Talk about a time when you succeeded despite being under intense pressure.

Question

Rachelle Enns · Accepted Answer

"Throughout my career in the professional services sector, I have gained the skills required to deal with stress constructively. (Situation) Last year, one of our Payroll Managers retired, and she passed me one of her largest client accounts. I was thrilled to have the opportunity; however, this account was notorious for being complex. (Task) I knew that onboarding this client would be challenging. It would take a great deal of diligence, research, and time on my end. I felt overwhelmed, but I knew that serving this account to the best of my ability would help my department meet its goals, and it would be a valuable addition to my portfolio. (Action) I sought a mentor with more payroll and account management experience to ensure my success. This individual taught me incredibly beneficial approaches and tools for managing my time, controlling stress, and regulating my mindset under pressure. (Result) As a result, I successfully onboarded this account and even received accolades from the client, which felt great. Now, when I feel immense pressure on the job or in my personal life, I lean on these mechanisms and techniques to get me to the finish line with focus and poise."

Rachelle Enns · Answer

The hiring managers at Intuit want assurance that you can handle the demand that comes from working in the high-pressure, ever-evolving financial software industry. The goal of your response is to provide evidence that you have the mindset and tenacity to behave professionally and appropriately while working under pressure.

Rachelle Enns · Answer

This question presents the opportunity for you to be a storyteller. Using the STAR method, form an engaging story-based response that showcases your proudest accomplishment. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result.

Use a solid and compelling example of your poise under pressure. Be as specific as you can while remaining concise and on topic. If possible, provide a story of a time when you were under a type of pressure related to this position's duties. Your response should come from a recent scenario.

Rachelle Enns · Answer

The expectations placed on you while working at Intuit might feel overwhelming at times. For this reason, the hiring managers are looking for evidence of your ability to face pressure while still ensuring that you deliver high-quality work.

Talk about a specific time when you were under a lot of pressure at work, yet you succeeded. Outline the situation, explain why you felt under pressure, and describe your actions. Spotlight that you made well-calculated decisions even though you felt some strain or conflict. If your actions made a measurable impact, discuss the results you generated.

Rachelle Enns · Answer

The average HireVue interview takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. This one-way video interview typically includes 3-5 questions. Depending on the HireVue parameters set by Intuit, the asynchronous interview platform will generally give you 30 seconds to prepare a response and up to 2 minutes to answer each question. It's important to note that HireVue stops recording as soon as your time limit is up, so it's better to run under time than overtime.

Anonymous User · Answer

"During the time I was doing bus routing for the county schools, a parent called stating her child never made it home. The mother was hysterical. I began our lost student protocol by contacting Administration, bus drivers, students that sit near the missing student on the bus, and teachers. It took about an hour but I found the student on another bus. The student boarded the wrong bus. It was a huge relief for all."

Anonymous User · Answer

"Working as a forensic accountant was a new and challenging situation. Upon starting this new position, I took on many clients to provide empathy and understanding of their insurance claims. I reviewed the documentation provided and requested the necessary items to write a report for the client's insurance carrier to review the company's loss. I discussed the claim with the client's insurance carrier and provided positive and negative results of my findings. I listened to my clients and was compassionate when giving negative results."

Anonymous User · Answer

"A new real estate development project was nearing the date to assemble a staff to perform bookkeeping, accounting, and related clerical duties, provide a physical location, and acquire the equipment necessary for performing the duties."

Anonymous User · Answer

"My house burned in October, a quarter-end month. As a full-charge bookkeeper with multiple clients depending on me to file their quarterly returns, I found myself under pressure with my loss and maintaining the integrity of my business.
Working with the insurance company, hiring contractors, and completing returns became almost too much to handle. I stepped back and was able to structure my days and evenings to complete the tasks needed each day. By taking this approach, I was able to file all the quarterly returns on time and complete my client’s weekly and monthly bookkeeping without falling behind.
This taught me a valuable lesson in preparedness. Had my client’s bookkeeping not been up-to-date and everything ready to file, I would not have been able to timely file my client’s returns, which would have been an unnecessary expense to them that I would have felt responsible for. We never know what the day holds, and maintaining my client’s accounts with accuracy is key to my success."

Anonymous User · Answer

"Many clients wait until the last minute to provide the required documentation to prepare their tax returns. However, we have committed to providing the highest quality service even under these circumstances. To help mitigate some of this pressure, we instituted a policy requiring all documentation within two weeks of the deadline. Otherwise, we cannot guarantee that returns will be filed on time. This has eased the pressure in a great majority of circumstances."

Talk about a time when you succeeded despite being under intense pressure.

How to Answer: Talk about a time when you succeeded despite being under intense pressure.

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Intuit job interview.

3. Talk about a time when you succeeded despite being under intense pressure.

The Goal

Pro Tip

How to Answer

What You Need to Know

Answer Example

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback