Tell me about a time when you have worked under pressure. How did you handle it?

How to Answer
Answer Example

You will likely be asked about scenarios that are relevant to what you might experience on the job. Your interviewer will use these questions to gain a better understanding of who you are as an employee and how you navigate different circumstances. Prepare for questions like these by studying your resume prior to the interview and reflecting upon your experience. You want to be able to easily reference multiple examples from different points in your work history to share the depth of your experience.

"Last year, I was working in a retail position at a mall around the holiday season. It was my first retail holiday season, so I wasn't sure what to expect. In early December, we started to get extremely busy, and at first it felt like I was never able to recharge since we were so busy day after day. It seemed like the busier we were, the more rude and impatient our customers would become. I worked hard to maintain my positive, customer-focused attitude throughout. After the first full week, I was cleaning up after closing with my supervisor. I asked for advice on how to maintain my energy and disposition for the duration of the season, and he had great advice. He told me that a lot of my experience will come down to my attitude, so I need to consider how I'm framing my time. The next day, I got myself a gingerbread latte to get in the spirit and reminded myself that I had the power to spread more joy and make a stressful time more enjoyable for our customers. From that point on, it almost felt as though I was dancing through each day - and they started to fly by!"

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How to Answer: Tell me about a time when you have worked under pressure. How did you handle it?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Call Center job interview.

2. Tell me about a time when you have worked under pressure. How did you handle it?

How to Answer

You will likely be asked about scenarios that are relevant to what you might experience on the job. Your interviewer will use these questions to gain a better understanding of who you are as an employee and how you navigate different circumstances. Prepare for questions like these by studying your resume prior to the interview and reflecting upon your experience. You want to be able to easily reference multiple examples from different points in your work history to share the depth of your experience.

Answer Example

"Last year, I was working in a retail position at a mall around the holiday season. It was my first retail holiday season, so I wasn't sure what to expect. In early December, we started to get extremely busy, and at first it felt like I was never able to recharge since we were so busy day after day. It seemed like the busier we were, the more rude and impatient our customers would become. I worked hard to maintain my positive, customer-focused attitude throughout. After the first full week, I was cleaning up after closing with my supervisor. I asked for advice on how to maintain my energy and disposition for the duration of the season, and he had great advice. He told me that a lot of my experience will come down to my attitude, so I need to consider how I'm framing my time. The next day, I got myself a gingerbread latte to get in the spirit and reminded myself that I had the power to spread more joy and make a stressful time more enjoyable for our customers. From that point on, it almost felt as though I was dancing through each day - and they started to fly by!"

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