BEST Interview Answer Tips: “How Do You Handle Pressure?”

By Elizabeth Benu,

Pressure in job is almost inevitable but what would you say when the HR Manager asks “How do you handle pressure?” in an interview?

If you went blank or are not sure how to handle the question here are tips from Patrick Matere, a HR Manager at Sovereign Hotel

What does this question seek to find out from the candidate?

“It is meant to interrogate the candidate’s ability in handling difficult situations at work and how they would manage to beat tight deadlines. It also seeks to establish whether or not one appreciates on-the-job stress. Apart from this, it evaluates a candidate’s attitude towards on the job stress and how to balance between pressure and performance,” he says.

He also adds that it seeks to find out if a candidate has techniques to manage pressure and to bring out the behavioral competence required to remain focused and successfully accomplish a task on time.

What should be in the candidates mind before they answer this question?

Mr. Matere says that the candidate should draw challenging work scenarios that exhibit ability and acquired experience to manage job pressure.

“The answer evaluates one’s behavioral competence. One should think, “Have I ever been under pressure?” How did I handle it?” Still, one should be careful not to make the interviewer feel like they cannot work without pressure,” he remarks.

Mr. Matere also advises that one should make the answer short and precise, keep it professional and stick to work related situations.

“However, if one can be able to precisely correlate personal pressure to sterling performance at work, then it’s okay,” he adds.

As HR professional what would be your perfect answer to this question?

“Make the interviewer recognize that you appreciate pressure. Use this opportunity to show how you stay focused on the goal and not the pressure,” he says

He exemplifies a perfect answer as “I handle pressure by remaining proactive and responding to situations with a creative solution rather than allow myself to procrastinate as a result of pressure. All in all when I am under pressure, I focus on deliverables and get the job done…….

The worst answer to this question as Mr. Matere indicates would be to tell the interviewer that “I cannot work under pressure” or “I don’t like pressure.”

He is also quick to add that a candidate cannot leave this question unanswered. Why?

“If a candidate fails to answer this question, the interviewer quickly concludes that this kind of an employee “closes their eyes at the sight of a problem” and hopes that the problem will have gone by the time they open their eyes forgetting that “hope” is not a strategy,” he notes.

His parting shot: “Attitude is everything! Pressure, if well perceived, helps us to keep up to standards, be creative and innovate more, which is crucial to competitiveness and excellence.

With this kind of attitude, you will be able to manage even interview pressure and get that desired job by not overlooking this question,” he concludes.