A typical interview is a mixed bag of queries. Some questions may be related to your work experience, while others might be related to how you carry your day to work, and yet others might be related to whether you would be able to cope and handle the stress of a routine working day.
There are several ways in which such a question can be placed, the most common being how do you work under stress, tell me about your ability to work under pressure or even as blatant as you ability to work under pressure related to the type of position you applied for?
Handling pressure and stress is the hallmark of the right person in the right job.
The most pressure is handled by people working in the service areas, like: banks, retail and customer care. Therefore, the questions about stress and pressure are more likely to be asked in an interview for these types of jobs however can be asked in any job interview.
Pressure exists in almost any profession and job, so it makes no sense to say something that you might not follow through in your day to day life in the company – As pressure and stress are part and parcel, a person crumbling down under it is not a good sign for the company.
Therefore, when asked this question and if you are able to work under pressure, you should indicate that you have high tolerance when dealing with high work load, coping with work pressure and handling various stressful situations or challenges. Continue by telling about the way you prioritize the daily tasks, how you organize your projects and how you solve problems and critical situations in general.
Refer to –
- Problem Solving Interview Questions and Answers
- Stress Interview: Questions and Answers on- How Do You Handle Stress
- Situational Interview Questions and Answers
“Tell me about your ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines”
The question can also be answered with some lifestyle aspects, like your sport habits – exercises, etc.
If you inculcate these in your daily life, you will be better able to handle pressure and stress. You can inform the interviewer about your enhanced ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines because of the healthy lifestyle that you follow.


