In this instructional video, Natalie Fisher teaches job candidates how to answer the behavioral interview question “Tell me about a time you handled a difficult situation.” She outlines a clear, step‑by‑step framework that emphasizes showing a solution‑focused mindset, decision‑making under uncertainty, and the value you bring. The core example walks through a real‑world scenario where she had to book an expensive flight for a candidate without manager approval, explaining the actions taken, communication with the manager, and the positive outcome. Fisher highlights common pitfalls—such as claiming you’ve never faced a difficult situation or choosing trivial anecdotes—and provides practical prompts to help viewers brainstorm authentic, high‑impact stories. The video concludes with a call to further resources, including a free guide with fill‑in‑the‑blank answers and additional videos in the series.
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So you're wondering how to talk about a difficult situation and confidently answer that question when they ask you, tell me about a time you handled a difficult situation. So you're in the right place. In this video, I'm going to break down the exact way to answer this question and the biggest mistakes made that cause people the job when they're talking about difficult situations. So stay tuned. So even in the most difficult of situations, There is an opportunity to shine. Show how you're different and show how your thought process works as a solution-focused person who takes initiative. So that's what we're gonna talk about today. So there are many different types of difficult situations that you may find yourself in. For the purpose of this video, we will use an example of having to make a decision without having all the information at hand. I'm sure most of us can relate to that, a decision where you don't know what the right thing to do is. What we want to do is show your thought process, show that your intent was good, why you made the decision you made. And in the example, I'm going to show you what works well. And because of how you can handle a difficult situation, this is going to make you stand apart from other candidates. So for example, here's how you would answer it in a step-by-step format. So first, I was asked to book a flight for a candidate who was being flown in by our company for a really important interview. The day they wanted the interview to happen was the only day that everyone was available, the candidate, all the managers. So when I checked the flights for the day, they were all very highly priced, more than I'd paid for a flight before. So what do you do? Number 2, action. So first I tried to contact the manager, but he wasn't available. He was out of town, not responding. I knew the flight prices were going up. And I had to make a decision fast, so I decided to book the ticket anyway even though it was over budget. What happened? When the manager was back, I let him know how much the ticket cost right away. He said, holy, that's expensive! He didn't seem happy about it at first. Then I explained to him why I did it, and I showed him that I was aware of the cost, but I felt that I didn't have a different option. He understood, so I made the suggestion. I didn't stop there, made the suggestion of how we could save on other things to even out the cost for this ticket. He appreciated that thinking, and it turned out well. The candidate came in for the interview, and he was hired, and it was a successful decision. Now, it might not have been, but I didn't know that at the time, and the point is that I made a decision. So did I make the right decision? The point is just to make one, never knowing with 100% certainty if that is right or not. But something needed to be done or the candidate and the interviewers would have been left waiting, rescheduled way farther in advance, could have lost the candidate. Any number of things could have happened. So interesting features about this. I chose some practical interesting features. So airline prices are tricky. I did some research on this and I happened to find out a few different tricks to get cheaper flights. I'd love to share those with you if you're ever needing a flight booked. So that brings in your value to the answer as well. So I learned it takes more courage to make a tough decision than to make no decision. There you have it, that's how you answer it in an example. Mistakes candidates often make when they answer this question include stating that they haven't ever been in a difficult situation or stating that the situation wasn't really that difficult. So they'll tell a story like they had to call in sick one day and they weren't really sure if they should or not, or they were afraid to ask a question and they weren't sure if they should get turkey or roast beef for lunch. Silly things like that. Those are not real difficult situations. Some people say they've never been in a difficult situation. Well, I think you have to have been or you wouldn't be alive today. So here's some simple starting points that you can use in to think of your difficult situations. Let's start small. Have you ever double booked yourself and committed to being in 2 places at one time? How did you handle that? That says a lot about you. Have you ever not had enough time or information to do something like I shared in the example? How did you handle that? That says a lot about you too. So in this video, we shared a fully fleshed-out example of how to handle a difficult situation. And any number of things could have happened to you. So were you ever on the hook for something that seemed unreasonable to complete? How did you handle it? Were you ever in a position where someone else was in danger and you had to make a decision quickly? Any of those would work. And there you have it. So if you'd like to learn more about these types of questions, click the button to see more videos in this series or watch another video from me by clicking here. I also have a free guide. It's chock-full of example answers, fill-in-the-blank answers, as well as questions to ask yourself to come up with your own stories just like we talked about in this video. So click below to grab that for free and I will see you in the next video. I like to dance it out after videos because it just, you know, we're moving right along. Okay, see you in the next video.
