What was the most difficult decision you have had to make?
The interviewer wants to know how you weigh your options when facing a difficult decision. The goal of your response is to showcase your strong critical thinking and decision-making skills.
"(Situation) The most difficult decision that I have had to make was changing my major from Accounting to International Business. (Task) I was a second-year student and knew that the decision would set me back as far as graduation. (Action) However, after weighing the pros and cons, I knew that this added time was well worth the overall reward, (Result) I am so happy that I chose this path because I have built a very lucrative career."
"(Situation) The biggest decision I have ever made was to quit my last job and move to Denver. (Task) I have a lot of friends in Denver, which made a choice a bit easier, but leaving my hometown to explore other opportunities was certainly a major decision in my life. (Action) I decided, despite my fears, to move forward and make the location change. I actively looked for a new job opportunity and leveraged my existing network to make valuable new connections. (Result) Today, I have zero regrets, as I love this city. It's my home for good!"
"(Situation) In 2016, I earned acceptance into my top two universities, which I did not expect. (Task) I was a strong student and was thrilled to have options; however, I underestimated how difficult the decision would be. (Action) I weighed the pros and cons, including location, reputation, my major, past alumni, and more. I also made an Excel spreadsheet and pie chart to help me make the decision based on data and analysis. (Result) Thankfully, I made the right choice in the end and flourished at U of ABC!"
"(Situation) Choosing my major was one of the toughest career decisions I have made. (Task) I was on the fence between B2B Marketing and Consumer Behavior. (Action) After some contemplation as well as interviewing alumni and existing students, I chose B2B Marketing as my major. (Result) Today, I am thankful that I made that choice. B2B strategies are changing fast, and I love to learn new ways to position my clients in this incredibly competitive marketplace."
"(Situation) Last year I chose to stop working for my parents at their print shop. (Task) I wanted a more fashion-oriented job since clothing has always been my passion. (Action) I mustered up the courage to give my notice, and I helped them to find a replacement before leaving. It was a tough conversation because I wanted to tell them about my dreams without offending them at the same time. (Result) This decision has improved our relationship, and I am thrilled that I chose to put myself and career desires first."
"(Situation) The most difficult decision I have had to make was to let go of the business I started and get back into the regular workforce. (Task) The business did well, but my partner and I had differing ideas about where to take the company. (Action) He offered to buy me out, and I accepted. (Result) I love being in software sales now and don't regret the choice I made. It was one of the most challenging choices of my career but well worth the initial hardship."
"(Situation) Initially, I started my education training with a focus on being a high school math teacher. One year in, I decided to switch to an Elementary focus. (Task) I knew there were more job opportunities for male teachers in elementary, and my focus was to make myself highly employable. (Action) I made the change, moved around some classes, and lost some credit, but I also gained wisdom. (Result) I am still very pleased with the decision that I made, as I have never had trouble finding work in the elementary realm."
Use an example relevant to your work, such as changing majors in university, quitting a job that wasn't healthy for you, selling your business and re-entering the traditional workforce, relocating to a new city for better opportunities, or even starting a new professional venture. Be sure to highlight how you approached the decision and take the interviewer through your critical thinking and decision-making process. You should also include details of how your decision worked out for the best. At the end of your response, remember to connect your critical thinking skills and how they will benefit the hiring company, should you be the successful candidate.
Behavioral-based interview questions like this, where the interviewer is looking for a story example, 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.
One common mistake that interviewees make is to give a highly personal response. This question is not the time to talk about the hardest personal decision you've ever had to make. Be sure to keep your answer career-focused and related to the job opportunity.
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 most difficult decision I had to make was choosing to leave this job as an intern. At that time, I felt very overwhelmed with my sister in the hospital, two jobs, and a year of rotations ahead of me. It was a tough decision because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my career and retail pharmacy is what I was more comfortable with. The last three years have given me time to emotionally heal from a personal loss, achieve my goals in retail pharmacy, and finally decide that I want to work in a hospital setting based on my experiences in rotations.
Rachelle's Feedback
This is a great answer, I would leave out the details of your sister and simply say it was for family reasons.
"The most difficult decision I had to make was choosing to leave my internship. At that time, I was working two jobs along with my rotations. I was very overwhelmed, and then experienced a family emergency which was the final strain on my schedule. Over the last three years, I have focused a great deal on my personal growth and have zeroed in on my career goals within retail pharmacy. These experiences are what have led me to my goal of working in a hospital setting."
Anonymous Answer
The most significant decision I have ever made was to follow my husband's will to move to the US. During the last few weeks, I came across different people in the service industry; I'm so impressed and grateful for their spirit of generosity and serving.
Kevin's Feedback
Good answer that has a personal, emotional touch while showing your drive and reason for working.
“Moving to the USA was the most difficult decision I’ve yet had to make. My husband and I relocated here in January and have been actively seeking job opportunities. Through this time, I have come across many wonderful people. In the last few weeks, as I’ve made efforts to find employment in the service industry, I have been truly impressed with the spirit and generosity I’ve encountered here. I realize, in meeting these people, that this industry feels like a good match and I am very excited about the opportunities here.”
Anonymous Answer
I had the opportunity to choose between two colleges. I weighed my pros and cons, including reputation, quality of the university, the possibility to improve my language skills, and more. I have always loved data analysis, so I made an Excel spreadsheet and pie chart to help me make the decision. Thankfully, I made the right choice in the end!
Rachelle's Feedback
Wow! It sounds like you researched every potential outcome, making a very educated choice in the end. Very good.
Anonymous Answer
A few years ago, during a weekend when I wasn't working we had an incident were the wrong prescription was sold to the wrong patient. I found out about it on Monday morning from my staff pharmacist, and I called the patient who received the other patient's drug. I spoke to her and collected information and the drug and went ahead and document the incident.
I then filled out an incident report for accidental disclosure and documented what happened. About 2 days later I received an email from my DM about how this was the second accidental disclosure within a few months. The DM wanted to know what happened in both cases and I discovered from the sales transaction in the computer system that the same technician was involved in both disclosures.
I then received a phone call from the Vice President of Pharmacy, and he told me that this could not continue since these disclosures can lead to troubles with OCR. He told me that I would need to partner with HR for progressive disciplinary action. He told me that he would be watching this closely and that he expected there to be no further HIPPA disclosures from the pharmacy.
I partnered with HR and asked the store manager to assist me as a witness in providing a written warning. I told the technician that the continued accidental disclosures would no longer be tolerated and that she needed to double check name, date of birth and address for every receipt for every prescription bottle sold since HIPPA violation was considered a serious breach, and that any further disclosures could result in further disciplinary action including termination.
The technician, although she was upset, was much more careful in selling prescriptions, and I did not have any further incidents of accidental disclosures from her or the team while I was the pharmacy manager.
Rachelle's Feedback
This response shows that you knew the right steps to take, you received firm instructions without ego, and you were able to clearly communicate a difficult conversation with a subordinate. Excellent! My primary recommendation is to work on brevity where possible. Some details could be left out without affecting the impact of your stories.
Anonymous Answer
I was torn between pursuing a Global MBA and LLM in International Business. I weighed both options and decided to master my field first before venturing into the business field. I believe I made the right choice however, I will still pursue the course after I finish my papers in company secretarial.
Rachelle's Feedback
Sounds like a tough choice, indeed! It's very good that you have expressed your contentment with your decision, while still showing that you want to continue on with your education.
Anonymous Answer
The most difficult decision I had to make was leaving the last company I worked at. I had a lot of customers that were dependent on me and they had become like family to me. I still keep in contact with a lot of the customers that I once helped with that company and I trained my replacement to help them the way I did. He always knew he could call me if he ran into an issue that he needed assistance with.
Kristine's Feedback
Good answer! The interviewer will learn a lot about your commitment to customers through your response. However, your response may cause the interviewer to wonder, "Why did this person leave the company if it was so difficult?" "Was it a good decision?" and "What happened after this person made the decision?" You can address these potential questions in your answer, or be prepared to answer them as a follow up to your response. I assisted with wording in a few places for clarity.
The most difficult decision I had to make was leaving the last company I worked at. I had a lot of customers that were dependent on me, and they had become like family to me. I still keep in contact with a lot of the customers that I once helped with that company, and I trained my replacement to help them the way I did. I made sure he knew he could call me any time if he ran into an issue and needed assistance.
Anonymous Answer
The most difficult decision that I have had to make was to let a coworker go. He was a good friend who supported me in the field but was continuously coming in late and was a bad example to others by being on his cell phone. I counseled him a few times on his actions. He would change for about a week, and then he was back to getting on his cell phone or coming in late occasionally. He had been written up so many times, so when management came to me to see what I thought, I did the responsible thing and said we had to release him. He was affecting productivity in the shop "” what a hard thing to do, to release a friend.
Rachelle's Feedback
Your answer shows integrity and professionalism, but also a tender and genuine side of you. Very well said. I was a bit confused if you had the authority to terminate in this role, or if this was a recommendation to the management team who had the authority to terminate. You may want to be clearer on that. Otherwise; good response!
Anonymous Answer
The most difficult decision I had to make was moving several states away for a job after just learning that a family member had a terminal illness. Although I had the love and support of my family, it never felt right to be so far away, no matter how satisfying my career was. I've since returned to my home state to be near my family, and the experience has taught me what's most important in my life.
Rachelle's Feedback
Your answer is personal and heartfelt, which allows the interviewer to learn a bit about you, aside from what is on your resume. You still tie in a mention of your career, so this is a good approach.
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