How to Answer “How Did You Handle a Difficult Situation?” in a Sales Job Interview
When you work in sales, you are bound to encounter your fair share of difficult situations. It’s the nature of the job. Depending on the type of sales you do,…
When you work in sales, you are bound to encounter your fair share of difficult situations. It’s the nature of the job. Depending on the type of sales you do, you could deal with challenging situations occasionally, daily, or even specialize in working in difficult sales situations.
So, it’s no surprise that hiring managers will ask about how you handle challenging situations during a sales job interview.
Below are some strategies to answer this challenging job interview question for sales positions:
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Understanding why hiring managers ask this question
Hiring managers ask this question to understand how you work in high-stress situations. This behavioural-style question can help them learn about how you communicate, listen, and deal with conflict. It can also provide them with insights into how you react when put in challenging situations. Do you own mistakes or do you blame others? Do you diffuse or ignite the situation?
Use the STAR method to answer the question
One of the most effective ways to answer these types of questions is by using the STAR method. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
- Situation: Explain the situation where you encountered a challenge. Briefly outlining the details will provide the interviewer with context for the result of your answer.
- Task: Speak about the situation you faced. Talk about the role you had in handling the situation. Talk about your responsibility as it related to your job.
- Action: Detail the actions you took to fix the situation. Include your thought process to give a deeper understanding of your actions. Try to be as specific as you can.
- Result: Explain the result of the situation. How did your handling of the situation achieve the desired result? Talk about what you learned. If applicable, include numbers or statistics.
You can expect to get asked this question, or a very similar one, at your next sales job interview. So, it’s a good idea for you to work through the STAR method and have an answer prepared.
Get More Strategies to Answer Tough Sales Job Interview Questions
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Rhys Metler
Rhys is a tenacious, top performing Senior Sales Recruiter with 15+ years of focused experience in the Digital Media, Mobile, Software, Technology and B2B verticals. He has a successful track record of headhunting top performing sales candidates for some of the most exciting brands in North America. He is a Certified Recruitment Specialist (CRS) and has expert experience in prospecting new business, client retention/renewals and managing top performing sales and recruitment teams. Rhys enjoys spending quality time with his wife, son, and daughters, BBQing on a hot summer day and tropical vacations.
