How would you be able to handle the day-to-day stresses that come with working here?
In their work around the world with government entities, employers, and providers, UnitedHealth Group provides care for 152 million people. No matter what position you are being considered for there, the large volume of current work and future innovations will make for a demanding workload. Being able to successfully manage the expected stress from a high workload is a skill your interviewer will want to understand that you have, so they pose this question. The best way to answer a question like this is to discuss positions you've held that came with a lot of stress and then elaborate on how you managed that stress. Try to focus on your ability to prioritize tasks and stay focused on one thing at a time. This is also a great time to mention the things that you feel might be stressful about the job you are interviewing for with UHG and the ways you focus your personal life on being stress-free at work.
"Over the past four years of my career coming out of college, I've received a crash course in how to handle a high-paced and high-stress work environment. For me personally, handling high-pressure work comes down to my ability to stay organized and focused on one task at a time. I utilize my calendar and a task list to keep me on track with deadlines and important meetings. If things become too overwhelming in my work, I stay in communication with my colleagues and my manager. A primary care clinic like this can be very busy at times from what I understand from the team here today, and I would come to UnitedHealth Group ready to successfully navigate those challenges and ensure all patients walk away with a smile on their face."
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
The part that brings me the most stress is when a team member creates tension. If there is an issue with something, I would rather get it out in the open, discuss it, and move on. Some people let it fester and just cannot move on, while other people thrive on conflict or tension in the workplace. Life is too short for this sort of behavior.
Rachelle's Feedback
You're very right that life is too short for that kind of behavior! It sounds like there may be some underlying issues in your current work situation. Are you able to take this question and turn it into a more positive approach? For instance, what are you doing to change this type of mindset?
Anonymous Answer
It is stressful when team members have issues with one another. It is not a good sign to have issues in a team. I would take the nitiative to talk through these situations.
Rachelle's Feedback
Issues within a team can be very challenging, indeed. If you have a story of a time when you faced this stressful situation and improved the relationship between teammates, this question presents an excellent opportunity to tell a brief story of 'a time when...'
Anonymous Answer
The part of my healthcare career that brings me the most stress is when people are unaware of their healthcare benefits and guidelines. This has made me very passionate about educating them while addressing their initial questions and concerns.
Cindy's Feedback
Good. The problem-solution format is effective. Can you give an example?
Anonymous Answer
The part of my career that brings the most stress is when there is an issue with a coworker, creating tension. When this problem arises, I try to be the peacemaker by sitting down and talking about the issues so we can move on and work as a team without a tense environment.
Amanda's Feedback
This is a strong start. Working with different personalities and communication or work styles can be challenging. You've also shared how you seek to resolve the stress point. Expand your answer further to share how you work through issues with coworkers by focusing on behaviors/events rather than personalities, actively listening, identifying positives or areas of agreement, and
developing a plan to address areas of disagreement to reduce ongoing tension/stress and build on team success. If possible, share a recent example of how you worked through the conflict resolution process and what the outcome was.
Anonymous Answer
The best way to handle the day-to-day stresses is first to be organized. You must also find an outlet that allows time for you to unwind.
Marcie's Feedback
Good! It's great that you mention being organized and having an outlet because both are important when it comes to handling stress. Can you talk about some methods you use to be organized? Also, what do you do exactly to relieve stress? Work out? Take your lunch break with colleagues and socialize? Listen to music loudly on your way home? The more details you provide, the more meaningful your answer will be to the interviewer. Good job!
Anonymous Answer
Prioritizing my responsibilities so I have a clear idea of what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. This has helped me effectively manage pressure to keep my general stress level down. I strive very hard to eat well and exercise on a regular basis. I find it beneficial to maintain a flexible attitude at work so that I can deal with unexpected disruptions or adjustments when they occur. If I begin to feel stressed, I take a deep breath and concentrate on breaking down the situation into manageable parts.
Amanda's Feedback
Great job! Stress is part of work, and employers want to know that you have the resilience to keep working in the face of a stressful situation. You've answered well by sharing that you face stressful situations head-on. You can strengthen your response by providing a specific example of how you've handled stress well in the past, or telling about a time when increased pressure actually helped you work more productively. This illustrates your ability to transform stress into action, successfully turning a negative into a positive, to accomplish your goal.
Anonymous Answer
There are different types of stresses we would face on the job. Throughout my career, I have been constantly in a fast-paced highly demanding working environment due to the nature of being an FP&A leader in the organization. An FP&A organization is typically very lean, it requires everyone to be highly skillful and resourceful and have both breadth and depth of different functional knowledge and experiences. Through years of training, I managed to handle my stress by prioritizing, staying organized and focused, and communicating and building consensus with all the stakeholders. I utilize my calendar and a task list to keep me on track with deadlines and important meetings. I am also a firm believer in taking time to step away from the craziness to clear my head and stay productive.
Marcie's Feedback
Excellent response! You show that you have experience working in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment and that you thrive in this type of situation. Mentioning the ways in which you alleviate stress (through prioritizing, staying organized, communicating, using calendars and task lists, and taking breaks) is very effective as it assures the interviewer you know what to do already to handle this kind of stress. Great job!
Anonymous Answer
I try to reduce stress by planning. I take a few minutes at the beginning of each day to look at my calendar, see what meetings I have, make sure I am prepared for them, and see what tasks must be completed that day. I do the same looking out for the entire week, and I like to break projects down into milestones, setting deadlines for myself. Of course, there are always changes and things that pop up, but it makes it easier to manage when you have a plan.
Marcie's Feedback
Excellent. Planning and preparation are great ways to prevent stress. What happens, though, when you experience stress anyway? Can you talk about some of the methods you might use to alleviate that stress? For example, taking a short walk or break, listening to music, working out or meditating after your shift, and so on. Emphasize to the interviewer that you are fully capable of handling any level of stress that you might encounter.
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