9 Useful Stress Management Interview Questions
9 Useful Stress Management Interview Questions
Any job will bring out stress, whether through challenging tasks or unexpected situations. Candidates with good stress management skills are valuable because they can make sound decisions in times of crisis, think of new solutions to obstacles, and influence colleagues to thrive under pressure.
1. What is the most stressful experience you have encountered at work, and how did you get through it?
What this shows: A real-life example of their stress management in action.
There is an infinite number of actions that could arise from a variety of adverse factors. One way to gauge how they manage stress is to ask about real-life scenarios that they’ve personally experienced. Pay attention to how they navigated that situation, as that is an indicator of how they will handle future situations as well.
2. Has stress ever affected your performance at work? How did you calm down and return to your usual performance?
What this shows: Their behaviour in stressful situations.
A dip in performance is a normal result of stress, but what’s important is how they recover from a setback. Problem-solving and damage control show that a candidate has the responsibility and innovation to bring value to the company from an initial liability.
3. What do you do when you have limited resources to accomplish an excess of tasks?
What this shows: Their problem-solving and innovation skills.
This will help you see if their problem-solving style is a good fit for your company. Some organisations may benefit most from a candidate who is a risk-taker, while others may prefer employees with a more conservative approach.
4. How do you respond to negative feedback in front of your colleagues?
What this shows: How they manage stress publicly.
Managing stress is both an internal and external skill. This question shows if they can handle pressure in front of people and if they can respond appropriately.
5. How do you reduce the amount of stress in a challenging situation?
What this shows: Their strategy in mitigating stress.
A valuable candidate shows the capability to prevent challenges from escalating, benefitting their colleagues and the rest of the company. Being able to stop a situation from worsening keeps the morale of the workplace and clears potential obstacles to drive performance upwards.
6. How do you establish a work-life balance that prevents personal issues from affecting your work?
What this shows: Their professionalism
Candidates who establish boundaries between work and their personal lives are generally consistent in their performance. Having this quality shows that they are reliable and responsible enough to maintain work commitments.
7. Describe a difficult decision you had to make that affected others at work.
What this shows: Whether they can be objective under pressure.
In situations where they cannot please everyone, a valuable candidate will be able to use logic and fairness in taking action, even if it means disappointing others.
Difficult and stressful decisions are inevitable in the workplace, and you may want to test how a candidate will navigate that situation. Ask them these decision-making interview questions.
8. How did you adapt to unexpected changes at work?
What this shows: Their flexibility in a dynamic industry.
Change is expected and constant in any industry. They need to show adaptability to adjust to future changes in the workplace and remain effective.
You may want to assess this skill further. If so, ask the candidate these adaptability interview questions.
9. What advice can you give to a coworker under stress?
What this shows: Their ability to influence.
Moods are contagious in the workplace, and the most valuable team members are the ones who can spread an attitude of calm and positivity to help the company cope with stressful situations.
Screening for stress management skills eliminates candidates who may fail to deliver results at work due to stress, regardless of their skills. It is important to populate an organisation with employees who remain resilient through the inevitable challenges in the workplace.