What is something that causes you stress at work and how do you try to overcome it?
Stress is inevitable no matter what profession one chooses. It's how we deal with it that makes a difference. The interviewer, therefore, is not looking for you to say that nothing stresses you, but rather to show that you can control stress and work through it.
"I think we all experience stress in different ways. One of the most experienced work-related stress for me is not being able to give everyone the results that they want in a clinical trial. Although it is frustrating, I am also mature enough to know that if we don't succeed at something today, we can try again tomorrow."
"I think I cause myself more stress than any external event or situation. I say that because I put a great deal of pressure on myself to be successful and see things through to the end. As researchers, we don't always get the results we are hoping for. I have to remind myself this is why we do research. We search, and then we research."
Explain what causes you stress, then focus on ending on a positive note with how you overcome stress. The interviewer does not want to hear you dwell on the stressful events in the workplace but rather how you problem-solve and work through the stress.
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
I work in the Healthcare industry, Assisted Living Facility. Our main job is to care for our Seniors and make them feel loved while ensuring they achieve activities of daily living. In recent times, we have experienced a shortage of staff. I find myself doing a lot more to ensure we maintain an excellent standard of care. I thought of ways to attract employees. I shared my ideas with the Executive Director. She expressed her excitement and said she'd work on it.
Marcie's Feedback
Being short-staffed at work can definitely create stress especially when it's important to you that the seniors receive a high level of care. It's great that you were proactive about coming up with ideas to potentially fix this problem and sharing them with your supervisor. You might also talk about how you personally relieve stress to ensure that you don't lose patience or become frustrated with the situation. Great job!
Unlock all 35 PPD questions
Unlock expert responses for CRO and pharmaceutical industry interviews.
Get Started