Behavioral Interview Questions
Master 31 behavioral interview questions covering past experiences, conflict resolution, and decision-making.
Question 24 of 31
Tell me about a time you wish you had handled a workplace situation differently.
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Example Answer
Admin
Manager
Marketing
Sales
Retail
Teacher
How to Answer
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What to Avoid
Community Answers
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
Workplace personality differences will almost always be present, whether you work with a large team or a small one. The interviewer would like to see that you can make the best of any situation, regardless of personality differences. The goal of your response is to spotlight your collaborative qualities. Show the interviewer that you act professionally irrespective of the personality or behaviors of those around you.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"(Situation) I recently had a client come into the office and yell at one of my staff members, embarrassing her. (Task) As the Manager, it was up to me to react professionally. (Action) I focused on calming the client down when I believe that I should have stuck up for my employee first and foremost. Verbally abusive behavior is intolerable, and I wish I would have reacted differently, perhaps asking the client to apologize for their behavior and leave. (Result) A valuable staff member is worth much more than a bad client. I later apologized to my staff member for not reacting on her behalf quickly enough."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"(Situation) My team recently hired a new junior administrator. (Task) As the more senior administrator on the team, I was tasked with training this new employee. (Action) Throughout the training, I did what I could to overlook the person's bad attitude, assuming that they had been well-vetted through the interview process. Shortly after his onboarding, he ended up quitting. (Result) I wish that I would have listened to my gut and told my boss about the concerns that I had. It would have saved the company a lot of time and money. What I learned from the situation, however, is that I will respectfully speak up from now on."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"(Situation) A few months ago, we were very short-staffed. (Task) I hired someone because one of my top performers recommended her for the job. (Action) Despite my better judgment, I did not follow my usual interview process. I skipped a few important steps, believing that this particular hire would be a great one. (Result) This new hire was not a strong performer, and I ended up terminating her employment shortly after I hired and trained her. I now know to never stray from my hiring process, no matter the referral source."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"(Situation) Last year, one of my larger clients changed the scope of their project multiple times. It was a highly frustrating process for everyone. (Task) As the Marketing Manager, it was up to me to reign in the client and the project. (Action) I spent additional time with this client until we finally agreed on a specific campaign. (Result) In the end, the project took twice as long as it should have. Immediately after, I implemented a stronger discovery process so that we could better outline our clients' needs and assess their commitment to the process before getting started."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"(Situation) A couple of weeks ago, I was feeling overwhelmed with a new product that our company rolled out. (Task) I spent so much time learning the features and benefits that I allowed my cold calling to slide. (Action) Rather than cold call the typical 100 companies that week, I called about 25. The impact on my weekly numbers was apparent. The next week, I tripled up on my cold calling. (Result) What I realized from the situation was that I need to keep the call volume going, despite added responsibilities."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"(Situation) Recently, there was a shopper in my store who was acting suspiciously. (Task) As an associate on the floor, I take my job very seriously and always keep an eye out for suspicious activity. (Action) I told security about my concern but, because there is so much store to be covered, they were not able to be as attentive to the situation as I would have liked. (Result) This person ended up stealing a few pieces of merchandise. If I could revisit that situation, I would have personally approached the person and asked to help them find what they needed, letting them know I was paying attention. I should have been more visible in that situation."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"(Situation) I noticed a star student behaving out of character a few months back. (Task) As his primary teacher, I should have had a conversation with him right away. (Action) However, I felt rushed with marking papers and preparing for finals and did not give this student the attention that I should have. (Result) I found out shortly after that this person was going through a very tough time at home. If I could have done anything differently, I would have approached him and asked him if he needed to talk and perhaps directed him to the guidance counselor at the school. I have recently vowed to be much more attentive, even during my peak stress times."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
Most people cannot handle every difficult situation with the utmost grace at all times. No matter who you are, there is undoubtedly a work-related situation that makes you cringe a bit when you look back. Answer this question by giving a story-based example of a time you reacted to a scenario in a way that you typically try to avoid. Outline the situation and describe why you reacted the way you did. Focus the bulk of your response on the actions that you took to repair the situation. Also, include details about the lesson you learned.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
Behavioral-based interview questions that begin with 'Tell me about a time...' are best answered 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.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
The example you give should not be a weighty one but have enough impact to show the interviewer that you can bounce back from a misstep in the workplace. Avoid examples that include a display of immaturity or make it look like you have a temper.
Anonymous Answer
I remembered a student earlier in my career who had taken the Board exam many times without success. I later came to know that the student had some learning difficulties. I regret that I did not give this student extra attention and do something differently, at the time, that I should have. If I could have done anything differently, I would have approached him or directed him to the student support center. With years of experience, I now have become more attentive to my students and their needs.
Rachelle's Feedback
This is a fantastic answer, and it's great how you tied in what you have learned over the years. Excellent!
Anonymous Answer
During my Ph.D., I noticed one of the master's students was behaving out of character. I was in a hurry grading papers and did not give this student the attention that I should have. I found out shortly after that this person was going through a very tough time with his scholarship grant and he hadn't finished his minor in another department.
If I could have done anything differently, I would have approached him and asked him if he needed to talk, and perhaps directed him to the guidance counselor at the university. Since then, I've been much more attentive, even during my work peak times.
Rachelle's Feedback
Your response is so well crafted. You take accountability and show a willingness to grow. This is exactly what the interviewer would like to hear.
Anonymous Answer
A few months ago I nudged a co-worker who was falling asleep in a meeting. He ended up being dismissed a month later, but perhaps I shouldn't have intervened because by helping him, I was just delaying what was inevitable.
Rachelle's Feedback
This question is all about accountability. It's never a bad thing to hand out an olive branch to a struggling coworker. Try an example that refers to your own work behavior vs that of someone else (and possible improvements) and what you learned from the situation.
"I was feeling overwhelmed with a new product launch and did not learn the specs as quickly as I should have. When it came time to sell, my performance was the third lowest in my team. The effect was apparent on my numbers that week. I spent the weekend memorizing the features of each product, catching up on sales numbers the following week."
Anonymous Answer
We hired for a financial controller some years back. the first 2 interviews were with our external auditors and the incumbent FC. I was called into a 3rd interview. I felt the guy was intimidating and overbearing but I didn't say anything. All the other interviewers liked him and were willing to hire him so I didn't think my feelings were important. He turned out to be a big mistake. I wish I'd have spoken up.
Rachelle's Feedback
This is a perfect example and it's great that you took a lesson from the situation as well. Good answer!
Anonymous Answer
After joining, we decided to undertake a legal audit to asses compliance levels and potential risks. This had never been done in the company. After completion, the report was presented to the EXCO team. The chairman who is also a director - shareholder got to know about the exercise and was upset why I didn't include him. I learned that when joining an organization, its good to understand the dynamics and politics not to be blinded by structures and how things should be done.
Rachelle's Feedback
This sounds like a very good, and important lesson to learn. Excellent example!
Anonymous Answer
In graduate school, an assignment to write a paper was assigned to the class. I did not have the experience that the other students had. I handed in my paper, and when the papers were handed back to the class, everyone got an A while I got a D. I asked the professor about the grade to learn that I had not used footnotes in my paper. The professor allowed me to re-write the paper using footnotes, and my grade was changed to an A. Subsequently, the class had to write another paper for the final examination grade. At the time, I did not know that my first paper was regraded to be an A and I left the final paper without knowing my course grade. After the second paper, when grades were posted, I got an A in the class. I never made that mistake again in any class.
Kristine's Feedback
Good start. Using the STAR response method, you should describe an example where you made a small mistake at work. Then explain what you learned from the experience and what you would do differently in the future.
Anonymous Answer
We had a customer that had an issue with their alarm system. I had to get help from another co-worker, and I asked him directly instead of going through his manager. He got in trouble for helping me when I was trying to help the customer. If I had to do it over again, I would have gone through his manager first to get his manager's approval before asking him to help me figure out a solution.
Kristine's Feedback
Great response! Your example shows personal growth, which your interviewer will recognize and appreciate.
Anonymous Answer
There was a time when I was younger that I had spoken out of turn, not knowing the situation and wished I had listened and considered the entire issue before reacting. I, of course, apologized for not listening and speaking out of turn.
Kevin's Feedback
It's great that you show your willingness to be humble, learn, apologize, and move on. Your answer shows that you are self-aware. Good! I've modified your answer to send the same message, but to color in the blanks as well.
Early on in my career, management was introducing a major policy change. As it was initially explained, I didn’t understand quite why the policy change was implemented and carried on with an assumption, drawing the wrong conclusion and spoke out of turn. They quickly corrected me, providing evidence to the contrary and my assumption reflected poorly on me. That was a long time ago and I’ve learned since then that it pays to ask questions. When it comes to clear communication in a professional setting, there is no room for assumptions.
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