Interview Q&A: “What’s The Most Difficult Decision You Made?”

When you get the call to schedule a job interview, your first reaction is pure excitement. Then, after taking a deep breath, you realize what that means. Soon, you’ll be grilled with tough questions to make sure you can be successful in the new role. You are nervous!

One tough common interview question you’ll likely be asked is “Describe a time you had to make a difficult decision”. 

What is the employer trying to find out? As a member of today’s workforce, it’s guaranteed you will run into challenges. The employer wants to ensure you’re comfortable with the uncomfortable. That means testing your ability to make difficult decisions.

If you have ever found yourself in a tough situation, how did you handle it?

Here is a guide to craft a suitable answer;

Read the job description keenly

Your answer to this—and every—interview question should be relevant to the position you’re applying to. The best way to do this is to carefully study the job description and figure out the types of decisions you might have to make in this role. You should also think about what problems you’re being hired to solve.

For example, if you’re hoping to get hired for an event planning position that involves a lot of budgeting, you might want your answer to involve a tough choice you had to make about how to allocate funds.

Share the story

The answer to “Describe a time you had to make a difficult decision” requires a story. What happened? How did you react? Make it a conversation.

 Briefly set the stage with one or two sentences about the challenge you faced. Then, tell the middle of the story by sharing the decision you made. Again, keep it to a couple sentences. Finally, share the outcome (the end of the story) of that decision. As a bonus, explain the “why” behind your decision-making.

Explain why you made the decision

As previously mentioned, it will be suitable for you to finish your answer with an explanation of why you made your decision. Employers want to understand your thought process.

As you think of the situation to share, make sure the reasoning for that decision was in the best interest of the company or team.

For example; “I opted for decision B because it would save on costs and yield faster results. Therefore enabling our team to achieve our goals for the project”

Explain Which Kinds of Decisions Are Difficult for You and Why

Once you’ve chosen an appropriate situation, you’ll want to articulate why it was a difficult decision for you, so your interviewer can glean more insight into who you are as an employee and what matters to you.

So for example, if interviewing for a client-facing job you might say something like:

“For me, any decision that has the potential to negatively affect a client’s trust in our business relationship is difficult because as a customer service agent, I know that that trust is paramount. But unfortunately, sometimes things change on our end or, for some reason I didn’t know about earlier, I can’t deliver on everything promised.”

Make your answer relatable and timely

A general interviewing tip is to always make your answers relatable and timely. Using an example from your personal life during a professional interview isn’t relatable. Specifically, when answering this question, be smart about what difficult decision you chose to share.

Consider a recent work-related situation where you were forced to make a difficult decision. Did you have to fire a team member in the last few months? Were you the one to choose a new supplier and have to spend more money?

Describe the outcome of your decision

While interviewers want you to show that you can make a difficult decision, they’re also eager to learn the result of your choice. As you explain what happened after making a difficult decision, try to quantify or measure the outcome if possible. How did your decision affect the team or company? Did traffic on the site increase? Was you team able to achieve its goals?

Final thoughts…

Be concise, clear and professional. Use examples where needed and always quantify your answers.

Need help answering such difficult questions? Let a professional interview coach boost your confidence by helping you come up with the right answers. Book a session today!