of the top situational interview questions that get asked during interviews? Well, look no further

Most situational questions that come up in interviews have a large majority of us attendees groaning in disappointment because of their abstract nature. However, there are many others who have the responses to common situational questions ready to go in seconds, a smile on their faces when they know they’re about to ace the interview. This isn’t just blind confidence. Answering the top situational interview questions can quickly become the easiest part of the interview precisely because there’s no single answer to them.

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Setting Our Sights On the Best Situational Interview Questions

Answering situational questions can be very easy once you realize that all you need to do is understand the principle behind asking the question. First things first, what are situational questions? These questions involve hypothetical situations where the individual has to provide an explanation of how they would behave or react under the given circumstances. 

Some of these questions might involve real-world situations that the interviewee has never encountered before, but they still have to picture themselves in the example situation and describe their response in brief. 

Most often, these questions are directly related to the individual’s job description or the work environment they plan to step into so they don’t have to tackle outlandish problems like defending the world from a descending meteor. This makes it easier to answer the questions by drawing from past experiences or strategizing about problems that they could realistically encounter.

Why are Situational Questions Used in Interviews?

Before we get to listing out some of the top situational interview questions, understanding the purpose of these questions might be very helpful. 

• They study the candidate’s decision-making skills and ability to reason through a problem
• The questions help assess the individual’s conversational skills and ability to explain matter in a concise way
• They help the interviewer understand the candidate as an individual and how their experiences have shaped them
• Interviewers have an opportunity to test whether the skills mentioned in the CV are accurately reflected in the individual’s thinking and reasoning
• They help the interviewer understand whether the candidate will be able to fit into the company culture 

What is the Difference Between Situational and Behavioral Interview Questions?

Very often we confuse situational interview questions with behavioral interview questions because they both work to similar ends. Behavioral interview questions focus on past experiences that the candidate has encountered and overcome. They focus on problems that have already been encountered to understand their thinking and approach to the experiences. “Could you give me an example of when you received negative feedback and what you did in response to it?” is a behavioral interview question as the employee has to recollect a past experience for the employer. 

Situational interview questions focus on hypothetical, real-world experiences that the candidate may or may not have experienced before but are still relevant to how they work. These questions are oriented toward the future and how the individual plans to evolve over the next few years. “If you happen to receive negative feedback from a manager that you don’t agree with, what will you do?” is a situational interview question as the responder may not have encountered such a situation, but they still have to explain how they might respond to negative feedback.

As a result, behavioral questions can help the interviewer understand your mistakes and successes and chart how you have evolved since, while situational questions bring your growth mindset and future-oriented thinking to the forefront of the conversation. Both provide important information to the interviewer and show them how you would fit at their organization. 

What Are Some Common Situational Interview Questions?

Answering situational questions is simple enough when you have some time to think through your answers. Unfortunately, during an interview, there is very little time to think your answer over, which is why it helps to prepare for them in advance. 

It is nearly impossible to predict every single question that might come up, but many of them are similar and can be answered when you have a more easily available reserve of responses to choose from. Practicing your answers to the top situational interview questions will give you the confidence to answer anything the interviewer throws your way. 

• How would you resolve a conflict between two subordinates?
• Imagine you have a new teammate who does not participate in any project discussions and never shares feedback. How would you work with them?
• If you had to talk to an employee about a sensitive topic, how would you approach the situation?
• Where do you think your career will be five years from now?
• Imagine you are put in charge of a project without an uncooperative client, how would you proceed?
• If you had to take on a few leadership roles later down the line, do you think you would be able to handle it?
• If you don’t agree with a decision a manager makes, how would you proceed next?
• If you make a critical mistake at work, how would you proceed to address it?
• If you don’t think you will be able to meet a deadline, what will you do next?
• If your proposal was rejected by your managers, how would you respond? 
• How would you proceed after getting some corrective feedback on an assignment that you were very sure about?
• How would you communicate some bad news to your team?
• Imagine you are reassigned to a new team and have to work with a client who refuses to do their share of the work. What would you do next?
• If you are assigned multiple tasks, how would you go about prioritizing them?
• What kind of learnings do you expect to gain from taking on this role?
• What do you think is going to be the biggest area of growth if you take on this job?
• Imagine you’re tasked with meeting with a client instead of working behind the desk like you’re used to. Do you think you will be able to handle it?

These are some of the best situational questions that are commonly used, and they might give you an idea of the kind of areas the interviews tend to explore. 

Even if you practice answering situational questions for yourself with no interviews lined up and no plans to change jobs, you could gain a better understanding of yourself. The responses paint a clearer picture of who you are, what is important to you, and what qualities you prioritize. 

The post A Quick Look at the Best Situational Interview Questions Available appeared first on The HR Digest.

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