UX IRL Ep. 36: Tough Interview Questions
Hello! Here are our show notes for episode 36 of UX IRL: Tough Interview Questions. We hit the highlights in this article, but get the full context by listening to the episode:
Why we’re talking about tough interview questions
We wanted to dive into this topic because it’s a new year, and you might be looking for or getting ready to look for a new job. The interview process alone is stressful, and challenging questions can add to the stress when asked. Preparing to answer these questions can go a long way during the interview process.
UX IRL Takeaway: Interviews are tough but preparing to answer the challenge questions can help you navigate them and feel more confident.
Our approach to answering tough questions
When asked a challenging question, we recommend pausing and acknowledging the question is complex. This gives you a little space to start formulating your thoughts. It’s important to remember you’re in control, even though you might not feel like it. You have the agency to answer at a pace that’s comfortable for you.
Being candid with your answer and experience is always appreciated. Sometimes we might panic and try to come up with an answer that isn’t genuine. It’s not about answering the question based on what you think the interviewers want to hear.
We also recommend asking for clarity if you’re unsure of what’s being asked. This gives you more time to form your answer and shows you’re invested in answering the question. In the end, you can double-check to see that you addressed their question. In our experience of conducting dozens of interviews, no hiring manager has faulted anyone for trying to clarify the question or providing a candid answer.
Lastly, practicing answering questions with a friend or mentor is helpful. Even if you don’t practice with someone, answering out loud can be beneficial. You can sense when you’re being verbose or dragging on, and try being concise.
UX IRL Takeaway: Practice is a great way to prepare for these questions! Remember you’re in control, can take your time answering, and can ask for clarification if needed.
Tough questions we’ve been asked
Mary Fran mentioned that she usually gets some form of “Tell me about a time you had to resolve a conflict?” It could be with a teammate, cross-functional partner, stakeholder, etc. The question might be followed up with, “What if that situation becomes tense?” For this, she usually provides a high-level way of approaching things, but she’ll give specific examples to add context and demonstrate experience navigating these situations. Sometimes she’ll include both a scenario that did work out and one that didn’t.
Michelle also mentioned you can get asked humbling questions. In a previous interview, she was asked to talk about a time when she made a mistake that impacted others. It addresses accountability when things don’t go well. While she did have an answer prepared, which was great, she wasn’t expecting what would happen next. They asked her to give another example! To some extent, she thinks they figured people would be well-prepared to answer this question with a polished response. Asking for another example is an excellent way to get a more natural response.
The challenge with these questions that have negative situations is answering them tactfully. You want to avoid throwing other people under the bus. With practice, you can figure out ways to professionally discuss the experience.
Michelle’s also been asked, “What is something that people assume about you that’s incorrect?” She had never been asked this before and admitted it was a great question. The interviewers recognized this was a profound question and gave her a moment to think it through. Michelle responded that she might appear quiet at meetings, and people might assume she’s uninterested and disengaged. However, she’s a highly sensitive person (HSP), which means she takes in a lot of details and she’s processing everything that’s coming in. So it’s the opposite of what people assume.
Ethical scenarios are also questions that can be tricky to answer. While most of us are good people who try to do the right thing, it can be challenging to talk about these tough situations. Especially if you’re applying for a manager role, your values and guiding principles come into play. Interviewers might ask how you’ll handle a situation with a poor performer. How you manage it might be a great way, but it might not fit in with how they approach things. Even that can help you understand if this is a place you’d want to work.
To better equip yourself with answering these values, it helps to understand your values and principles fully. Once you know, it’s much easier to articulate answers to these questions.
Mary Fran mentioned follow-up questions could be challenging overall. For example, interviewers might ask if there was more research she would want to do. (The answer is usually always yes!) Her approach is to get ahead of the follow-up questions by adding context to case studies. Some contexts might be constraints the project faced or the scope of the work. Providing context is especially important if your interviewers aren’t from the same discipline (e.g., a product manager interviews a product designer). They might need more background to understand your perspective.
In addition to articulating what you would do differently in those situations, Mary Fran recommends mentioning the other factors that would need to be different to change the scenario for her to do the work properly, which might involve working with other teams.
Usually, when they’re asking these follow-up questions, it’s not meant to throw you any “gotchas,” so you fail. Instead, they’re trying to see how you’d fit some of their situations.
UX IRL Takeaway: Have a backup answer for these questions in case they ask for more examples. Practice answering some of these questions or search for other interview questions on google to practice with.
Parting advice
We highly recommend prepping with notes and talking out loud to practice. Practicing doesn’t take much time, and it’ll go a long way. You’ll sound more confident, and that will come across in the interview.
Mary Fran will have two screens set up for interviews — one for the call and the other for any notes. We haven’t referenced our notes, but it’s been a nice safety net if needed.
While you’re being interviewed, consider you’re interviewing them as well. Think about the question they’re asking you and how they react to your responses. If they continuously ask questions about being scrappy, that can indicate their day-to-day. That might not be something you’re looking for.
Before ending the interview, consider asking, “Is there anything I’ve said today that’s giving you pause?” You’re providing one last opportunity to address things. It ensures that you get a chance to end things on your terms.
You’re probably a lot harder on yourself than you need to be. So give yourself some space and grace when interviewing.
UX IRL Takeaway: We can’t stress this enough, preparation is the key to navigating interviews, especially regarding tough questions!
We’d love to hear from you!
What tough interview questions have you been asked? How have you answered them? Let us know! Feel free to comment below or mention us on social media.
