Have you ever worked in a situation where the rules and guidelines were not clear? How did you cope?
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The interviewer wants to know how you go about achieving goals when you lack explicit instruction from your manager or company. This question is used to find out where your moral compass lands when company rules are not clear.
'Have you ever...' means that the interviewer is looking for a story-based example for this behavioral-based interview question. This style means forming a response using the STAR method. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Organizing your response using this framework will ensure that you provide the interviewer with the right amount of information and detail to form a compelling answer.
'Have you ever...' means that the interviewer is looking for a story-based example for this behavioral-based interview question. This style means forming a response using the STAR method. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Organizing your response using this framework will ensure that you provide the interviewer with the right amount of information and detail to form a compelling answer.
Example #1
"(Situation) One of my earlier positions was for a family-run furniture company with very few guidelines or rules of engagement when it came to sales, service, and protocols. (Task) As an experienced salesperson, I found this situation to be pure chaos. (Action) I did my best by following what I intuitively felt was the best decision on a case-by-case basis. I also created new processes and guidelines for my team along the way. (Result) By showing this initiative, I ended up being the top-performing salesperson and earned a promotion to manager."
Example #2
"(Situation) I worked for a small family-owned agency a few years ago. (Task) As the new Admin Assistant, I quickly noticed that most processes were not formally written down or included in my onboarding training. (Action) I made it my project to create 'what-if' scenarios, collect answers from my superiors, and compile a troubleshooting list for future reference. (Result) When I presented the documents to my leaders, they were thrilled with the initiative that I took and gave me a small raise."
Example #3
"(Situation) When I first took on my current management role, my team did not have many guidelines or processes to follow. (Task) As a seasoned manager, I understood the need for clear instructions and expectations. It concerned me that our team did not have a playbook to follow. (Action) I don't like to enforce rules explicitly; instead, I hope that my team will use their training, knowledge, and intuition to make the best decisions. For that reason, I asked the group to collaborate with me on creating this playbook of sorts. (Result) We finished this internal guide in a couple of weeks, and everyone seemed proud to have involvement."
Example #4
"(Situation) While working for an online marketing start-up company, I noticed there were many situations where rules and guidelines were not clear. (Task) I took it upon myself to address the need since my team and I needed direction. (Action) So, I drafted the rules and guidelines and came up with a system for others to contribute. (Result) Together, we created the internal structure that the company operates with today!"
Example #5
"(Situation) In the past, I worked for a retail company that did not have clear guidelines or procedures. (Task) Being new to my career in retail sales, I found this situation to be tricky to navigate. (Action) I decided to educate myself through workplace manuals and any other internal guides I could find. (Result) Ultimately, I found a comfortable middle ground that kept me productive."
Example #6
"(Situation) In my previous role, I quickly learned that within startups, hard set rules are difficult to find. (Task) As the new Business Development Director of a startup, I was to sell and hit my metrics, but it was a 99% 'figure-it-out-yourself' situation. (Action) I decided that the situation could be an excellent opportunity to pilot my business development ideas and sales tactics. I was confident in my work and comfortable with taking some creative license. I took the opportunity to create a set of approaches and processes for new client development. (Result) In the first 12 months, I secured 154% of my original sales goal, which allowed the startup to flourish."
Example #7
"(Situation) During a transition period in my school district, we had no department chair, and guidelines were unclear. In particular, nobody was mandating teacher meetings. (Task) A few more seasoned teachers knew that it was beneficial to us as teachers, and the department as a whole, to continue with our usual scheduling. (Action) We took turns leading the meetings and acting as though each of us was the supervisor, passing the baton to the next teacher for the next meeting. (Result) This approach allowed us to continue growing, learning, and collaborating during the transition."
Example #8
"One of my earlier positions was for a family run furniture company with very few guidelines or rules of engagement when it came to sales, service, and everyday protocol. It was pure chaos but I did my best by following what I intuitively felt was the best decision. I ended up being the lead of the delivery team within 3 months because they trusted that I had the company's best interest in mind."
Example #9
"I have worked as a Leasing Agent for many years now and would rank my industry proficiency and knowledge level around a 9 out of 10. There is always room to grow, and legislation is constantly changing, which keeps me in a constant flow of learning."
Example #10
"I am never one to break the rules out of rebellion but I have bent one or two for the greater good of the patient. One time I can recall is when I had a patient in postoperative care. We have a rule of no mobile phones. It happened that his wife had a medical emergency and so I allowed him to have his phone with him after surgery. It didn't cause any harm to him and he was very thankful for the empathy we showed for his situation."
Anonymous Answer
"Not having clear guidelines and expectations is a universal stressor. I worked at a start-up that was in continuous expansion for the first two years, and as a result, there was a lot of chaos. I coped by having weekly conference calls with the various matrix departments so that I could be clear on the expectations. Medical Sales is a highly regulated industry with little room for errors, and I found that these regular meetings gave me the confidence to know I was ethically meeting expectations."
Rachelle's Reply
This sounds like a stressful work environment, yet; you managed to come out on top! Well done.
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Anonymous Answer
"I am currently working for a start-up business in a brand new territory. There were no set rules and no guidelines as I am the first rep in this territory. I have taken the initiative to set my own rules and guidelines.
I hope to grow the business to the point where other sales reps will need to be hired, and I can give them these rules and guidelines so their transition will be easier, thus accelerating the success of the business."
Rachelle's Reply
You've taken on quite the challenge, and it sounds as though you are entirely up for it. Nice answer!
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Anonymous Answer
"Related to this question, there was a facility that I went to that had different PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) requirements for different parts of the plant but one part of the plant the PPE requirements seemed to change with every safety person you came across, so I decided to wear all my PPE whether I needed it or not to avoid getting stopped."
Rachelle's Reply
It seems like you made the right decision, and the safest one!
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Anonymous Answer
"I worked in sales for years and a lot of the job was trying different things to see what works. Using your initiative. If you're going to break the mold in terms of big successes you need to think laterally, take chances, try new things, take risks. Working in a startup I was free to try different things to see if we could we gain more traction."
Rachelle's Reply
Excellent example and well explained! I reworded slightly so it sounded more personal (using 'I' rather than 'you' etc).
Rachelle's Reply
"For years I worked in a sales job at a startup where it was all about trying different things to see what works. I used my initiative and would break the mold. I took chances, tried new things, and took risks. Working in a startup, I was free to try many things to gain traction, which I learned to enjoy."
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Anonymous Answer
"One time, I was assigned to clean and organize a storage room. Nobody gave me parameters about how long the project should take, and nobody suggested a method to apply to clean the room; consequently, I took extra time to ensure that everything was put back into the room in a clean and organized fashion and my superiors were so pleased with the result that they were not dissatisfied with going over the deadline date."
Kristine's Reply
Good start. It seems like the example you shared was a situation where your responsibilities were not clear. There's a subtle but important difference between responsibilities and rules and guidelines. With this question, you should describe a situation where guidelines or rules were lacking. Was there a time where you were unsure about what the rules or guidelines were? Did you ask your boss what they were? Did you check the employee handbook? Was there a time you didn't know what was the "right" or "moral" way to handle something, and couldn't find an answer in the company policies? How did you handle that?
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Anonymous Answer
"I was in charge of swing shift and was always left in the dark with changes and forced to make decisions on several occasions."
Rachelle's Reply
This would have been a challenging aspect of your role. Can you share how you coped with this reality?
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Anonymous Answer
"When I joined the department I did not have set policies and rules to refer to when handling legal issues. With the aid of various departmental heads, I developed policies and guidelines; Competition Policy, Anti-bribery, different contract checklists, Health & Safety policy, Vehicle management, etc. This has aided in my team and other departments in having a clear reference point as they use their knowledge and experience in making their decisions."
Rachelle's Reply
Wow, these guidelines must be so helpful to your team! This is an excellent example of taking initiative and acting as a leader. Well done!
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Anonymous Answer
"At work, I am responsible for determining how much government funding each client is eligible to access. The Department of Employment has guidelines in this regard; it only gives out a limit other than an actual figure. I make sure every time I make a decision; I strictly stick to the guidelines making sure what I approve will satisfy the regulatory compliance framework. Also, I assess the situation on an individual basis making sure it’s a fair process, and our financial support is accurate and sufficient to address their barriers."
Rachelle's Reply
Fantastic answer - this is very specific and shows that you put a significant amount of care into your work.
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Anonymous Answer
"When I worked as an Accountant, I faced many challenges in transferring funds to international vendors. Many payments were returned/rejected, but the company I worked for didn’t have specific Rules/guidelines dealing with returned payments. I made it a habit to document every problem and write procedures based on every different situation I countered and how I solved it. That way, there’s a point of reference if a similar problem arises."
Rachelle's Reply
The fact that you created your own guidelines and procedures, as situations came up, shows a lot of foresight. Very good answer!
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Anonymous Answer
"When I first started with my current employer, I was sitting in the main reception for front line customer service. However, there were little written guidelines for the main desk which made the work quite difficult for me as I had to ask for help from my co-worker constantly in the first few weeks. I approached my team leader that I wanted to start to gather the information and create a contact index as well as general rules and responsibilities for the main reception area. This was actually a good opportunity for me that I could meet with the colleagues and gain knowledge on the courses and related procedures. After that, I felt more confident in dealing with student and visitor queries."
Rachelle's Reply
Your reply shows organization and a lot of foresight which is excellent. Well done!
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Anonymous Answer
"So with the Operations role, nothing was laid out with guidelines or rules. I first started with implementing an employee handbook, also helped implemented guidelines on how to answer phones, patient care standards, and just made clear on guidelines of expectations in the different roles within all the centers."
Rachelle's Reply
Very good example. Not only were guidelines unclear - they were non-existent! This answer shows your ability to lead a project from scratch, which shows great discipline, attention to detail, and a confident understanding of your industry.
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Anonymous Answer
"Yes, I have faced many such situations, I once audited a unit financial control, during the audit, we noted software were depreciated using the straight-line method. Same method as a fixed asset."
Kristine's Reply
Good start. The interviewer will appreciate more details in your answer, so try to explain what rule and guidelines were not clear and the action you took despite lacking them.
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Anonymous Answer
"Yes, when I was at Journeys. It was a brand new franchise, and my team was new to working together. So, it was trial and error. I like rules, so it was a little bit of a challenge for me. However, after a short while, when we exhausted several options of ways of doing things, I looked at it as an opportunity to organize and help grow the business. We set clear cut expectations and worked together to make the office successful."
Alexandra's Reply
Good example! My only recommendation is to elaborate on how you determined the expectations & what role you had in deciding them.
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