How to Answer: How do you handle stressful situations, such as collaborating with uncooperative architects or tradespeople?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Design Consultant job interview.
2. How do you handle stressful situations, such as collaborating with uncooperative architects or tradespeople?
How to Answer
As a Design Consultant, stressful situations and potential conflict must not get the best of you when working on a project with different personalities, deadlines, and goals. Your responsibility as a professional designer might be to mitigate stressful situations and ensure they do not leave a negative impact on your project. If you have a story-based example of a time when you encountered a similar situation, be sure to show your conflict resolution and stress-management skills in action.
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 14th, 2021
Answer Example
"There can be a lot of pressure in this job when collaborating with architects and tradespeople. We all have timelines to meet, and some days, it can be a challenge to satisfy all of these deadlines. However, I find that as long as I maintain a professional and courteous attitude, most situations can be figured out before they turn into a conflict. Just last month, a situation became heated between a contractor and me when he said that my design idea was 'impossible.' Luckily, the architect was on-site and disagreed with the contractor. We were able to maintain respect for all opinions, and we verbally worked out the misunderstanding. I believe that every project is about the clients' vision and never about ego. Contractors, architects, and tradespeople are critical to every project, and without them, I could not be a successful Designer. For that reason, I am always mindful of working as a positive team player."
Written by Rachelle Enns on March 14th, 2021