How Do You Make Important Decisions - Example Interview Answers - Career Sidekick

How Do You Make Important Decisions - Example Interview Answers - Career Sidekick How Do You Make Important Decisions? Example Interview Answers Interview Questions and Answers / https://www.edenscott.com/blog Employers love asking interview questions about decision-making. They want to make sure you can handle pressure and react well to tough situations.So you could hear questions like, how do you make important decisions? in any interview.Its especially common when youre applying for jobs that require you to make tough choices or work independently. Its also common in interviews for entry-level jobs.You need to be able to clearly describe how you make decisions, and ideally give examples of past decisions that worked out well for you. Managers want people they can trust and dont have to keep an eye on every second. So this question is your chance to put their mind at ease.How To Answer “How Do You Make Decisions?”In this section, Im going to give you 3 steps for answering decision making interview questions like, tell me how you make decisions. Then in the next section, well look at two word-for-word answer examples.Here are the steps to create a great answer:1. Show you have a systemThe goal here is to sound like you have a system or a process you follow. It doesnt have to be an exact science, but you want to sound like you approach decisions the same way, rather than doing something completely different each time or trusting your gut (dont reply by saying I just trust my gut).A good start to your answer will sound like this:I like to gather as much information as possible to aid in my decision, but I also consider how much time is available to me. Sometimes a decision needs to be made quickly, even if all the information cant be gathered, so I weigh time versus information. Then I look at possible outcomes and the likely results of my decisions, and make the best choice for my team and my organization with the facts available.2. Give an example of a decision you made (and the outcome)This is good advice for pretty much all of the interview questions you face dont just say how youd do something, give examples.So when they ask ho w you make decisions, youd give an answer like what I shared above and then go on to say something like this:For example in my last job, I was presented with a tough decision while my boss was absent. I had to decide between fixing a piece of software we had already created, or starting over. It turned out that starting over would only take a few hours longer than applying a fix to what we had, and through some discussion with colleagues I also determined that fixing what we currently had might still leave us open to a risk of future problems and issues. So I decided we should start over, spend the extra time now and avoid any future complications, and my boss completely agreed with the decision when he returned to the office.3. Try to seem as logical and fact-based as possible!Whatever you do, just remember that in almost all cases, its best to seem logical when you describe how you make decisions. Show that you rely on facts, that you look to gather information before deciding, et c.Dont sound like you act on emotion or hunches. Employers dont want to hire someone whos going to be unpredictable, make decisions on the fly, etc. So the best way to put their mind at ease when answering decision making questions is to show you follow a logical process.Thats my best advice here.If a hiring manager asks how do you make decisions? they want to see someone who consistently follows a plan to come to the right choice.Full Example Answers For How Do You Make Decisions?Lets put everything together based on the three steps we looked at above. Here are two example answers for how you make effective decisions.Answer Example #1 for How Do You Make Decisions?I like to gather as much information as possible to aid in my decision, but I also consider how much time is available to me. Sometimes a decision needs to be made quickly, even if all the information cant be gathered, so I weigh time versus information. Then I look at possible outcomes and the likely results of my decisi ons, and make the best choice for my team and my organization with the facts available. For example in my last job, I was presented with a tough decision while my boss was absent. I had to decide between fixing a piece of software we had already created, or starting over. It turned out that starting over would only take a few hours longer than applying a fix to what we had, and through some discussion with colleagues I also determined that fixing what we currently had might still leave us open to a risk of future problems and issues. So I decided we should start over, spend the extra time now and avoid any future complications, and my boss completely agreed with the decision when he returned to the office.Example Answer #2 for How Do You Make Decisions?“The first thing I look at is the timeframe. If I have a week to make a decision, my approach is going to be different than if I have one hour. Once Ive determined the time frame, I gather the key pieces of information that will hel p me make an informed decision. It?s not always possible to know the outcome 100%, but I try to gather as much information as possible to make an educated guess at what will give us the best result. Another technique I like to use a lot is risk analysis. Looking at the worst case scenario and what can possibly go wrong with each decision is a good way to understand the pros and cons of different choices. It gives you a much clearer picture than if you only look at the best possible outcome of each choice.”Decision-Making Interview Questions: 3 Mistakes to Avoid when AnsweringThere a couple of mistakes to avoid when answering ANY question about decision-making, so I want to leave you with these mistakes now.This will help you answer the questions we looked at above, but also behavioral questions like, tell me about a tough decision you had to make, and what happened?Or, tell me about a time you had to make a decision without all of the necessary information?The fact is, there are a nearly endless amount of questions employers could ask about how you make important decisions, so these mistakes will help you with all of those questions.Mistake #1: Not seeming like you have a system or process for coming to a decisionYou never want to sound like you just wing it or go with your gut feeling at the moment. Employers want to hear that you follow a process or a system. Show them you have a series of steps you go through to get to a logical conclusion.Mistake #2: Not giving an example with a positive outcomeDont ever just explain how you make decisions in general and then stop. You should always try to share a specific story with a great outcome.Talk about the situation and challenges, why you chose the decision you did, and why. And then finally share the great result it brought to your team/company! Thats what will get the interviewer excited when youre talking about past decisions in the interview.Mistake #3: Saying you cant think of anythingDecision making inter view questions are NOT the type of question you want to draw a blank on! If you dont have a good response ready to go, the interviewer will wonder if youve ever had to make decisions.And if they think you havent, theyre going to worry about hiring you because youll be unpredictable. Sure, maybe youd turn out great, but maybe not. They want someone whos battle-tested and has made tough decisions in the past. Thats the best way they can be pretty sure youll also perform well in their role.So make sure you practice and prepare your own answer after finishing this article! Dont go into an interview without a specific example of a decision you made, why you made it, and how it turned out.If you follow the steps above and create an answer that sounds like these two examples, youll have a convincing answer that puts a smile on the hiring managers fire. You dont want them to have ANY concerns about your ability to make important decisions under pressure, and the steps above are how you do i t.Additional resources:How to follow up after your interviewThe two best and worst times for job huntingHow to answer Why did you apply for this position?