Question: Describe a time when you were involved in a very stressful negotiation. What was your role and how did the negotiation go?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

What was the most stressful professional negotiation you have been involved in? How did you handle it?

Follow-up questions:

What’s your approach in dealing with situations like this?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Basic – Science and Logic

Abilities:

Cognitive – Deductive Reasoning

Other Factors:

Personality-Job Fit,Personality-Organization Fit,Self-Awareness

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events,Interacting with Others – Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (Conflict Management),Interacting with Others – Selling or Influencing Others

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Analytical Thinking

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate’s professionalism and flexibility, especially in handling negotiations.
The candidate’s critical thinking skills.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The candidate’s lack of professionalism and inability to handle challenging negotiations.
Answers that reveal poor critical thinking.

Sample Answer:

Once I was tasked to present to an important client who is known to be difficult. He asked a lot of questions and raised a lot of concerns during my presentation. Good thing I prepared and anticipated his concerns. After grueling hours in the boardroom, we were able to seal the deal.

Question Source: https://www.zippia.com/employer/behavioural-interview-questions/