Funny Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you had to stick by a decision you made even though it made you very unpopular.

There is a behavioral aspect to this question, but what makes it more of a situational interview question is the number of settings or situations in which you made your stand...and more importantly...the results or outcome of your decision.

Examples might include:

• Putting a customer on COD for slow pay history
• Not bending on a company policy or procedure.
• Increasing prices on your products or services
• Reducing or denying a warranty claim
• Limiting personal use of company phones, vehicles, merchandise, or supplies
• Enforcing safety rules
• Not relaxing quality requirements for your products
• Not accepting calls or permitting interruptions during a certain time block of the day
• Not accepting a form or report unless it is filled out neatly, completely, and correctly
• Not serving alcohol at company functions
• Charging employees for lost or misplaced items

The real question is, can you stand firm on a decision when the situation warrants it?

There is a flip side to answering situational interview questions like this. Sometimes people go overboard about doing what is right.

There is a fine line between taking a firm stand on something, and being overly rigid and inflexible.

As a general rule, throwing the gauntlet down over an issue should be a rare exception in your work environment instead of the norm.