How to Overcome Challenging Situations During An HR Interview
HR Interviews
How to Overcome Challenging Situations During An HR Interview
Ever faced a high-stakes HR interview where an unexpected situation threw you off balance? In this article, top insights from a CEO and a Founder reveal how to tackle these challenges with grace and effectiveness. The discussion kicks off with the importance of showing compassionate decisiveness in a crisis and wraps up with strategies to create comfortable interview environments, featuring a total of twenty-one expert insights.
- Show Compassionate Decisiveness in Crisis
- Use Backup Protocols During Outages
- Be Solution-Oriented with Insurance Issues
- Adapt Quickly to Technical Problems
- Reschedule for Flustered Candidates
- Handle Curveballs with Calm and Empathy
- Explain Strategic Shifts with Data
- Discover Hidden Skills in Candidates
- Balance Empathy and Professionalism
- Create Flexible Work Schedules
- Conduct Interviews Outside Formal Settings
- Solve Human Challenges First
- Evaluate Adaptability in Tech Issues
- Adapt Interview Format for Nervous Candidates
- Maintain Strong Vendor Relationships
- Turn Criticism into Growth Opportunities
- Share Failures to Build Trust
- Approach Interviews with Trauma Sensitivity
- Engage Investors with Raw Data
- Create Comfortable Interview Environments
- Show Adaptability During Power Outages
Show Compassionate Decisiveness in Crisis
During a hiring stage, I was interviewing an exceptional candidate for a crucial role when a sudden lockdown was announced due to unexpected political unrest in the city. The candidate, living across town, had no way of returning home. Instead of canceling, I offered my office as a temporary holdout and continued the interview. This incident taught me that compassionate decisiveness is key in unexpected situations, ensuring the process moves forward without compromising humanity.
Use Backup Protocols During Outages
During a remote interview for ShipTheDeal, we faced a major internet outage right when discussing crucial team-leadership questions. I quickly switched to my phone's hotspot and used it as an opportunity to discuss how we handle unexpected technical issues in our remote work environment. The candidate was impressed by our backup protocols, and we ended up having a great conversation about crisis management in digital businesses.
Be Solution-Oriented with Insurance Issues
During a critical contractor interview, our top candidate suddenly revealed they couldn't provide proof of insurance, which was non-negotiable for my rental property renovations. I quickly shifted gears, acknowledging their skills but explaining our insurance requirements. Then worked with them to explore options for obtaining proper coverage within a week. This taught me that being solution-oriented, rather than immediately dismissive, helped turn a potential dealbreaker into a successful hire who's still with us today.
Adapt Quickly to Technical Problems
During a virtual interview last month, my Internet crashed right in the middle of discussing our company's growth strategy. Instead of panicking, I quickly called the interviewer on my phone, apologized sincerely, and suggested continuing our conversation there while my router reset. The interviewer actually appreciated my quick-thinking and adaptability, and it became a great example of how I handle unexpected challenges in real-world situations.
Reschedule for Flustered Candidates
I once had a promising candidate show up 30 minutes late to the interview due to a major traffic accident, and they were incredibly flustered and apologetic. Instead of dismissing them, I rescheduled for later that afternoon, gave them time to compose themselves, and discovered they were actually perfect for the role—teaching me that circumstances beyond someone's control shouldn't overshadow their potential.
Handle Curveballs with Calm and Empathy
I remember an interview where the hiring manager threw me a curveball by asking me to role-play a difficult client negotiation on the spot. Drawing from my experience with distressed property owners, I stayed calm and demonstrated how I handle emotional situations with empathy and clear communication. Looking back, that unexpected challenge actually helped showcase my real-world problem-solving skills better than any prepared answer could have.
Explain Strategic Shifts with Data
I recall a challenging HR interview when a candidate questioned our unconventional sales strategy at Rocket Alumni Solutions. They were skeptical about "reverse selling," where we host workshops to learn about schools' challenges instead of directly pitching. I shared how this approach increased our lead-conversion rates by 30% and led to long-term relationships with over 150 schools. This demonstrated our value as thought leaders and converted skepticism into understanding.
This experience highlighted the importance of explaining strategic shifts, especially when they deviate from the norm. It taught me the power of demonstrating results through data and real-world applications. By addressing concerns head-on and showcasing the strategy's success, I was able to turn a potentially tense moment into an opportunity to strengthen our innovative sales approach.
Discover Hidden Skills in Candidates
Last month, a promising property manager candidate revealed they had zero real estate experience, which initially threw me off since it was a requirement in the job posting. Rather than ending the interview, I dug deeper into their customer service background in hospitality, and discovered skills that actually made them perfect for helping our distressed homeowners—they're now one of our top performers.
Balance Empathy and Professionalism
In one HR interview, our team encountered a candidate who started sharing deeply personal struggles unrelated to the job. It was unexpected, and while we wanted to be empathetic, we also needed to keep the conversation professional and focused on the role.
We paused, acknowledged their feelings, and gently redirected the discussion by asking a question about their professional achievements. It helped bring the focus back to their qualifications without dismissing their emotions. Afterward, we realized the importance of maintaining a balance of being compassionate while steering the conversation to the purpose of the interview.
This experience taught us two key lessons:
Always be prepared for the unexpected and have a strategy to guide the interview back on track.
Empathy is crucial, but so is maintaining boundaries to ensure fairness and professionalism.
Since then, we've made it a practice to set clear expectations at the start of every interview, which helps create a structure that candidates can follow comfortably.
Create Flexible Work Schedules
During an HR interview for a key developer position at FuseBase, our top candidate suddenly revealed they could only work remotely when we needed hybrid. Instead of rejecting outright, I explored their reasoning, and we created a hybrid-remote schedule that actually improved our whole team's workflow. This taught me that being flexible and creative with challenges often leads to better solutions than sticking rigidly to initial requirements.
Conduct Interviews Outside Formal Settings
During an interview with a potential property manager, we faced an unexpected power outage that left us in a dark office. Instead of rescheduling, I suggested we continue our conversation while walking through one of our nearby rental properties, which actually gave me better insights into their practical knowledge and problem-solving abilities. Looking back, this unexpected situation taught me that sometimes the best interviews happen outside the formal setting, and I now occasionally include property visits as part of our interview process.
Solve Human Challenges First
Last month, I was interviewing a couple about their inherited property when I realized they had conflicting goals about the sale. Rather than pushing forward awkwardly, I took a step back, suggested we all grab coffee together, and helped them align their expectations first—it taught me that sometimes you need to solve the human challenge before the business one.
Evaluate Adaptability in Tech Issues
I once had a remote-interview candidate's internet crash right in the middle of their presentation, causing panic and awkward silence. Instead of rescheduling, I quickly switched to a phone call and turned it into a casual conversation about handling unexpected tech issues in remote work, which actually helped us evaluate their adaptability better than any rehearsed presentation could.
Adapt Interview Format for Nervous Candidates
One memorable HR challenge happened during a crucial interview for a senior developer position. Our top candidate arrived visibly nervous and struggling to communicate their expertise effectively, despite an impressive portfolio.
Instead of following the standard interview format, I shifted gears. I pulled up a recent project and asked them to walk me through how they would approach it. The transformation was immediate—their confidence soared as they dove into technical solutions, revealing exactly the expertise we needed.
The experience taught me a valuable lesson: sometimes the best candidates aren't the best interviewers. By adapting our approach to let people showcase their strengths naturally, we've discovered incredible talent that traditional interview methods might have missed.
My advice? Stay flexible in your interview process. The goal isn't to test how well someone interviews, but to understand what they can truly bring to your team.
Maintain Strong Vendor Relationships
During a team-building event interview, our venue partner suddenly doubled their prices 24 hours before hosting a client's booked session. I quickly reached out to my network of local business owners, found an even-better pottery studio willing to honor our original pricing, and learned that maintaining strong relationships with multiple vendors isn't just good business—it's essential for handling unexpected situations.
Turn Criticism into Growth Opportunities
During an HR interview at Redfox Visual, I once faced an unexpected situation when a candidate openly criticized our previous brand campaign as uninspired. Caught off-guard, I used this moment to discuss our shift toward more innovative and engaging branding strategies. This included a successful rebranding effort for a client like The Idaho Lottery, where we saw a 30% increase in engagement post-campaign.
I learned that being transparent about past mistakes and demonstrating how we've pivoted can turn criticism into a powerful testament to growth. This approach not only reassured the candidate of our commitment to improvement but also reinforced our agency's core philosophy of cutting through marketing noise with clear, impactful messaging. By sharing real examples of how feedback has driven our evolution, we managed to showcase our dedication to genuine and result-driven creativity.
Share Failures to Build Trust
Last year, I faced a tough situation when an interviewer asked about a major mistake I'd made in my real estate career. Rather than getting defensive, I shared how I once misjudged a property's renovation costs and turned it into a story about learning to do more thorough inspections. Being honest about my failures while showing how I grew from them really changed the conversation's dynamic and helped build trust.
Approach Interviews with Trauma Sensitivity
During an interview for a lead therapist position, I had a candidate break down crying while sharing a personal trauma story that unexpectedly triggered them. I immediately paused the formal interview, offered support and water, and created a safe space for them to compose themselves—this experience taught me to always have tissues and water ready, and to approach interviews with trauma-informed sensitivity, especially in mental healthcare.
Engage Investors with Raw Data
During a crucial interview for our manufactured-housing fund, our presentation slides crashed right as we were discussing financial projections with potential investors. I quickly shifted gears, pulled up the raw data on my phone, and turned it into a more intimate roundtable discussion, where investors actually got more engaged with the numbers. This unexpected tech hiccup taught me that sometimes the most authentic connections happen when things don't go according to plan, and being able to think on your feet while staying calm is incredibly valuable.
Create Comfortable Interview Environments
While interviewing sustainability consultants for Leafr, I once had a candidate who seemed perfect on paper but struggled to answer basic questions, until I realized they were nervous about a recent project failure. By shifting to a more casual conversation about lessons learned, I discovered their deep expertise and growth mindset. This experience taught me to create a more comfortable interview environment and look beyond initial impressions to understand candidates' true potential.
Show Adaptability During Power Outages
Last year, I was interviewing a promising candidate when our office lost power completely mid-video call during a crucial sustainability discussion. I quickly switched to my phone, turned it into a mobile hotspot, and finished the interview from my car—it actually turned into a great talking point about adaptability and showed the candidate how we handle unexpected challenges at Good Guys.
