Tell me about a recent high-stress situation you were in. How did you manage it? What do you do to decompress?
According to those who've been through the process, this experience can be at times be exhausting. Immersed in this crash course in high-pressured work environments, you'll deal with the everyday problems of a variety of business situations. This will put your mental flexibility to the test. What the interviewer is attempting to gauge is your ability to handle such high pressured situations on a consistent basis with full commitment to the program. To determine your fit is to determine your ability to persevere through such situations, without compromising your dedication.
Offer a recent high-stress situation comparable to what you imagine similar situations in the program's environment looking like. This will convey your understanding of what will be expected of you. Next, detail how managed that stressful situation, logistically and emotionally.
Some might listen to music to help emotionally distance themselves from a stressful situation, striking a balance between productivity and maintaining a positive experience. Others might take frequent breaks to read poetry or meditate. Some might bounce a tennis ball against a wall. Describe how these tricks allow you to maintain your focus and keep the stress at bay. It's fine to have stress as long as the stress doesn't have you. Emotional balance is what you should aim to convey with your answer.
"I recently had a deadline, where I had to generate several oversized flow charts and graphs for a presentation. The person in charge of my order at the printers left work for a health concern. So, the order was late, and even though they claimed they were doing everything they could, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be in time for my presentation. So instead of allowing task paralysis to take hold, I just decided to problem-solve. I'd been toying with getting an overhead projector for some time, and used this as an excuse to finally justify the expense. By taking this route I was able to keep moving forward with my presentation and had a new overhead projector which I'd wanted for a long time, changing a stressful situation into a positive one where I had something exciting and new to look forward to, in both my professional and personal life. Not only was my presentation a success, but I was able to watch 'Run, Lola Run' projected on my wall at home, which was something I'd wanted for a long time."
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