How to Answer College Job Interview Questions About Stress

How to Answer College Job Interview Questions About StressHow to Answer College Job Interview Questions About StressJob interviewersknow how tough college academics can be, especially for certain majors, and theyll want to know how you handled the pressure and how this will translate to their workplace. They might ask this as an ice-breaker to begin theinterview (Wow, you went to MIT? How did you deal with that crazy workload?). They might want to gauge your ability to prioritize and persevere. Most likely, the job youre interviewing for will have plenty of stress baked into its work environment, and the interviewer wants to know if you can hack it. There are plenty of angles you can take to answer this question, but above all, be honest. Dont start twisting your answers to present yourself as some kind of invincible wunderkind. Interviewers want to know yourstrengths and weaknesses, and they know that nobody is 100-percent perfect or has superhuman strength. Everybody has their kryp tonite. The key is to tell the interviewer how you take your kryptonite and make it work for you. You might be one of those people who do your best work when the stress is on. In any event, these suggestions will help you craft a convincing answer that stays true to who you are. Heres how to turn stress into a positive attribute in an interview. What Employers Want to Know During an interview, a potential employer wants to filter out any candidates that seem like they might have a melt-down under stress. They want to make sure that, in tense situations, you dont become overly emotional, disruptive, overwhelmed, or allow your feelings to get in the way of completing an assignment. Employers want candidates who can channel a healthy level of pressure into energy, efficiency, and focus that they apply to their work. Telling employers that you typically plan ahead lets them know that you wont be caught unprepared in a stressful work situation. Employers also want to know that you ca n communicate in a constructive way during tough times, maintain healthy boundaries, and have a coachable mindset if you need to improve certain traits such as reactive tendencies. Answers for When You Thrive on Stress You may thrive in a stressful environment, buthowdo you thrive? Youve of course researched the company where youre applying, so your answer should show how you will use that stress to succeed at that particular company. Here are some sample answers. Edit to fit your personal experiences and background I find that when Im under the pressure of a deadline, I can do some of my most creative work. (Great answer for a job that requires a lot of creativity.)Im not a person who has a difficult time with stress. When Im under pressure, I focus on the task at hand, and I get the job done. (Demonstrates the ability to focus in a distracting environment.)I find it exhilarating to be in a dynamic environment where the pressure is on. (Hints at being a great team player.) E xplain the Steps You Take to Handle Stress You dont have to like stress. One way to answer this question is to describe the steps you take when the stress is on. Share examples to illustrate how you handled a specific stressful time, whether at a job you had in college or during a time when the academics were crushing. When I am under pressure, I stop and figure out my priorities. I make a listto rank what is most important, and then I work through that list step by step, getting each task done.When Ive been in stressful situations, I try to figure out what is causing the stress. Its not always time-drivendeadlines. Sometimes its other people disagreeing on how to move forward. I figure out what the problems or disagreements are and work to get past them so we can all be productive.I do my best to anticipate stress and to plan for it. In college, you have the advantage of knowing when your crunch times will be when a midterm is scheduled or an essay is due. The same things true in the business world production cycles are predictable based on the calendar. So, my approach is to plan ahead by breaking projects into phases, setting myself early deadlines for their completion, and making sure all of the prep work is completed before a big exam or a final due date. I find this greatly relieves the amount of stress I feel when deadlines loom. Keep it Positive No matter how you answer, keep your response positive and focus on conveying how you will be an asset to the company.