Hiring managers use these questions to assess your mindset and learn more about how you can handle challenges and address problems.
As a person with disability you may find your life experiences give you great answers to these questions and put you ahead of the competition when it comes to mindset and your experience of dealing with everyday challenging situations.
1. Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.
If you have a work scenario that you can use as an example that’s great, but if you don’t it’s a good idea to use something that’s happened to you outside of work and show the skills you used to deal with the situation could apply in your new job too.
2. Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.
The goal you choose can be as big or as small as you’re comfortable sharing, the key is to show how you got there and to focus on your attitude, mindset, and commitment to consistency.
3. Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and were required to prioritise your tasks.
Managing daily life, admin and appointment adds many tasks to a person with disability’s to-do list and this is a great opportunity for you to showcase your style of organising them so that you get the job done.
4. Tell me about one of your proudest achievements at work and what you did to achieve it.
A great tip here is to redirect the question if you do t have an answer that fits perfectly. So if you don’t have a work example it’s fine to own that, explain that you have a proud achievement outside of work that you’d love to share, and describe how this achievement also makes you a great candidate for the job.
5. Give me an example of a time when you tried to accomplish a task but failed.
This question isn’t about what you failed at, it’s about how you failed, what you learned, and how you came back around to try again after the lesson.
This could even be as simple as talking about a past interview for a job you didn’t get and how you found the courage to keep putting yourself out there until you get a yes despite hearing the word no.
The CoAct team wishes you all the best in your job search.
We hope these questions help you feel more confident as you walk into your next interview, and that they empower you to give some well-thought-out answers that put you at the top of the list with your next potential employer.
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