INTERESTING!! How To Answer “Tell Me About A Time When…” Interview Questions

By Lilian Wamaitha 

You have probably written a captivating CV and cover letter. The hiring manager has been impressed and called you in for an interview. You have read the 5 tips on how to prepare for an interview and are now ready to take on the world.

You arrive at the interview and all is well and you are confident. But wait! The interviewer asks “Tell me about a time when you could not see eye to eye with your supervisor.” You start thinking of all the ways that you can tackle this question.

You are probably thinking of telling the story of how you bravely confronted your supervisor on a project you didn’t feel positive about. Hold your horses! Before you go on pouring your heart out to someone, let’s explore a few things on how to handle the Tell me about a time interview question and sample questions.

Related Article: 4 Smart Ways to Answer Unexpected Interview Questions

Sample “Tell Me About A Time When…” Interview Questions

In an interview a hiring manager may want to get to know more about you and how you handle challenges at work. He/ she may be prompted them to ask you question revolving around a time you solved a challenge or a time you were in a sticky situation.

1. Tell me about a time when you learned from a mistake.
2. Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult person..
3. Tell me about a time when you worked in a team.
4. Tell me about a time when you moved out of your comfort zone.
5. Tell me about a time you had to deal with a conflict at work.

How to answer “Tell Me about A Time When…” Interview Questions

We have looked at sample questions you may be asked in an interview. All these tell me about a time questions require you to narrate your ordeal as a story.

How are can you do a job if you have nothing to say about what you have done in the past. You don’t want to be that kind of a candidate. So how do you handle these behavioral interview questions?

1. Relate to key skills

Go through the job description highlighting the soft skills required in the role you are interviewing for. You can then answer this question relating to how you used these skills to solve a particular problem. For instance if it was a conflict in a team you can talk about how you applied your leadership skills to solve that particular problem.

2. Make a strong statement

Before you answer this type of question, it is important to understand why the hiring manger is asking you that. They probably want to find out your way of doing things.

Take your time to figure out what exactly the interviewer wants to hear from you. Make a good introductory sentence that will serve as a moral of the story. Chances are that the interviewer is looking to learn a thing or two from you.

For example you can tell about the time you disagree with the supervisor about a certain campaign but your suggestions were never implemented. You would then talk about how they realized you were right when the number came in.

3. Make a strong finishing statement

When it comes to these behavioral interview questions, the goal is to show how your experience will be beneficial if given an opportunity to work there.

Try to make a connection between the story and the company of position. For instance, you can say something that, “I am a good multi-tasker since I am able to set my priorities and work towards that.”

In conclusion

People often assume that in the “tell me about a time when…” interview questions are all about giving a story. However the goal at the end of the day is to get the job by demonstrating how you are the best candidate. Give the interviewer something to learn from your story and you will actually end up make a good impression that might just give you the job.

Read Also: 8 Things Not To Bring To An Interview That Can Easily Lead To Disqualification

Lilian is a Communications Officer at Career Point Kenya. Got any other interview based concerns? Air them out in the comments section or email lilian@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke