Interview Question: Is there a type of work environment you prefer

Work EnvironmentMost recruiters ask about preferred work environment to find out how flexible a candidate is. Knowing what response the interviewer will appreciate should be your guide in how to ace this question.

To help you draft an answer, here are some pointers to consider:

Don’t expect to work in a perfect environment. Keep in mind that there’s no such thing as working in a perfect environment. No matter how organized a company is, always give some room for disorganization. Things happen. Because of this, it’s never good to say you prefer to work in a low-stress work environment.

Don’t make any claims that will cause the interviewer to think twice about hiring you. It’s best to answer the question with a statement, including mention of a fast-pace environment. Perhaps you want to work in an organization that encourages commitment and communication.

Respond with the type of work environment the organization has. Doing this increases your chances of being employed over the rest. However, if you don’t have any idea what their work environment is like, it is best to start talking about how flexible you are when it comes to dealing with stress, pressure and challenges altogether.

Express your enthusiasm in being able to be a part of their company. If the recruiter tells you that everything in their company is really fast-paced or unpredictable, do not hesitate to express how excited you are to be a part of that.

Share some of your working experience. Perhaps you’ve worked in a similar working environment in the past. Feel free to share how you have done well working for them.

It is important not to feel intimidated by the recruiter. Keep in mind that a job interview requires both parties to interact in order to get to know each other. Expect recruiters to explore if you’re a good fit for the job; give yourself a chance to see if the job is of your interest.

Upon reading the guidelines above, take your time to prepare and draft some sample answers on a piece of paper. Read it out loud until you get comfortable. Don’t forget to smile during the interview to lighten things up a bit. As long as you’re confident and your nerves are not getting in the way, believe in yourself — you’ll do just fine.

Read 7944 times Last modified on Thursday, 18 February 2016 17:58
Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.