What Is Stress Interviewing? (And How To Prepare for One)

Hiring managers ask many different types of questions during the interview process. Stress interviews involve an assortment of questions meant to put a candidate in an uncomfortable or stressful situation, which can help employers understand how a candidate responds to these types of scenarios. Learning more about stress interviews can help you prepare for your next interview with a company. In this article, we review what a stress interview is, discuss why employers conduct this type of interview, explain how you can prepare for this type of interview and explore some examples to help you understand how to answer stress questions.

What is a stress interview?

A stress interview is a method a company uses to understand more about a candidate experiencing large amounts of stress. Depending on the industry a candidate is trying to find a position in, the type of stress interview can vary. Some common types of stress interviews include:

Intimidating questions: This type of interview involves upfront questions that might be difficult to answer. Some questions this type of interview might include, "**Why were you fired from your last job?" or "Was your last job too hard for your to handle?"
Aggressive behavior: An interview involving aggressive behavior might involve interviewers acting dismissive, uninterested or aggressive, which can cause candidates to feel uncomfortable. Some interviewers might demand that you tell them why you're a good fit for the role or might offer critical feedback about previous work accomplishments.
Unexpected responses: Sometimes interviewers ask the same question multiple times throughout an interview or might ask the same question in a slightly different way. This might cause candidates to get frustrated or change their answers.
Brainteasers: These types of questions in an interview might often seem impossible to answer and can help hiring managers to understand your critical thinking skills. Some questions involved in this type of interview might include, "How many cheeseburgers do Americans consume every day?" or "How many birds fly south for the winter?"
Problem-solving: Some hiring managers ask questions about previous obstacles a candidate might have overcome in the past to better understand their problem-solving capabilities. Explaining how you've solved problems in the past can help you answer these types of questions effectively in a stress interview.

Why do employers use stress interviews?

Employers use these types of interviews to better understand a candidate's response to stressful situations. This can help them envision how a candidate might perform in a particular role and help them comprehend how the candidate can benefit the organization. These types of interviews are common in high-stress industries, such as:

Retail and sales
Law enforcement
Intelligence
Air travel
Hospitality

What to expect during a stress interview

The format of stress interviews often varies between hiring managers and employers. Many interviews involve a variety of intimidating questions, aggressive behavior, unexpected responses, problem-solving questions and critical thinking questions. Researching company interviews can help you better prepare for a stress interview with that company because many candidates include the questions hiring managers asked them during the interview and often include an overall summary of the interview experience. Related: Interview Question: "How Do You Handle Stress?"

How to prepare for a stress interview

Here are some steps you can follow to help you prepare for your next stress interview:

1. Conduct company research

Researching the company, including its culture, hiring managers and the role you're interviewing for, can help you better prepare for a stress interview. Reviewing previous candidate interview experiences can also help you learn how the company conducts its interviews. Some previous candidates also include information about the questions that hiring managers asked, which can help you think about responses to those questions in case the hiring manager asks the same type of question. You might also ask your recruiter or point of contact with the company what type of interview they plan to conduct.

2. Review interview question examples

Many job boards have sample questions that a company asked during the interview. Researching different types of stress questions with examples can also help you learn about the various types of questions that interviewers might ask. This enables you to rehearse or think about how you might approach a specific question during your interview. Practicing how you might answer a question can also enhance your professional image during the interview because you know how to approach a variety of challenging questions an interviewer might ask.

3. Practice stress management techniques

Practicing different stress management techniques can help you remain calm and collected during the interview. This can also help you respond with more comprehensive answers during the process. Some stress management techniques to consider include:

Deep breathing exercises
Meditation
Mental imagery relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation

4. Take part in practice interviews

Participating in practice interviews can help you gain real-world experience with answering tough questions. This can also help you feel more prepared for the interview, which can help relieve stress. Interview coaches are professionals who can help you complete practice interviews and can help you feel comfortable with the interview process. Some other methods to consider to help you practice your interview techniques include:

Practice answering questions in a mirror
Record yourself practicing
Ask your friends and family to help
Create practice questions flashcards

5. Receive practice interview feedback

Receiving feedback can help you improve your responses to certain questions. Feedback can also provide you with insight into which skills to develop before the actual company interview. This can help you further distinguish yourself from other candidates and gain the attention of company hiring managers.

Examples of questions you might hear in a stress interview

Here are some stress questions with example answers. This can help you better understand how to approach these types of questions for future interviews. Some questions you might hear include:

How do you think this interview is going?

This type of question helps interviewers understand more about you, your self-awareness and your honesty. Interviewers might ask this question to introduce more stress into the interview, which can help them gauge your response to certain situations or uncomfortable questions. Here's how you might respond to this type of question: I think that this interview is going well. You have given me the opportunity to further discuss my top skills, which I believe can be of value to the company. I have developed many technical and soft skills that I believe can help me perform in this role.

What other jobs are you applying for?

This type of question can help you emphasize your values regarding honesty and integrity. It's important to show employers why you're pursuing a role with their company regardless if you're seeking opportunities with other companies. If you're interviewing with other organizations, it's important to keep the number of interviews and other companies private. Here's how you might answer this question if you do have interviews scheduled with other organizations: I do have a couple of interviews with other IT companies for junior developer positions. I can tell you that, based on what I've learned about this role so far, it has the challenges and culture that I'm looking for in my career. I believe this role can help me further my developer skills and bring more value to the company's customers.

Was your previous job too stressful for you?

This question can be useful for employers to understand how you've handled stressful situations in the past. Answering this question can help you show hiring managers how you manage and react to different situations. Focusing on examples where you've managed stressful situations in the past can help you answer this question effectively. Here's an example of how you might answer this question: While my previous roles did involve stress and stressful situations, I've found several useful methods to help me manage these types of situations. Taking deep calming breaths before trying to resolve a situation has helped me reflect on a problem and find an effective solution. Some other methods I've found useful include meditating and creating a list of tasks that can help me focus on individual items of a larger project.

Why were you fired from your last job?

Remaining honest, positive and brief when answering this type of question can help you answer this question effectively. Focusing on what you learned in your previous position can also help employers understand what skills you've learned from your previous role. Here's how you might answer this type of question: My skills, unfortunately, didn't align with my previous employer's needs. After being hired, we realized that the position needed someone with more substantial experience in the technology industry. I didn't have the background they needed to complete the position's daily tasks. After taking professional development courses and completing tasks for six months, we decided that it was best to look for another individual with more experience in the technology industry.