The Savvy Professional: Facing Challenges with Confidence

Work life is full of challenges. Employers are looking for those employees who’d be able to meet every challenge with confidence. Interviewers ask about past behavior to try and predict future performance. To shine, it’s best to have a good sense of what you have to offer and have a few compelling stories detailing good examples to share.

To gauge whether a job seeker would be able to deal with any challenges on the job in a calm and confident manner, a typical question would be: “Describe an unexpected situation you encountered in the past. How did you face it?” or any of its many variations:

·        How do you handle a challenge?
·        Have you ever made a mistake? How did you handle it?
·        Have you handled a difficult situation (with a co-worker/supervisor/client?) Tell me about it.
·        Tell me about situations that demonstrate your confidence to do this job.

These questions provide an opportunity for you to communicate your problem-solving and critical thinking abilities as well as your ability to confidently work under pressure and handle difficult situations. We tend to be more resourceful and make better decisions when we are confident in our abilities. The key is having the right balance to be confident in meeting challenges without giving way to doubt and fear yet having a realistic view of our abilities and limitations. Confidence is feeling comfortable in your own skin, believing that you have a lot to offer, and trusting your abilities to do things and be in charge of choices, decisions, and actions. When you exude confidence, others will have confidence in you. But being confident is also recognizing limitations and development opportunities. Confident people continuously work to perfect current skills, learn new ones, and stay on top of work and industry trends.

The tricky part in answering this type of behavioral interview questions is that different managers have a different tolerance level for risk-taking and a different approach to managing difficult situations. However, everyone appreciates confidence when being confronted by unexpected challenges. And everybody loves a happy ending. Successful outcomes tend to go unchallenged; why argue with success?

Employers are looking for candidates who can turn challenges into opportunities. When you think about your answer, focus on how you made the most out of a difficult situation and what you’ve learned from it and applied to future challenges. Here’s a framework for you to come up with an answer to job interview questions about challenges and confidence: 

1.      Context – background on the situation
2.      Specifics – approach & actions demonstrating strengths & skills
3.      Outcomes – results & growth

Consider a significant challenge in your career (or school/internship) that had a positive outcome. Be prepared to describe in details the situation, your approach and though process, actions taken, and how you were able to meet the challenge successfully. Best: talk about a challenge most relevant to the role you are interviewing for.

I invite you to record your answer to any of the questions above and share with me via Google Drive, Dropbox, or your favorite collaboration platform. I will respond to everyone within 3 business days but can commit to providing detailed feedback only to the first 5 who contact me.

More about interviewing skills in my next blog posts. Be sure to follow the savvy professional series for job search and interviewing tips and offers for free feedback and critique.

Email me at info@choicefulpath.com