Interviewer: What was the biggest challenge at your last job?
Carly: I worked as a semiconductor engineer at my last job. The biggest challenge was definitely meeting the tight deadlines. The deadlines were often tight and they were not flexible. So, things were often very hectic towards the end of a project when the deadline was approaching.
Interviewer: How did you handle this?
Carly: I made a schedule of all the things that I needed to complete, and I would try my best to stick to that schedule. Oftentimes, I had to work overtime.
Interviewer: How do you feel about working overtime?
Carly: It doesn’t really bother me. I like my work and I realize that working overtime is part of the job.
Interviewer: You’re right. Unfortunately, it is sometimes unavoidable in this line of work.
Patterns and Examples
The biggest challenge at my last job was ____________________. It was hard to ____________________, but ____________________.
- The biggest challenge at my last job was finishing all my work before deadlines. It was hard to complete everything under such deadlines, but I put in a lot of overtime at first and as I got more experience I found ways to be more efficient.
- The biggest challenge at my last job was meeting the owner’s expectations. It was hard to meet his expectations because he always demanded perfection, but I realized that if I tried my best and accepted feedback well, then I could do a good job.
The biggest challenge that I faced at my last job was ____________________. I dealt with this by ____________________.
- The biggest challenge that I faced at my last job was coming up with new ideas on a regular basis. I dealt with this by having a creative process that I followed each time.
- The biggest challenge that I faced at my last job was finishing my work under tight deadlines. I dealt with this by managing my time well and following a plan.
____________________ was a big challenge for me at my last job, but I was able overcome it.
- Increasing my sales numbers every quarter was a big challenge for me at my last job, but I was able to overcome it.
- Writing concise and detailed financial reports about small startup companies was a big challenge for me at my last job, but I was able to overcome it.
