Some jobs are high-stress and interviewers will test you to see if you can handle the heat. You’ll get partial credit for talking about your heroic efforts to get everything done, but you’ll get more points if you’ve enlisted allies.

Example-1:

“I was working on my company’s big quarterly project update when two team members left unexpectedly and we were short-handed with three weeks to go. I convened an urgent strategy session where we identified all the projects they were involved in and mapped out our action plan. We shared the most important tasks within the team and got them all done in time. We canceled two optional features that could wait a quarter, and we reached out to a former intern who was able to deliver 15 hours of remote work in the last weekend sprint before the deadline. We were able to complete the project without a delay and delivered on all the essential deliverables by being creative, strategic, and very focused. “

Example-2

“When I was working as a Systems Integration Manager, I was responsible for onboarding a client to our TMS (transportation management solution) on a tight timeline. This was challenging because the client managed their own transportation independently. None of their data or invoicing for freight was centralized, and I was missing a lot of information. We needed to hit our target go-live date because my company had already hired employees for the account and needed the revenue. I knew that I needed to get the info by the end of the week to ensure that I could validate assumptions used for RFP, margin, resource leveling, and so on. I set up a call with the client and they explained that they were short on manpower and would need more time. I offered to visit the sites, conduct the interviews, complete the site and freight profiles, and take all necessary photos. Once I gathered the information, my team keyed in the data and we hit our go-live date without a moment to spare. The project was a success. We hit our revenue numbers as planned, no money was lost, and all parties were very pleased. Thanks to the extra effort, our relationship with that client is stronger than ever.”

Why this answer worked well: The candidate showed leadership by going the extra mile to accomplish a goal for both the company and the client.Success was framed in a way that captured both the short-term impact to the project (meeting sales goals) and the long-term benefit to company growth (strengthening a business relationship).

Some More Tips:

• Be clear about the project goal.
• Establish that you’re a strong person who doesn’t get flustered easily.
• Show your ingenious side, too, especially if your path to success involved redefining the task or enlisting colleagues.