What Is Your Typical Role on a Team? An interviewer is asking this question to gauge your ability to be both a leader and a team player.With the dynamics of teams constantly shifting, it’s important to prove your ability to adapt to different situations.“Get you a girl who can do both” applies to candidates who can collaborate with others and take charge when their strengths contribute the most to the team.
1 Tell me about a time you used written communication skills.
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I wrote reports as part of my daily shift. My department head frequently commented that my reports were the shortest and easiest to understand of all the officers. |
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I used written communication skills to write reports every day. |
That first one shows a workplace hero. The second probably wakes up tired every morning.
Our next situation questions and answers focus on communication and interpersonal skills.
1 Tell Us About a Time There Was a Problem at Work and How You Helped Solve ItThis
20 Common Situational Interview Questions
As promised, here are 20 great “tell me about a time” questions.
They’re organized by a CareerBuilder Study of 2,138 hiring managers. The survey looked at the top 10 qualities employers love most.
These situational interview questions and answers judge your strength within those qualities.
Make sure to personalize your own response to match your personal achievements.
This difficult situation interview question looks at your work ethic.
Heres how to answer “Tell me about a time when” questions:
1 Tell me about a tough challenge you faced. How did you solve it?
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We got swamped with a line out the door and every seat and table filled. I asked the boss if we could serve free soda and breadsticks and explain the wait time to each party. We served everyone in order, and our comment cards that shift were 95% positive. |
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The elevators went down during a busy check-in. We had to carry all the bags up four flights of stairs all night. |
It’s not just “how you handled it,” it’s, “how did your idea help?”
Some behavioral and situational interview questions are booby-trapped. Make sure you find the benefit in this one:
Describe a situation where you saw a problem and took steps to fix it.
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Our rechargeable forklifts had two different plugs. If you used the wrong one, you could wreck a $3,500 battery. I added zip-ties as cord-shorteners so you could only reach the right outlet. We haven’t lost a battery since. |
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I saw one of our ladders had a broken step and marked it for repairs. |
See the difference? Scenario-based interview questions are looking for a benefit.
How to Prepare for a Situational Interview
Have answers ready for scenario-oriented situational interview questions about the most important soft skills. Based on research, they are:
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List of Soft Skills |
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Strong Work Ethic |
Time Management |
Detail-Oriented |
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Dependable |
Steady Under Pressure |
Problem Solving |
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Positive Attitude |
Communication |
Decision Making |
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Self-Motivated |
Flexibility |
Customer Service |
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Team Oriented |
Confidence |
Critical Thinking |
Looking for situational interview questions for managers? Focus on the managerial skills shown in our guide: Manager Resume: Sample and Complete Guide [20+ Examples]
Are you team-oriented? The three collaboration interview questions below try to find out.