Department of Defense Mock Interview
Master 30 Department of Defense interview questions covering security clearances, mission priorities, and federal hiring protocols.
Question 27 of 30
Tell us about a time you were under pressure to deliver a report. How did you deal with the pressure without it affecting the quality of your work?
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Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
"I like to get a jump on my work in advance. It helps me meet my deadlines early with consistency. On one occasion, I didn't print the report until the deadline was fast approaching, having gotten distracted by more pressing concerns. Just as I went to print my report, the computer crashed. I scrambled for a while, trying to recover the files. Then, I yanked the hard drive and brought it to IT to see if they could recover the file. I then worked with our cloud department to see if we could locate the file there. I hurriedly started writing the report again, going off my notes and memory. Just as I finished, within an hour of the deadline, our cloud department returned the file, and IT sent me an earlier version of the file. I took the best parts from all three and filed the report within my deadline. Now, I always beat my deadlines by much more than that. Coming up that close to the deadline made me uncomfortable. I'm extra vigilant to ensure I don't repeat that mistake."
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
This question seeks to gauge how you cope with high-stress situations. It also aims to determine what kind of situations you find stressful and how your emotions dictate your performance on the job. The interviewer wants to know if you have what it takes to keep calm under pressure in their environment.
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
Exhibit your emotional maturity by explaining how you keep calm under pressure. Acknowledge that we face stressful situations every day and highlight your ability to take such situations in stride. Having a positive attitude towards even the stressful components of your work indicates that you'll foster a positive work environment.
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