Introduction
One of the most common questions you’ll get at a job interview is “How do you handle stress?” It’s one of those questions that interviewers ask because they want to know what kind of person you are, but it also gives them an insight into how well you can handle pressure in general. That makes this question a great opportunity for both parties: you get to show off your poise and professionalism, while the interviewer gets an idea whether or not it would be worth hiring someone like that (or not).
Why do interviewers ask this question?
Interviewers ask this question to see how you handle stress, whether or not you have an outlet for managing it and how well your responses reflect on your personality and character. This is also a good opportunity for them to judge if you’re the right fit for their company culture.
To be successful in any job interview, it’s important that you show off all of your strengths during conversation. If you are asked about how you handle stress in an interview, make sure that your answer shows off what makes you unique as an individual and makes a positive impression on potential employers!
Get ready for the question.
Get ready for the question. You should be prepared to answer this question, and you can do that by preparing an answer in advance. If you’re asked how you deal with stress, think about how you’ve handled stressful situations in the past and come up with an example or two that will prove your understanding of how to handle stress in a professional setting.
Before going into an interview, spend some time thinking about what makes you nervous and how to calm yourself down when facing those situations—and then during the interview itself, consider asking a question that allows you to demonstrate your composure if things get difficult (e.g., “What is one thing that would make this job more challenging than it already is?”).
Decide on a simple but honest way to explain how you handle stress.
When you’re asked this question, it’s important to remember not to get defensive or make excuses. There’s nothing wrong with saying that you occasionally get stressed out and need some time to yourself. The interviewer is more interested in how you handle the stress than they are in whether or not it ever happens. If a stressful situation arises during your job, it’s possible that you’ll have no choice but to deal with it on the spot—in which case, your answer should be less about actually handling stress and more about what kind of person you are when dealing with stressful situations:
Be prepared for questions like this by thinking about them ahead of time so that when they arise in an interview setting, it won’t throw off your train of thought or make you look unprepared (or even worse!). The best way to do this is by practicing answering these kinds of questions aloud before going into the interview itself; if someone asks me “how do I handle stress?” I’d say something along these lines:
Find something positive to say about your current job, even if there are things you don't like about it.
If you’re not completely satisfied with your current job, think of ways to improve it. Do you have ideas for how to make the job better? If so, share them!
If you are comfortable with your current job but want something a bit more challenging or more responsibility, consider this question an opportunity to bring up how much you like learning new things and working hard. A potential employer will likely be impressed by someone who can grow within their company and take on more responsibilities.
Be prepared for follow-up questions.
If the interviewer asks you to elaborate on your answer, do so. For example, if you mentioned that one of your stress relievers is running and listening to music, they might ask how often and for how long you run. If they don’t ask any follow-up questions, it’s okay not to elaborate further. However, if they do ask more questions about your answer or even contradict it (for example: “I see from your resume that you have a master’s degree in sports psychology—how does that relate?”), take this as an opportunity to share more about yourself!
If the interviewer asks a question that requires research or thinking outside of the box (“Can you tell me about something important in life?”), say that it would be helpful if they could give some background information on what type of response they’re looking for first so that way there aren’t any surprises later on down the road when things don’t go as planned.”
Takeaway: This is a common job interview question and there are many ways to prepare for it.
While the question “How do you handle stress?” seems simple, there are multiple ways it can be interpreted. As a result, it’s important to respond in a way that highlights your strengths and skills as an employee.
The interviewer wants to know if you’re able to handle stress. Have a few examples ready of times when you’ve demonstrated your ability to manage pressure from others or outside forces: “When I was working at ABC Inc., one of my co-workers left without notice and I had the opportunity to step up and take on more responsibilities than previously expected.”
The interviewer wants to know if you’re able to work in a team environment. One approach is by framing situations where you’ve been part of a team that overcame challenges together: “I spent two years on the swim team at school, which taught me how important teamwork is when facing adversity.”
The interviewer wants to know if you can work under pressure without losing focus on what needs doing. If this rings true for your situation, explain why: “At ABC Inc., our CEO often changed his mind about what needed doing next week or even yesterday! That meant we couldn’t procrastinate because something new (or old) came along each day.”
Conclusion
There are a lot of possible ways to answer this question and it can be hard to know which one will work best. You can research some common answers to the question online, or think about what you would personally like to say. No matter what, just remember that your goal is not just to give an answer but also show off your personality and confidence in yourself during the interview process!
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