While your neighbors were away on vacation, they asked you to feed their daughter's pet hamster. The morning they arrive home, you find the hamster dead in its cage. How would you break the news to them when they return?

You'll read this scenario before entering the room, so you will have a few minutes to prepare your answer. If you have experience communicating difficult things to a family member, friend, or colleague, you can use that experience to inform your answer. Demonstrate your communication skills by maintaining good eye contact with the role player and using your active listening skills.

"Upon finding the hamster, I would clean up as much as possible and try to wrap and freeze the body for when they return instead of leaving it in its cage. I would then try to contact the parents to let them know what happened and offer to talk with their daughter when they returned home later that day. As the person in charge of feeding the hamster, I would feel obligated to be that person. If they were traveling and I couldn't reach them, I would make every effort to be available when they arrived home to let them know that the hamster had passed. I would sit the family down and be very direct about what I found. I would explain that I had preserved the body for them to do what was necessary. I would do my best to console the daughter and, if the parents allowed, have the conversation about the circle of life with the daughter."

You have six to eight minutes to answer this question. Start by discussing how you handled the dead pet to ensure the family returns to a peaceful home. From there, you can determine whether you would try to call them over the phone or wait until they return to break the news. One key piece in your answer will be your effort to catch them and break the news before they find out on their own. This will ensure that you take all of the responsibility that you can. A majority of your answer should focus on your ability to be direct with the family and take the time to talk with the daughter. Your interviewer will not expect you to take the blame for the situation. Instead, they expect you to display empathy and compassion.