Working for the Canada Border Services Agency can be exceedingly stressful. How will you cope with this intensity on and off the job?
A common concern employers face is when outside stressors begin to influence work performance and productivity. This concern is accentuated in high-pressure environments, such as customs and border protection. Consider sharing what actions you take to ensure professionalism is maintained at all times. Assure the interviewer that you understand the importance of keeping your focus in the workplace and the preventative measures you take to ensure a grounded work/life balance.
"I fully understand that stress management is an incredibly important skill to master. It's important to me that I never misappropriate feelings of stress. I am assertive in both my personal and professional life, which means that when a stressor comes up, I nip it in the bud before the symptoms creep into other areas of my life. Also, I have a significant social support network between my family and friends, which I believe is critical to healthy stress management."
As with any behavioral question, it is framed in a way that asks you 'about a time' when you faced a situation in the past. Your interviewer will listen to your example and study how you responded to and handled the situation, and what you learned from it. They will take the information you share and view it as a predictor of what to expect from your performance in the future. When answering a behavioral question, the STAR method is the recommended approach to organizing your answer. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result, and is intended to help you frame and organize your response in a way that will resonate with your interviewer. So you would start by introducing the situation you faced and the task at hand. You would then present the action you took, why it was significant and how you came to deciding on this approach, and ultimately the result of your actions.
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
I will adapt to it both on and off the job. I won't let stress from work-life interfere with my personal life or vice versa. I have a healthy lifestyle which includes working out, spending quality time with family, and praying. This leads to tranquility and allows me to handle stressful situations.
Rachelle's Feedback
A healthy lifestyle is so important, especially when working in a stressful environment. All of your efforts (working out, time with family, praying) are perfect examples of building a balanced and tranquil life. Well said.
Anonymous Answer
I understand that this job can be very stressful, and I am thankful that I have a very strong support system at home. Whenever something is bothering me, someone is always there to listen to me no matter the time of the day. Also, me working out helps deal with stress which will be beneficial to me physically along with mentally.
Rachelle's Feedback
Strong support systems and healthy habits are essential for stress management. Your response shows that you have the support needed to remain grounded despite the stress of your work. You already work an intense job as a screening officer, so it may be beneficial to include this information to show the interviewer that you have healthy coping mechanisms in place already.
Anonymous Answer
Stress management is key to any career path. Understanding that working in the public eye can be very stressful with facing the unknown of what can happen every shift. I believe that having a good connection and rapport with your fellow officers is key to keeping any stressors at bay, while at work, for all. Off the job, I practice meditation daily, I keep a very healthy relationship with my friends and family, and I spend time with my horses as a form of relaxation, on top of other forms of coping mechanisms. This time I take away for myself allows me to digest what happened that day and deal with it appropriately to ensure that it does not affect any other aspects of my life.
Rachelle's Feedback
It seems you have many healthy habits in place for stress management! Be careful of introducing your response with phrases or 'isms' that add little value, come across as a 'lesson' for the interviewer, or phrases that can seem cliche. For instance, 'Stress management is key to any career path' isn't a complete thought, and thus, it takes the focus away from you as the candidate and becomes a 'lesson' that the interviewer won't need. I've provided an alternate, more direct approach for you below so that you can see the difference this minor tweak can make :)
"Off the job, I will cope with this intensity by continuing to practice meditation daily. I maintain healthy relationships with my friends and family, and these connections keep me grounded during times of stress. I also spend time with my horses as a way to relax. This time I take for myself allows me to digest my day's happenings and deal with my emotions appropriately. I understand that working in the public eye can be very stressful, and as a member of the CBSA, I will face new challenges with every shift. Building a good connection and rapport with my fellow officers will help me keep stressors at bay on the job. I believe that by putting these stress management mechanisms in place, I will maintain healthy stress levels in my personal and professional life."
Anonymous Answer
I have an amazing group of friends and a family that cares about me, they are my support group. I also love to go for runs and workouts, these two things are a big help in relieving stress. I also have a punching bag in my home where I practice boxing.
Jaymie's Feedback
These are all great strategies to help manage stress!
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