Tell us about a time when you faced an unexpected challenge at work. How did you handle it?

"My current company has increasingly leaned on Zoom meetings and online platforms to collaborate virtually since the start of the pandemic. For the most part, it has been a great experience and an easy transition from our already tech-savvy approach before. One day, I was scheduled to present a new initiative during a team meeting, and my computer crashed 20 minutes prior to the meeting. I realized that I didn't have time to call our IT department and wait on hold, so I immediately began looking for another solution.

Luckily, I had the presentation saved on SharePoint, so I emailed it out to the team from my phone and advised everyone to open the link while I was presenting. I joined the meeting through my phone, explained the slight hiccup to the team, and had them follow along from their own computers. Despite the inconvenience, my solution felt seamless."

"Last year I was working on a project that was canceled unexpectedly. We had a team of ten resources including two contractors. I was able to easily find assignments for our full-time resources. They took on technical debt and support assignments and jumped in to help with other projects within our department.

However, it was unclear where we could assign the contractors. They were here in the U.S. on work visas and it was important to me to check into all available options on their behalf. I reached out to all of my contacts across the company to see if anyone had a business need and the budget available to take them on. Fortunately, we were able to maintain our contract with them and they were able to stay here through the end of their visa."

Begin by briefly walking your interviewer through the necessary background details of the scenario you select. While you can choose a story from any point during your career, describing a recent scenario or one directly related to the role you are interviewing for can have a stronger impact.

Next, describe your response to the challenge. You should focus the majority of your response here. Be sure to demonstrate your adaptability in the face of adversity and your ability to stay focused when things go unexpectedly.

Finally, walk your interviewer through any significant lessons you learned from the situation. This does not always apply, but describing your key takeaways can be a memorable way to complete your response to this question.

"Last year one of the aircraft I was a lead engineer for had an in-flight malfunction. They needed to land soon and the malfunction placed the safety of the crew at risk. I wasn't working that day, but I jumped on the phone immediately and began brainstorming with a few other engineers for options we could walk the crew through. We quickly developed a workaround and walked a very stressed crew member through the procedure to address the malfunction.

The situation really tested my ability to remain calm, think creatively under pressure, and communicate effectively under less-than-optimal conditions. I am confident I will be able to respond well to unexpected challenges here at NASA if hired."