With this question, HireVue's interview builder would score someone as a novice if they were unable to "adjust their behavior as required to meet the demands of the situation, and require a supervisor or manager to make the necessary changes." Whereas someone they consider an expert "possesses a positive attitude, shares their vision, inspires others, is a role model, and quickly modifies their plans accordingly."

HireVue takes a candidate's personality, work style, and ethics into account during the evaluation process, classifying them according to the "big five personality traits," which are openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability. This question focuses on emotional stability and conscientiousness. In essence, they want to know when facing a difficult situation if your stress turns into an obstacle to your productivity and team relations, or if you're able to navigate your stress and continue to drive results.

Improve your proficiency rating by being conscious of how stress can reveal itself through nonverbal cues. Maintain a calm and confident demeanor, with a relaxed face and open body language. Relay how you've dealt with difficult situations before and your confidence in being able to do so again. Explain your approach. Showcase your ability to objectify most situations and react decisively. Detail your systematic method, ability to maintain a positive can-do attitude, while stabilizing or promoting team morale.

"Well, I take a moment to collect my thoughts before anything. Situations like that are always initially stressful. But, I do the one thing in those situations that is necessary. I think quickly on my feet and keep moving forward as strategically as I can. I prioritize based on need, then I tackle the biggest part of the challenge first until overcoming it feels more and more attainable."