On the other hand, there are multiple ways to handle a challenge. One company might prefer an employee who takes a measured, methodological, and planned approach, whereas another organization might prefer individuals who dive in and do all they can to meet the challenge, without necessarily thinking of the bigger picture.
What the Interviewer Really Wants to Know
Every employee will face challenges from time to time. With this question, interviewers want to get a sense of your approach. Depending on the office culture, some approaches will make more sense than others.
How to Answer “How Did You Handle a Challenge?”
Follow this three-step strategy to formulate an effective response: Step 1: Recall a challenge that was significant, but one that you consider a success. Most importantly, you want to be able to discuss a real professional challenge or problem, not an arbitrary or annoying occurrence. You also want to be able to define how you met the challenge successfully. In your answer, you’ll want to set up the challenge clearly and succinctly. Step 2: Don’t just say what you did—explain how you did it. The employer is interested in learning your approach to a challenge, including the actions you took and your thought process. Don’t skip ahead to the end result. Use specifics to describe what you did to contribute to the solution. Step 3: Emphasize the outcome and what you learned from it. Employers want to hire individuals who can turn challenges into opportunities. When brainstorming an answer, think about ways to emphasize how you made the most of a difficult time. Of course, in the real world, it’s not possible to wave a magic wand and transform every difficulty into a grand success. It is possible to learn from your hardships, and then apply what you learned to future challenges. Make sure to express your takeaways and how challenges have helped you grow.
Examples of the Best Answers
Why It Works: This response clearly lays out how the candidate was able to meet this challenge. Plus, this response also highlights new abilities and know-how gained in response to this challenge. Why It Works: This answer highlights two qualities that are often very important to employers: staying on schedule, and motivating employees. If this response had stopped at the first sentence, it would be vague—those extra details on the “how” of tackling this challenge make such a difference in this answer’s power. Why It Works: Not only did this candidate learn a meaningful strategy, but the person also shared the information widely (rather than hoarding it). This answer makes it clear how valuable the employee would be to his or her team. Why It Works: The candidate clearly states the challenge and why rectifying it was important. Then, the steps taken to improve the situation are clearly laid out. Ending on a kicker of positive results beyond simply fixing the problem is a nice positive sign-off to the response.
Tips for Giving the Best Answer
Show your work: As mentioned above, you’ll want to walk through your process and the strategies you used. Don’t forget the big picture: If tackling this challenge changed your work flow or work style, or there was a big overarching lesson, mention it. And, don’t forget to mention the end result. Keep it simple: Try not to get bogged down in jargon or company-specific workflows and terminologies. Your goal is to share the challenge—and your resolution—in easy-to-follow language.
What Not to Say
Don’t place blame: Did a challenge arise because of your supervisor’s incompetence, or a co-worker’s carelessness? This is not the right time to mention that. Avoid pointing fingers. Keep your description of the challenge neutral in tone. Stay away from insignificant occurrences: Ideally, you’ll highlight a situation that is relevant, such as a challenge that many companies face. That way, the interviewer will be able to visualize your on-the-job performance.
Possible Follow-up Questions
Some questions that you might get after you respond include:
What would you do differently if this same situation arose? What did you learn from handling this challenging situation? How do you deal with stress at work?
Opt for relevant challenges. When possible, aim to share a situation that shows off a learned skill that will benefit the company you’re interviewing with. Describe the challenge quickly. That way, you can dig into the resolution, and your process to get there, which is what interviewers are most interested in hearing.
