The pressure is on! Be prepared for these stress interview questions

Some recruiters try to put job-seekers at ease during interviews. Others challenge their interviewees with “stress interviews,” grilling them with questions designed to test their mettle under pressure. If you’re worried your next job interview is going to be stressful on purpose, read this article’s advice to learn how to answer common stress interview questions and impress hiring managers with your composure.

This blog focuses on the following stress interview question topics:

• What stress interview questions are

• What workplaces use stress interviews

• Answering stressful background questions

• Answering problem-solving questions

• Answering questions that test your patience

• Answering questions about what stresses you out

• Answering questions about the interview itself

How can you spot stress interview questions?

Few businesses actually tell their applicants they’ll be attending stress interviews. The whole point of stress interviews, after all, is to break down the facade job-seekers put up and get a look at how they act in genuinely stressful situations. This leads to the conundrum: if hiring managers won’t say you’re in a stress interview, how can you tell if they’re asking you stress interview questions?

To spot stress interview questions, keep an ear out for queries with these traits:

• Aggression/provocation. Many stress interview questions use a tone of voice that is angry, sad, fearful, cold, or bored – basically, any emotion that might make you feel upset or under attack.

• Puzzling language/riddle-talk. Some stress interview situations will ask you to solve logic puzzles or thought exercises within a time limit. Other stress interviewers might make the question itself a riddle, forcing you to decipher phases that are convoluted and confusing.

• Repetition/rephrasing. Some stress interviews will repeat or rephrase old questions to see if you give the same answer you did before.

• Loaded language. Some stress interview questions use biased language or bad-faith rhetoric to trick you into saying things about yourself that sound bad.

• Prying into personal matters. They might ask questions about your past failures and struggles, your code of ethics, and other intimate topics.

Why do some businesses use stress interviews?

Hiring managers set up stress interviews to find job candidates who won’t buckle under pressure, by examining strengths such as: Can this applicant rebound from devastating setbacks? Can they solve tricky problems in a short timeframe? Can they be civil towards rude clients? Is multitasking tough for them? 

Often, stress interviews are set up by businesses that are part of high-stress industries such as:

• Tourism

• Retail

• Finance

• Law Enforcement

• Air Travel

• Aerospace Engineering

If you’re applying to a job that is dangerous, high-stakes, or will bring you face-to-face with hostile customers or clients, be ready to sit through a stress interview and answer the types of questions described below.

How to answer “background” stress interview questions 

Stress interviewers will often ask about your professional background – specifically, the parts of your work history you might not want to share. By design, these questions are hard to answer in ways that don’t make you sound bad.

Never lie when you answer background stress or scenario based interview questions. At the same time, reject the negative mood these questions try to create. As you talk about past failures during stress interviews, emphasize how you learned from the mistakes you made. Show hiring managers that you’re a professional who grows with every setback, and cite moments from your past where that hard work led to real self-improvement.

Example stress interview questions focused on your background:

• Question: “Were you fired from your last job?” Answer: “I left my last career after talking with my supervisor and realizing that job wasn’t a good fit.”

• Question: “Can you tell us about a time you failed?” Answer: “Back at my first job, I didn’t understand my responsibilities and kept making mistakes. My supervisors back then encouraged me to ask for feedback regularly, and I’ve followed that guideline ever since.”

• Question: “How long have you been searching for a new job?” Answer: “I resigned from my old job a few months back and immediately started seeking out openings for SEO Experts.”

How to answer “puzzle” stress interview questions

Some stress interviewers will describe a made-up workplace problem, and then ask what you’d do in that exact situation. Others might give you a fake work assignment and ask you to complete it before the interview ends. A few stress interviewers might even ask brain-teaser questions or do role-play exercises where they pretend to be difficult customers or bosses.

You can prepare for these “puzzle-style” stress interview questions in advance with some self-study: reading about the company, reviewing technical topics, taking online classes, etc. During the interview itself, focus on showing off your reasoning and problem-solving skills. Ask hiring managers clarifying questions, outline your problem-solving process step by step, and be frank about what you don’t know.

Examples “puzzling” stress interview questions and answers:

• Question: “If a co-worker of yours keeps committing micro-aggressions, how would you respond?” Answer: “Without escalating or antagonizing them, I’d tell my co-worker that they’re  micro-aggressing, explain why their behavior’s harmful, and insist that they stop.”

• Question: “If you were put in charge of a project that’s behind schedule, how would  you get your team back on track?”

Answer: “I’d start by making a list of project goals that haven’t been completed yet, learn which team members are responsible for completing those goals, and identify the reasons for their lack of progress.”

• Question: “If you had to organize a luncheon for everyone in this company, what food would you order from the caterers?” Answer: “That depends. How many people currently work at this company? Also, are there any stakeholders or clients that might show up to this luncheon?”

How to answer “annoying” stress interview questions

There are stress interviewers who test potential employees by making their questions as annoying as possible. Sometimes they’ll pretend they didn’t hear your answer. Maybe they’ll shout too loudly or mumble too softly. They might even interrupt you while you’re talking or respond to what you say with long, intimidating moments of silence.

No matter how “annoying” these interview questions get, always try to answer these questions in a calm, polite, and friendly way. To keep yourself from getting flustered or angry, practice techniques such as breathing exercises, meditation, or personal calming rituals before the interview happens. 

At the same time, don’t knuckle under during your stress interview. If interviewers pressure you, buy yourself time to think by asking polite questions. When stress interviewers go too far with their annoying behavior, firmly ask them to stop.

Example stress interview questions and answers focused on annoying you:

• Question: “Sorry. I didn’t catch that. Mind saying that again?” Answer: “No worries. What I said earlier was this…”

• Question: “So you’re saying you have NO experience as a team leader?”

Answer: “That wasn’t what I meant to imply. My last career taught me valuable skills that I feel qualify me for this leadership position. Skills such as…”

• Question: “Are you a single mother?” Answer: “With all due respect, I don’t see how that question is relevant to this job interview.”

How to answer stress interview questions about stress

Sometimes, hiring managers will just cut to the chase and ask about the things that stress you out.

Example stress interview questions and answers focused on stress itself:

• Question: “How do you respond to negative feedback?” 

Answer: “I try to not be defensive and listen earnestly to the points being made.”

• Question: “What do you like least about your current job?” 

Answer: “There’s nothing in this job that I hate, but I’ve worked at it for a while and I feel that I’m ready to move on to a higher position.”

• Question: “How stressed do you get when faced with upcoming deadlines or high work volume?” Answer: “Deadlines can be pretty stressful, so I always try to complete projects ahead of schedule just in case challenges or new tasks pop up.” 

Like the infamous “What is your greatest weakness?” questions, these sorts of stress interview questions can be tricky to answer.

When hiring managers ask stress interview questions like the ones above, they’re generally trying to learn how you handle stressful workplace situations. To address this, talk about decision matrices, custom work styles, and other organizing that let you tackle heavy workloads without getting overwhelmed. Be honest about situations that really stress you out, but also discuss your favorite stress management techniques that help you stay focused on your work.

How to answer stress interview questions about the interview

In some stress interviews, hiring managers will take a break from grilling you about past experiences and ask you for feedback about the interview itself.

Example stress interview questions and answers focused on the interview:

• Question: “How do you feel this interview is going?”

Answer: “I think it’s been going well. You’ve explained a lot about this managerial position and the cross-functional team you’d want me to assemble.”

• Question: “Are you comfortable with the job requirements we described?” 

Answer: “I am, though I did have some extra questions about your company’s protocols for conflict resolution.”

• Question: “Do you have any other questions about this position’s responsibilities?” 

Answer: “Not right now. If any questions come to mind, could I reach out to you after this interview for clarification?”

Hiring managers often ask these kinds of questions to test your confidence and see if you’re intimidated by the job you’re applying to.

Answer these interview-focused stress questions honestly - not just for the interviewers, but for your own sake. Summarize the information the interviewers shared to show that you  listened and make sure there are no gaps in your knowledge. Picture yourself in the workplace the interviewers describe and try to imagine yourself being happy there. Consider the interviewers themselves, and whether they seem like good people to work with. If you still feel hopeful about the job after all these stressful interview questions, it’s definitely the right position for you.

Still don’t feel ready for your next interview? Check out Career.io’s new Interview Prep service.

Key takeaways

1. Companies use stress interview questions to see if potential employees will thrive in high-pressure workplaces.

2. To test your composure and problem-solving skills, stress interviewers will ask questions that are emotionally charged, repetitive, prying, or puzzling.

3. Beware of stress interviews that are outright abusive, and be ready to walk away if interviewers cross the line.

4. Use calming techniques, pre-interview prep, and polite questions to manage stress during stress interviews.

5. Answer each stress interview question honestly, but highlight your problem-solving, learning, and organization skills with each answer you give.