Are you able to regulate your emotions to do your job effectively?
"I have no issues regulating my emotions to do my job. I am very literal and communicate well when necessary. If things ever get to me, I'll request a break, when it works for the team for me to do so, and take a few minutes to decompress. But it takes quite a lot for me to even get there. I like to think of myself in full control of my emotions 99.9% of the time."
How you adapt to change will inform them of how you perform in a high-stress work environment, and if you can stay flexible when faced with unique challenges. Your interviewer wants to know if you can face these challenges with emotional maturity, confidence, and poise, or whether your reactions would be detrimental to the department, or the situation.
They'll want to hear an example of when you have put your skills into action in a comparable role. Use the STAR method to help you answer successfully. This means you will want to provide a situation, your task in that situation, the action you took, and the results provided by your course of action. Try to keep your answer relevant to the role for which you are applying, and ultimately convey a unique ability to stay cool and collected, even in the most stressful situations.
In the Department of Corrections, you'll be in a high-stress, highly demanding role where you will encounter the demands of many unpredictable and often dangerous personalities. This will require your constant flexibility and an ability to remain calm, keeping your safety and the safety of others as a priority.
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
Yes, I keep a tight grip on my emotions and when at work I don't show them no matter how I feel. When I get home I try to relax to alleviate any stress from the day and focus on starting fresh the next day.
Marcie's Feedback
The interviewer will be happy to hear that you're able to manage your emotions. Consider talking about a time when you did this successfully. Including an example will support your assertions and make your response more impactful. Also, talk more specifically about how you relax and relieve stress (i.e., what do you do?) Good job!
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