Have you ever worked in a stressful environment?
"When I toured in Iraq, it was stressful at times. But that's all part of the job. I was doing my part to help everybody to the best of my ability while following orders. Not everyone understands what you're there to do, and some think you're the enemy. I can't help what other people think, but I was there to help. So sure, stress was part of it."
The interviewer is assessing your perception of what a high-stress working environment looks like. They're curious about how well your perception aligns with the reality of the job. Interviewing, hiring, and training are expensive, and the time invested in hiring someone will relieve the pressures on those covering for the staff shortage. Hiring an individual who wasn't suited for the role could result in quick turnover, further burdening the rest of the team, and causing further issues for the work environment. In assessing your perception of what the job looks like, they'll hopefully be able to evaluate how well-suited you are for the role.
If you've worked for the department of corrections before, or in a similar role, spend time before the interview planning a professional and impartial answer based on your working experience. Exhibit your ability to step outside of your comfort zone and your ability to stay grounded while working under pressure. If you don't have relevant work experience, put in the time to research what the job looks like in a way that applies to the question. Then take your example of working in a high-stress environment and examine how you can correlate the two in a translatable way.
The aim here is not only to relay your relevant experience to the position you are competing for but also to exhibit your ability to remain cool and collected under pressure. Exhibiting a clear comprehension of what the job environment looks like while displaying a clear handle on governing your stress levels with emotional maturity is the goal here.
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
Back when I worked at _______, there was a day when a lot of employees called out. My manager had to take most of the workers in my department and send them across the store to help others. He left me in charge of the department and I made sure all customers got their groceries on time and that the department remained clean and sorted. It was stressful but I got through it.
Marcie's Feedback
Great! Why was this stressful for you? And what exactly did you do to handle the stress? For example, what steps did you take to ensure the customers received their orders on time? Remember, the more details you can give, the better!
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