Situation Interviews

A situation interview tests your ability to deal with a specific business problem or situation. Also known as 'analysis' or 'behavioural' tests, this style of interview allows the company to see how well you think on your feet and how you use your experience and expertise to handle essential work issues.

The format of these interviews may vary. You may have a business scenario described to you, and then be asked to describe the exact steps you would take to handle it. For example, a human resources professional might be asked how they would go about setting up a new appraisal system, or the steps they would take to set up an effective induction programme for new employees.

The interviewer may give you a 'critical' scenario: how you would go about tackling a situation that was far from ideal. For example, a major client is unhappy with the quality of their latest delivery of products and is threatening to cancel their business; what steps would you take to resolve the situation?

Alternatively, you may be handed a bundle of documents such as memos, notes and correspondence on a fictitious situation; you may then be asked to do one (or a combination) of the following:

• Prioritise the concerns represented within the information, differentiating between the items that are highly relevant from those which are less so.
• Analyse the information, and then make a set of conclusions or judgements.
• Recommend an action (or set of actions) based upon this analysis.
• Present a summary, report or presentation on your findings.

This style of interview gives the interviewer a chance to find out how you could deal with tough situations to the benefit of the company, and offers you the opportunity to demonstrate your skills in diplomacy, multi tasking, patience, flexibility, marketing tactics or whatever it is that the job requires. Make sure that you are up to date with the kind of problems your industry faces, and the techniques that are used to solve them. You may be able to answer the scenario question from personal experience, if so, make sure that you say that you have dealt with this situation in the past, and then go on to fully explain the steps that you took.

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