Many hiring managers are looking for candidates who can handle pressure situations. They want those who are going to work through a problem in a cool and calm fashion. With this in mind, you may be asked how you handle pressure situations during an interview. As you prep for your interview, here are three ways to successfully show a hiring manager how you can stay cool under pressure:
Cite Examples of How You Have Worked In High Pressure Situations in The Past
When you are talking about how you can stay cool under pressure, it is important that you give examples of how you have done it in the past. Don’t just give hypotheticals of what you can do, back it up with a prior situation where you handled yourself with calm confidence. For example:
“At Widgets International, I constantly handled customer service situations that were unique and high-pressure. I remember one in particular where I had to locate an order that was incorrectly shipped to one of our biggest customer. Within five minutes, while the unhappy client was on the phone, I was able to backtrack the order, finding that it was sent to a nearby office. Not only did I fix the situation, but we also kept the client.”
If Possible, Insert Manager Comments Complimenting Your Work Strategy
If you have been able to work through high-pressure situations in the past, there is a good chance that you have been praised by former managers. When you are talking about your experience with stressful situations, quote former managers to back up what you have accomplished. For example:
“My Manager at Widget World called me ‘Mr. Calm’ because I stayed calm in situations that would overwhelm most of the people on our team. I always tried to get to the root of the issues and diffuse them before we started losing customers.”
Highlight Items from the Job Descriptions to Show How You Will Thrive In This Job
Hiring managers don’t just want to hear instances of how you were able to handle stressful situations in the past, they want to know how you will handle them in the position for which you are interviewing. With that in mind, highlight items from the job description to show how you will handle situations specific to the available job. For example:
“I thrive in high-pressure situations. I know that a good amount of this job is going to involve troubleshooting with customers and clients. Not only do I enjoy working through complex issues to the right solutions, but I also pride myself at offering great customer service so we keep the client after the situation is resolved.”
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