Interview questions

Situational questions

Questions that begin "What would you do if...": how to show sound judgement in a situation you have not faced yet.

From the interviewer's side

What the interviewer is looking for

  • Judgement: whether you weigh up the people involved, the risks and the rules before you act, rather than going with the first idea that comes to mind.
  • Your values under pressure. The situations are chosen to test what you put first when two good things pull in different directions, such as speed and safety, or loyalty to a colleague and honesty.
  • Whether you know where your authority ends: what you would sort out yourself and when you would bring in a manager.
  • How well you understand the real job. A realistic answer shows you know what the work is like on a busy day, not just on paper.
  • These answers are usually scored against an agreed scale, just like questions about your past, so a thoughtful answer earns marks and a one-line answer earns very few.

For candidates

How to prepare

  • Read the person specification and the values of the organisation. The best answer to a situational question is usually the one that matches how they want their people to behave.
  • Think aloud. Say what you would do first and why, then what you would do next. The panel is marking your reasoning as much as your decision.
  • It is fine to ask a clarifying question or state an assumption, such as "I am assuming this is the first time it has happened." It shows care, not hesitation.
  • Say when you would involve your manager, but show your own thinking before you hand anything on.
  • Where you can, back your answer with a line of real experience: "Something similar happened in my last job, and this is what I did." A real example makes a hypothetical answer believable.

What would you do if you disagreed with a decision your manager made?

What the interviewer is really asking

The interviewer wants to know whether you can challenge respectfully and then get behind a decision once it is made. They are looking for balance: someone who speaks up when something matters, but who does not undermine a manager or keep arguing after the decision is final. Your answer also shows how you relate to authority and what you would be like to manage.

What a strong answer shows

  • Checking your understanding first, because there may be reasons behind the decision that you cannot see.
  • Raising your concern privately, calmly and with evidence, at a sensible moment.
  • Committing fully once the decision stands, even when it did not go your way.
  • Knowing the exception: if a decision were unsafe, unlawful or against policy, you would take it further.

What loses marks

  • Saying you would simply do as you are told and never question anything.
  • Saying you would ignore the decision and do things your own way.
  • Complaining to colleagues, or going over your manager's head as a first step.
  • Using the question as a chance to criticise a past manager.

How to answer

  1. Start by saying you would make sure you understood the decision and the reasons for it.
  2. Explain how you would raise your view: privately, with facts and with a suggestion rather than just an objection.
  3. Say that once the decision is made, you would support it and give it a fair chance.
  4. Mention the exception for safety or ethics, then add a short real example if you have one.

An example answer

First I would ask my manager to talk me through the decision, because there is often a reason I cannot see from where I stand. If I still thought it was wrong, I would ask for a quiet word, explain my concern with facts and suggest an alternative. After that it is their call, and I would back it properly. The only exception would be something unsafe, which I would take further. Something like this happened at the warehouse where I work now. My shift manager changed the picking route, and I was worried it would slow down the chilled orders. I showed him the timings from two shifts. He kept the new route but moved chilled goods to the start of it, and that compromise worked well. I learned that bringing evidence gets a better hearing than bringing a complaint.

What would you do if a colleague was not doing their share of the work?

What the interviewer is really asking

This tests how you handle an awkward situation with a peer. The interviewer wants to see whether you would deal with it directly and fairly, or whether you would complain, cover it up or go straight to the manager. It also shows whether you look for the reason before you judge, because a colleague who seems to be coasting may be struggling with something you know nothing about.

What a strong answer shows

  • Talking to the colleague first, privately and without blame.
  • Curiosity about the cause, such as a heavy workload, unclear roles or something outside work.
  • Offering help, or suggesting a fairer way to split the work.
  • Involving a manager if it carries on and starts to affect customers, safety or the rest of the team.

What loses marks

  • Going straight to the manager without speaking to the colleague.
  • Quietly doing their work for months and letting resentment build.
  • Gossiping about them, or labelling them lazy.

How to answer

  1. Say you would first try to understand what is going on, without assuming the worst.
  2. Describe how you would raise it: privately, calmly and focused on the work rather than their character.
  3. Explain when and how you would involve a manager if nothing changed.
  4. Add a brief real example that shows you have handled something similar.

An example answer

I would not assume they were being lazy. I would find a quiet moment and ask how things were going, because people usually have a reason, whether it is too much on their plate or something at home. If they were unsure what was expected, I would suggest we agree who does what on each shift. If it carried on and started to affect guests, I would speak to the manager, but I would tell my colleague first, so it did not feel like going behind their back. In my current job in a hotel restaurant, a new waiter kept disappearing during the evening rush. When I asked, it turned out he was being sent to help in the kitchen and did not feel able to say no. We sorted out a clear rota with the supervisor, and he became one of the most reliable people on the team.

How would you handle two urgent tasks from two different managers at the same time?

What the interviewer is really asking

The interviewer is testing how you prioritise and, above all, how you communicate when you cannot do everything at once. A weaker candidate tries to please everyone quietly and ends up missing both deadlines. A stronger one finds out what really matters, tells the people affected and gets agreement, instead of making a hidden choice between two managers.

What a strong answer shows

  • Finding out the real deadlines and what depends on each task, rather than guessing.
  • Being open with both managers instead of quietly choosing one.
  • Asking whoever sets priorities to decide if the two cannot be reconciled.
  • Offering practical options: splitting a task, delivering part of it first or getting help.

What loses marks

  • Saying you would just stay late and do both, with no thought for quality or for what happens next time.
  • Picking the more senior manager without telling the other one.
  • Panicking, or complaining about being put in that position.

How to answer

  1. Say you would check the actual deadline and the impact of each task.
  2. Explain that you would tell both managers about the clash straight away.
  3. Say what you would propose, and who you would ask to decide if you could not agree.
  4. Finish with a real example of juggling competing demands.

An example answer

I would find out quickly what each task was for and when it was really needed, because urgent can mean the end of the day or the next hour. If both genuinely had to be done at once, I would not quietly pick one. I would tell both managers about the clash, suggest an order and see whether part of one task could wait or be picked up by someone else. If they still disagreed, I would ask the person who sets our priorities to decide. That happened to me as an administrator in a school office. The head teacher needed a letter sent to parents while the business manager needed invoices processed before a payment deadline. I told them both, sent the letter within the hour and finished the invoices by two o'clock. Nobody was surprised, because nobody was left guessing.

What would you do if you saw a colleague breaking a safety rule or company policy?

What the interviewer is really asking

This is a question about integrity and courage. The interviewer wants to know that you would not look the other way when something is unsafe or wrong, and that you would handle it with enough tact to keep working relationships intact. In jobs such as care, health, construction or finance, it also checks that you know some things must always be reported, whoever is involved.

What a strong answer shows

  • Putting safety first: stepping in straight away if anyone is at immediate risk.
  • Speaking to the colleague directly, where that is safe and appropriate.
  • Knowing when a concern must be reported, and following the proper procedure.
  • Doing it calmly, without making it personal.

What loses marks

  • Saying it is none of your business, or that everyone cuts corners sometimes.
  • Saying you would only report it if it happened again, when it is clearly serious.
  • Treating a serious safety or safeguarding issue as something to settle quietly between friends.
  • Sounding as if you would enjoy the chance to catch someone out.

How to answer

  1. Separate the immediate from the rest: if anyone is in danger, say you would stop it first.
  2. Explain how you would speak to your colleague, and why.
  3. Say you would report it through the proper route if it was serious or carried on, and that some things must always be reported.
  4. Show you know the rules that matter in this job, and give a short real example if you have one.

An example answer

It depends how serious it is, but safety always comes first. If someone was at risk there and then, I would step in straight away. For example, if I saw a colleague using the hoist on their own when the care plan says two people, I would go and help and make sure the resident was safe. Afterwards I would talk to my colleague privately, because people usually cut corners when they are rushed, not because they do not care. I would still tell the senior on shift and record it, because a near miss needs reporting. If anything suggested abuse or neglect, I would follow the safeguarding procedure immediately, whoever was involved. I had to do this once in my current job. It was awkward for a day, but it led to an extra carer on the busy morning shift.

What would you do if a customer complained and you could not fix the problem straight away?

What the interviewer is really asking

The interviewer wants to see how you treat people when things go wrong. They are listening for empathy, calm and ownership: whether you would listen properly, be honest about what you can and cannot do, and make sure the customer is not left wondering what happens next. It also shows whether you know the limits of your authority and when to bring in someone who can help.

What a strong answer shows

  • Listening fully and acknowledging how the customer feels before explaining anything.
  • Honesty about what you can do now and what will take longer.
  • Ownership: a clear next step, a realistic timescale and a follow-up that actually happens.
  • Bringing in a manager or another team when the fix is beyond you, without passing the customer around.

What loses marks

  • Blaming another department, the system or the customer.
  • Promising something you cannot guarantee, just to end the conversation.
  • Getting defensive, or quoting policy without offering anything.

How to answer

  1. Start with listening and acknowledging the problem, without interrupting or arguing.
  2. Explain what you would do straight away, even if it is only a small step.
  3. Say how you would agree a next step and a time, and how you would make sure it happened.
  4. Mention when you would escalate, and back it up with a real example.

An example answer

First I would let them explain without interrupting, and say sorry that it had happened, because people want to feel heard before they want a solution. Then I would be honest about what I could do there and then and what would take longer. I would never promise something I could not guarantee. I would agree a clear next step, take their details and tell them when they would hear from me, then make sure they did, even if the news was not good. If the fix needed a manager, I would bring them in rather than send the customer away. Last month at the furniture store where I work, a customer's new sofa arrived damaged. I could not replace it that day, but I booked the collection, arranged a replacement for the following week and rang her the day before it arrived.

What would you do if you realised you were going to miss a deadline?

What the interviewer is really asking

Deadlines slip in every job. The interviewer wants to know whether you would spot the problem early and say so, or keep quiet and hope. To most managers, honesty and early warning matter more than the delay itself, because a problem raised in good time can be planned around and one discovered on the day cannot.

What a strong answer shows

  • Raising it as soon as you know, not at the last minute.
  • Coming with facts: what is done, what is left and a realistic new date.
  • Offering options, such as delivering the most important part first or getting help.
  • Reflecting on why it happened, so it does not happen again.

What loses marks

  • Hiding the problem and hoping to catch up.
  • Blaming colleagues, the workload or the manager.
  • Claiming you have never missed a deadline, which few interviewers believe.

How to answer

  1. Say you would first work out how late it would be and what the effect would be.
  2. Explain that you would tell the person relying on you straight away.
  3. Describe the options you would offer to reduce the impact.
  4. Finish with what you would learn from it, ideally with a real example.

An example answer

The moment I knew, I would work out how far behind I was and what that meant for the people waiting on my work. Then I would tell my manager straight away, not on the day it was due. I would go to them with what was finished, what was left and a date I was confident about, plus some options, such as sending the most urgent section first or asking a colleague to check the figures. Afterwards I would look at why it happened, so I could plan better next time. On my graduate placement at an engineering consultancy, I realised two days before a deadline that a site survey report would be late, because the drone images had not arrived. I told my manager that morning and sent the written sections on time, with the images to follow. The client was fine with it because nothing came as a surprise.