Gallup Mock Interview
Master 30 Gallup interview questions covering strengths-based assessments and behavioral scenarios.
Question 4 of 30
Tell me about a time you felt uncomfortable or unprepared in your job.
The Goal
Example Answer
Example Answer 2
What to Avoid
Pro Tip
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.
The interviewer wants to know how you react when you feel unprepared in the workplace or find yourself outside of your comfort zone. The goal of your response is to provide evidence of your ability to overcome potentially distressing or awkward situations.
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 years ago, I joined Company XYZ as their newest Inside Sales Rep. I was very excited for this opportunity, but on my first day, it became apparent that the company had not prepared for my first day. I did not have an assigned desk, an email address, or training materials. (Task) Rather than panic and quit or feel discouraged, I decided to take control of the situation. (Action) I found some training manuals online and made a place in the employee lounge. I let my supervisor know that I would do what I could from there until my desk and tech were ready for me. (Result) I made the best of an awkward situation! I had a very successful start because of my willingness to take control of my onboarding. I even earned top rep status within my first 60 days."
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 felt very uncomfortable in my first internship. I was new and largely unaware of how challenging the placement would be. This newness and naivete made me an outsider in the office pretty quickly. (Task) Rather than keeping my head down, I decided to make the best of the situation and learn everything I could. (Action) I asked to shadow a senior team member for my first two weeks. I wrote down pages of notes, soaking in everything this person said and did. (Result) By the final week of my internship, I had a newfound confidence and many new professional strengths that benefitted me in my final year of university."
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.
Avoid giving an answer that makes it seem like you blame others or shirk responsibility when you feel unprepared or uncomfortable. Instead, show the interviewer that you take accountability for your success.
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 interviewer is asking you to be a storyteller. You can 'talk about a time when...' by forming a brief story using the STAR method. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Using this framework will ensure that you provide the interviewer with the right amount of information and detail to form a compelling and memorable response.
Write Your Answer
0 - Character Count
Anonymous Answer
I was conducting a step two grievance meeting, and the owner showed up unexpectantly. I continued to run the meeting as I had planned and when he wanted to speak up and conceded the floor and then redirected the meeting where it was diplomatic to do so.
Rachelle's Feedback
It sounds as though you did exactly what was right in this situation. Good response.
Anonymous Answer
I was in a product evaluation and forgot an important piece of equipment for the trial. I gathered the staff and let them know that we would need to share one piece of equipment between the two rooms for the day. This set the expectation that there may be a delay if both rooms needed the equipment at the same time. I had the equipment overnighted for use the next day.
Rachelle's Feedback
This would have been uncomfortable, indeed; however, it sounds like you handled the situation with poise and delivered a quick solution.
Anonymous Answer
I felt uncomfortable in my job when I was thrown in front of a room to give a speech on the brand. I was not prepared; however, I took a deep breath and spoke to what I knew. I wasn't prepared, but by being able to calm my nerves and instead of running from the situation, I made the decision to own it and gave the speech to the owners and investors.
Rachelle's Feedback
Good for you! Public speaking can be very tough to do, especially when you feel unprepared. How was your speech received, in the end?
Anonymous Answer
In my previous role as an Account Executive, I never received any formal training or coaching, so I had no idea what to expect during my first demo. I prepared as much as I could and went into the call confident. Any time I was unsure of something, instead of panicking, I used it in my favor to look even more prepared and said that I had a product specialist joining at the end to answer any questions.
Rachelle's Feedback
Your approach to these demo calls, and your overall lack of training, shows a lot of drive, smarts, and initiative. How did this approach work out in the end with your clients? Do you have any numbers to share resales or close ratio?
Anonymous Answer
A couple of years ago, when I joined a new company and the hiring manager who was supposed to have my workstation ready forgot that it was my first day and had not prepared for me. I had already met a few colleagues before officially starting, so I took it on myself to go ahead and meet them and start reading the training folders and SOPs and understanding the systems. The manager was very impressed and apologized and, within 3 weeks of starting, moved me to a more advanced team.
Rachelle's Feedback
Wow, that could have been a big mistake on behalf of the manager if you were not so self-motivated! This is a fantastic example of your independent and professional nature.
Anonymous Answer
In my previous role we sold a liquid thickener that had specific guidelines on how to mix, the guidelines changed worldwide and the supply of new materials was delayed with the new guidelines. I had a lot of training to do across one of my hospitals who were depending on this new material.
So I went back to our marketeer and requested an electric copy of the new materials that I could showcase to this customer in this big account. They agreed and as a result, I was able to deliver training with electronic copies and succeeded in my support to the customer.
Cindy's Feedback
Good! The answer shows your problem-solving skills and ability to prepare in the face of adversity. Good work!
Anonymous Answer
The CEO was getting stressed and putting a lot of pressure to have a number of patients enrolled in order to get the funding that we needed. The CEO ordered us to pass out flyers to Bingos and Costco. I felt uncomfortable because I knew this would pose a liability to myself and the company. Instead, I reached out to 55 communities and offered to sponsor activities in exchange for a 20 min presentation about our medical device.
Stephanie's Feedback
It sounds like you were very resourceful and exhibited a high level of problem-solving, but I am concerned that some interviewers might interpret this response to believing that you went against the CEO's orders. Do you have a different specific example you could give?
Anonymous Answer
I accepted a new leadership role and was very excited to meet my new team and the new challenges I would face. I immediately started working on my transformation agenda along with my team.
Just after four months in the role, the company made announcements that they were going to close the site and I was asked to lead the industrial site transferring to overseas. My team had lots of questions and feelings about the situation. I made sure to have open and transparent communication with the entire site. The key message was that as a leadership team it was important for us to keep our employees well informed on business decisions and help them to get through this tough time.
Marcie's Feedback
Excellent example! This sounds like it was a huge change and that you handled it in a professional and calm way while protecting and fighting for your team. Do you feel that your message was heard by others on the leadership team?
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