“So, how do you handle stress and pressure?”
It’s one of the most common interview questions in an interviewer’s arsenal. Your immediate response to this question might be:
“Stress? I never get stressed. I’m cool, calm, and collected all the time.
Nothing bothers me. What’s stress?”
This isn’t the answer that the interviewer is looking for. They don’t want to hear that you never get stressed.
Everyone gets stressed at some point or another. What are you, a robot?
Even though this seems like a good go-to answer, replies like this can make hiring managers suspicious. Especially if you’re sweating profusely and struggling to get your answer out in the interview.
To give a good answer to this question (and behavioral interview questions like it), you should provide examples of how you’ve handled stress in the past and how it’s made you a more productive worker.
We’ll cover why hiring managers ask this question, tips for how to answer (and how not to), and provide sample answers to “how do you handle stress?”
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WHY DO INTERVIEWERS ASK “HOW DO YOU HANDLE STRESS?”
Interviewers ask “how do you handle stress” to learn how you deal with particularly stressful workplace situations. It’s an especially useful behavioral interview question for jobs that involve tight deadlines and a fast-paced work environment.
The recruiter or hiring manager might also be wondering how you cope with stressful situations outside of work as well since these can affect your performance on the job.
Employers are listening for examples of how you are motivated by stressful situations or how you can minimize stressful situations with careful planning and excellent communication skills.
If a hiring manager hears a story of when you let stress overwhelm you to the point where it compromised the quality of your work, that might affect your chances of getting a job offer.
Also, since interviews are inherently stressful, it helps to keep a calm demeanor when answering this question. If you need help relaxing before or during the interview, we’ve got more on that here.
TIPS TO ANSWER “HOW DO YOU HANDLE STRESS?”
Employers want people who work well in stressful situations and solve problems instead of avoiding them. They want to know that you won’t crumble emotionally under the weight of your responsibilities or pass off your duties onto everyone else. No one wants to be responsible for your nervous breakdown.
When you’re answering this common interview question, keep the following tips in mind:
Give an example. Interviewers love stories — but before you grab your beloved copy of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, remember that they want to hear stories about your work experience.
“How do you handle stress” is a behavioral interview question, which are some of the most common interview questions you should be prepared for. To answer this and other behavioral interview questions, use the STAR method to shine a light on your qualifications and accomplishments in the past.
Give an example of how you’ve handled a stressful situation at a previous job and show them how well you work under pressure.
How do you deal with it?. Try not to mention that your favorite way to deal with stress is to curl into ave a negative effect on your chances of getting a job offer. Let’s not let
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