Employers want to know how you handle stress at work.
According to a Survey conducted by isolvedAt one HR software company, 65% of employees said they experienced burnout in the past year. Additionally, 72% of employees admitted that burnout affected their performance. The stress and burnout epidemic is real. That’s one reason employers often ask interviewees, “How do you handle stress?” Other versions of this question include, “How do you work under pressure?” and “How do you keep a situation from becoming too stressful to handle?”
Because chronic work stress The pressure continues to mount and companies want to ensure that their employees can handle difficult situations without fear. When asked “How do you handle stress?”, hiring managers learn a lot, including:
- Whether you are motivated by stressful situations
- How to deal with stress outside of work
- How your reactions can affect the team and the organization as a whole
The key is to demonstrate that you can handle stress constructively and be a long-term asset to the company. These tips will help you effectively answer the question “How do you handle stress?” and ultimately land the job.
Be honest and positive
If you respond by saying, “I never get stressed,” the recruiter will know you’re not telling the truth. After all, we all experience work stress at one time or another. Instead, be positive and authentic. When sharing specific examples, focus on how you leveraged your problem-solving skills to succeed. Use your answer to demonstrate the value you’ll bring to the organization. Putting a positive spin on a bad situation will show that you’re self-aware and set you apart from other candidates.
Take time to create a story
Before the interview, think about times when you faced a stressful situation at work. Ask yourself questions like:
- What events led up to the incident?
- Are there things you would do differently?
- Did I learn anything from the experience?
Next, list the skills you used to overcome the high-pressure situation. Some examples of transferable skills include: strong work ethictime management, communication, resilience and teamwork. Then, craft a structured response using the power of storytelling. The STAR method is beneficial for behavioral questions:
Situation: Setting the stage for the story
Task:outline what your goal was
Action:describe what actions you performed
Result:conclude your answer with a positive result
Demonstrate how stress motivated and inspired you to take action. Also, remember to end your story with lessons learned. That way, you can focus not only on the results, but also on your ability to grow professionally.
Tailor your response to the job
Personalizing your answer will make it much more impactful. As you prepare for your interview, Investigate the company cultureIs it an organization that focuses on teamwork and collaboration or individual results? Do leaders encourage innovation or value structure and stability? Those answers will help you identify examples of stressful situations that are relevant to the job you’re seeking. Most importantly, share stories that highlight the stressors you’re most likely to encounter in your new role.
Sample answers
As you think about your stories, try to focus on the positive and explain how you overcame obstacles. Here are some examples to inspire you:
Example 1:
I think stress motivates me to do my best work. For example, my boss recently gave me a high-profile, last-minute task. Instead of panicking, I decided to use my organizational and planning skills to prioritize what needed to be addressed first. By reorganizing my other tasks, I found time to tackle all elements of the project. Because I remained calm and focused, I delivered everything I needed to before the deadline.
Example #2:
When I find myself in a stressful situation, I try to focus on the task at hand. For example, I recently had to deal with an angry customer. Instead of getting angry, I used my communication skills to calm him down so we could come to an agreement. I was then able to resolve the issue by hiring another team member to help me. Ultimately, the customer was satisfied with the outcome and even gave us a great review.
Example #3:
As a manager, I’ve come to accept the fact that a certain amount of stress is part of the job. For example, one of my team members recently resigned. Since she didn’t give me much notice, I had to work quickly to redistribute her workload. Because I practiced stress-reduction techniques like exercise and meditation, I was able to stay calm and focused. That way, I was able to provide support to the rest of my team while also delegating work to the right people. I also managed to write a job description and post it on several sites within a day or two. Now, I have a shortlist of highly qualified external candidates, as well as some internal employees who are interested in the position.
Even if you’re not a firefighter or paramedic, most employees need some tolerance for stress to remain productive. Employers don’t expect you to not experience stress. They want to know that you can work efficiently and employ effective coping techniques despite it.
