How to Answer: TSA Screeners conduct screening of passengers, baggage, and cargo to ensure compliance. How will you handle an uncooperative member of the public?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a TSA Screener job interview.
17. TSA Screeners conduct screening of passengers, baggage, and cargo to ensure compliance. How will you handle an uncooperative member of the public?
What You Need to Know
TSA Screeners encounter challenging situations regularly. Many travelers are tired, stressed, or do not like cooperating. The interviewer wants to know how you would handle an encounter with an uncooperative individual.
If you are unsure of the TSA guidelines, it's okay to ask questions or tell the interviewer that you will abide by your training. The key to answering this question is to show the hiring authority that you would remain professional and poised in the face of conflict.
Written by Rachelle Enns on June 23rd, 2020
Entry Level Example
"Being new to a career with the TSA, if I were to face a situation involving an uncooperative member of the public, I would refer to my TSA Screener training. If necessary, I would ask a more experienced co-worker for assistance. It's important to me that I do not show unprofessional emotion or act out of impulse. Rest assured, I am a calm and even-keeled individual. In the face of conflict, my instinct is to remain collected."
Written by Rachelle Enns on June 23rd, 2020
Experienced Example
"While adhering to our codes of conduct and regulations, I would remain calm and professional and use my negotiation and mediation training to de-escalate such a situation. I would first ask the individual to step aside so I could secure the situation, avoid hindering the duties of our teammates, and recruit assistance as a witness at the very least. I would then devote my full attention to them. I would respectfully ask them what the problem was. I would then actively listen, mirror, and empathize with them. I would provide context and insight into their situation, introduce them to the potential consequences of their actions, and inform them of what actions are required. I would inform them of what conduct would serve their best interests and proceed from there."
Written by Kevin Downey on December 28th, 2022
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