What Are Your Most Difficult Decisions To Make?

When an interviewer asks; “What are your most difficult decisions to make?” and how you got at your answers, they’re trying to figure out how you’d manage a difficult decision at the firm you’re interviewing for.

They’d also like to get a sense of how good your critical thinking abilities are.

Interview questions on difficult decisions are likely to be asked of people in management positions. As a result, it’s a good idea to concentrate on decisions that have a direct influence on your staff.

These are without a doubt some of the most challenging decisions that managers must make.

Most managers have had to have a little awkward behavior or performance-related talk with an employee at some time in their employment.

Many companies have had to terminate or lay off staff. You are entirely accurate if you believe the scenarios described above are instances of challenging workplace decisions.

There are no correct or incorrect answers. Recruiters and hiring managers just want to hear you speak through an instance of how you handled a challenging circumstance in order to evaluate how you’d handle one in the future.

The idea is that your past conduct will be a very good predictor of what you’ll behave in a comparable situation in the future.

Read Also: What Is Your Weakness?

Why Interviewers Ask – What Are Your Most Difficult Decisions To Make?

Interviewers ask behavioral questions, which urge you to recall previous experiences, to provide real-life instances of how you apply your talents.

Anyone can claim to have a talent required for a job, but it doesn’t inform the interviewer how or how successfully you’ve utilized it.

Every work involves conflict and challenges, which force you to make major and little decisions. It is not so much about the problem as it is about the resolution and how the matter is handled.

Essentially, your interviewer wants to see that you can not only approach matters deliberately and make clear, logical choices, but also explain your reasoning and conclusion.

Interviewers will also be looking for red flags in your response. It can also be revealing when an interviewee blames others or does not hold herself accountable.

Tips To Answer – What Are Your Most Difficult Decisions To Make?

Please Maintain relevance. When meditating on instances of challenging professional decisions, select one that is related to the position and the areas in which you believe you are an excellent match.

Be sincere. This will make it simpler for you to explain the problem openly and persuasively. Describe what made the decision tough to make.

It might have entailed competing priorities, coworker disputes, keeping emotions in check, or possible hazards to you or others.

Be succinct. When telling a tale, a lot of individuals might get carried away. Because you only have a few minutes to persuade the interviewer that you’re The One for the job, plan your response ahead of time. Make sure your response is no more than two to three minutes long.

Emphasize your abilities When replying, perhaps you’ll show off your decision-making abilities. You could also consider stating any other excellent characteristics you have that may have aided you in making the difficult decision.

Read Also: What Motivates You?

What Are Your Most Difficult Decisions To Make? Sample Answers

Sample Answer 1

“Choosing between two active colleagues for a promotion was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make.

I preferred one person over the other, but I had to go with the person I disliked the least since they were more equipped to succeed in the new job.

I’ve also had to promote someone younger over someone much more senior on occasion, just because they were more technologically adept and ready to work greater hours, which was required for that specific job.

In circumstances like this, I strive to make sure that the individual I don’t pick has the training or assistance they require to continue forward.”

Sample Answer 2

“The most difficult choice I’ve ever had to make involved dismissals. After losing three large clients and changing the business approach at my previous company, I was forced to let go of four workers at our German office.

On a personal level, it was a difficult decision because I’d hired two of the workers myself and loved all of them.

But I realized that the firm’s conditions had altered, and that situations like these are often unavoidable when business circumstances take an unforeseen turn.

I lay off the employees in a direct, yet sympathetic, manner, and made certain that they all completely understood the specifics of their severance payouts.

In the end, they all understood that the choice was entirely business-related, one that had to be made in order to keep the firm and its goal alive.”

Sample Answer 3

“Decisions I must make as part of a team are more challenging since they take more time and need intentional discussion among team members.

For example, I was working on a team project and had to make a variety of decisions on how to spend our restricted budget.

Our team learned how to communicate effectively with one another as a result of these decisions, and I feel we eventually made the greatest judgments for the team.”

Read Also: What Is Your Opinion Of Yourself?

Conclusion

Anticipating the questions you could be asked during a job interview is a good technique. You will feel more confident during your real interview if you practice using the examples above and these typical interview questions and responses.

Prepare some questions of your own as well. Your interviewer will anticipate that you may have questions about the position or the firm. If you need some assistance, consult this list of interview questions to ask the interviewer.

Don’t be too negative. When talking an interviewer through instances of difficult decisions and how you got out of them (or how you may have been forced to get at them by your current or prior employer—think layoffs), don’t be unpleasant.

Do not throw a pity party. Respond in a way that does not portray you as the victim of the circumstance. Discuss your decision without criticizing others.

Don’t go very personal. While your response may highlight how the choice affected you personally, don’t go too personal—this may make the interviewer uncomfortable, or you may wind up disclosing something about yourself that you shouldn’t share in an interview.

It’s a good idea to prepare for questions like these in advance of a job interview. Don’t let yourself get caught off guard!

Prior to the interview, consider several examples of challenging professional decisions, prepare well-thought-out replies to the difficult decisions, and rehearse your answer(s) in a confident tone. Best wishes!