Page 75 - Boost Your Hiring

The Manager’s Hiring IQ Test 61

INTERVIEWER’S QUESTION
27. Describe a time when you had to adapt to a new situation.
Which response actually answers the question? Which answer
should you be wary of? Are there any red flags?
(A) “I’ve become quite accustomed to new situations in the IT in-
dustry. I have been laid off twice in the last five years. In fact,
one of the companies closed the doors as we walked out. I’ve
had to accept the fact that not all start-up companies are going
to make it.”
(B) “My military background has prepared me for this part of any
job. When you have been on call day and night and responsi-
ble for your unit’s safety, you learn to be adaptable and flexi-
ble. Being flexible in the service is not only necessary, it is
mandatory. I bring that same set of skills and sense of urgency
to any job. I do whatever it takes to get the job done.”
(C) “I was on call 24/7 one weekend. When the phone rang on
Sunday morning, I knew there was a problem. Sure enough,
there was a mainframe that went down. The first thing I did
was to cancel my plans for the day. I responded to the call
within one hour. I teamed up with three technicians to get the
system up and running before Monday morning. We each had
a responsibility but worked as a unit.We stayed until 2:00 a.m.
When the employees arrived at work that morning, they
weren’t aware that there had been a problem. We got high
kudos for responding so quickly.”

I think the strongest answer is ____.