How have you adapted to changes at your previous company?
Change is a part of life and our external environment. How you cope with change at work is what they're hoping to evaluate. It is not uncommon for those who don't cope well with change to incite dissent in the workplace, which can be damaging to morale and productivity. The interviewer needs to know where you fall on the scale of being adaptive to change versus inflexible.
"I was working on a project with a strict deadline and just a week before it was due I was asked to help out with a presentation since one of my co-workers had fallen ill. At first, I was nervous about getting everything done. After I made adjustments to my schedule to fit everything in and gave myself some pep talks to get motivated, I was able to make it all work!"
"I was working in a call center when they automated our phone systems. There were several in our department who grew concerned about their job security. I told them not to worry, and that we'd all be fine. There were a lot of hiccups when they first launched the new phone systems. The system frustrated many of our customers by the time they got hold of a representative. This required a lot of patience on our end. Everything got up and running, and it made our jobs easier in the end and proved no threat to our livelihoods. It just took a while to get there."
Think of when there was a change in management, policy, responsibilities, or your schedule. Focus on how you responded to the change. No matter how messy or complicated, the only thing you could control in the situation was you, so talk about how you grew and how you stayed calm during the shift in your environment.
American Express has changed drastically over the years to adapt to the evolving needs of its customers. They value individuals on their team who can handle change to keep up with their customers and their latest innovations.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
My previous company is very dynamic, changes happened frequently in most projects. At first, I felt stressed, but then I adjusted my mindset that changes were going to happen. With this in mind, I feel much better when changes did come. Besides, I also summarized changes I have met, collected information about possible changes other colleagues went through, and then made predictions of changes in new projects as well as thinking of solutions to those changes. By doing the predictions and planning reactions to those changes, I can handle them much more efficiently and confidently when changes come.
Stephanie's Feedback
It sounds like you've been very agile and have successfully adjusted to a lot of big changes in your previous company! To make your response stronger, I suggest incorporating a specific example of a change your company went through, rather than just mentioning general changes. A specific example will make your answer more memorable and impactful.
Unlock all 35 American Express questions
Unlock expert responses for questions interviewers ask at this premier financial services company.
Get Started