Stress Interview is not a separated form of interviews, it is often an interlude between behavioral interview and case interview. The reason why we discuss it solely is just because the way of answer to this kind of interview question are not the same with other kinds of interviews.
In stress interview, stress is mainly from the difficulty of the question and constantly aggressive questioning of the interviewers. And these problems will accelerate your fear and tension like activators. The main purpose of stress interview is to remove what you prepared beforehand with your fear, look into your response under stress, and thus learn about your true character. However, the fact is that as long as prepared, you will be able to facing stress interview calmly. Bear in mind: there is no essential difference between stress interview and general interviews, just like the musical, pitch has not been changed, only the volume been increased.
Stress Interview tips
Stress interview always appears suddenly in the interview of other forms, and its purpose is to create stress on you deliberately and to find whether you can keep calm when you are under stress. If you can prepare for stress interview beforehand, also be aware of what is the time that interviewer will ask you some very challenging question, you will be able to feed back to interviewer with good response.
A common stress interview skill is set up traps for you: firstly asking you with very easy question in order to relax you, then seize a detailed with sequence questioning. Below is an example of possible interview questions within stress interview:
1. Are you able to work under stress? Simple answer or discussed in detail.
2. Please give us an example about you work with a team that faced stress from your experience.
3. Why do you think it will conduce stress? (Do not criticize your boss or collaborators friend).
4. What is the worst thing when you faced with stress? (Begin producing stress now)
5. Which transaction is not good for your colleagues whom also faced the stress at the same time? (This is inviting you to criticize them, Do not do it in any case!)
6. If you are a leader of the team, what could you do better than the truly leader? (Your specialty could be highlighted, still do not criticize others!)
7. What do you think that you have learned from it? (stress interview finished, Summery what you have learned would be good)
So as you can see at stress interview, if we are not carefully, or not prepared in advance, it is very likely to fall into the traps set by the interviewer. And if you prepared with right strategies, it should let you outstanding from the numerous candidates.
We summing up the strategy as “CAR” which could be used on the stress interview:
Confidence
You should know that the purpose of stress interviews not only review what you are answer to the questions, but mostly important is to observe your behave under stress, Therefore as interviewer put up a very challenging issue, you could pay more attention to behave as a self-confidence man, not only making your answer perfectly. Whatever the issue is, your should to be calm and confident, answer questions with your eye keep in touch with interviewer.
Ambiguous
There are lots of different between stress interview from traditional interviews, you should not give a directly answer to the questions at stress interview. At most case it could not to benefit you anything with directly answer. Since most of the question at stress interviews would be dealt with your shortcomings, so you have to link these shortcomings or deficiencies with your merits. For example, when you are asked what is your biggest weakness?, one possible answer is: “I have a lot of strengths which is also my weaknesses, because if not handled properly, then it will become a bit shortcomings. For example: my greatest advantage is I am a very objective man and not jump to conclusions at once, this is my advantage; But sometimes I will be over-cautious, could not believe my own intuitive judgment, this is also the greatest flaw.” With such an answer, not only you answered the interviewer’s questions, but also did not fall into his traps, as well as lay out your own merits and your self-confidence. Won one stroke.
Reflexive Question
Friendly ask the appropriate reflexive question is a very effective tip. After your statement finished, asking that “don’t you think so” or “what do you think about” with very friendly tone, the action will make you behave as a confident man with calm attitude. But this technique must be using carefully: the first is natural, not to let interviewer feel that you are intentionally; The second is to ease the tone friendly.
To summarize, when your face to unexpected stress at stress interview, there is not need to be tensions, dealing with calm attitude and answer question skillfully, the trembling stress interview should let you become a winner of the opportunity.
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