Question: What is your approach to handling conflicting demands and priorities?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

How Did You Deal With Conflicting Demands?

Follow-up questions:

Question Details:

Question Type:

Skills:

Management of Time,Social – Rapport Buiding/Relating and Connecting with others,Systems – Judgment and Decision Making,Systems Analysis

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility),Cognitive – Originality

Other Factors:

Candidate Preparedness,Personality-Job Fit,Personality-Organization Fit,Personality-Team Fit,Self-Awareness

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates,Interacting with Others – Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships,Mental Processes – Developing Objectives and Strategies,Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People,Mental Processes – Making Decisions and Solving Problems,Mental Processes – Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Work Context (Person-Job/Team/Org Fit):

Interpersonal Relationships – Coordinate or Lead Others,Interpersonal Relationships – Relationship With Subordinates,Interpersonal Relationships – Relationship With Supervisor,Interpersonal Relationships – Work With Work Group or Team (As a member, not a leader),Job Structure – Handling Time Pressure,Job Structure – Level of Responsibility (Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Organization Results)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Adaptability/Flexibility,Attention to Detail,Handling Ambiguity,Initiative,Stress Tolerance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

You are looking for the candidate’s prioritizing techniques, time management skills, and contingency planning skills.

Red Flags to Watch For:

If the candidate shares an anecdote that speaks less about the above mentioned skills.
If the candidate does not have a proper planning or prioritization technique to achieve desired results.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: https://www.wikijob.co.uk/content/interview-advice/interview-questions