Dear Greg,
I was stumped by an interview question recently and was wondering how you would suggest handling it. I was asked: “What was the most difficult situation you have had at work and how did you handle it?” That is such a broad and difficult question. What are they trying to get at?
You could have responded exactly like that — by saying that this question on a job interview is one of the most difficult situations you’ve had in a work setting.
Generally, whenever an interviewer asks a “most” or “least” type of question, you don’t have to take it literally. What is your favorite movie or song of all time — really? You can and should say what is likely the truth: That it’s impossible for you to rate the most difficult situation you’ve had at work but you can describe a tricky situation and explain how you handled it.
That’s actually better, because they aren’t really bothered about evaluating the situation you rated as the most difficult — they are really interested in how you handled a tough situation, your thought process, actions, how you relate to and work with others, how you overcame a big business challenge or goal, or how you deal with conflict.
Also, feel free to ask for clarification of any question you are asked in an interview so that you can focus your answer, but don’t feel obligated to rate any of your experiences or traits as “most” or “least.”
Gregory Giangrande is a chief human resources and communications officer in the media industry. E-mail your career questions to gotogreg@nypost.com. Follow Greg on Twitter: @greggiangrande. His Go to Greg podcast series is available online.
