Question: What was the toughest decision you had to make in the last year? What made it so difficult?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Follow-up questions:

What was the consequence of your decision?
What was the thought process behind your decision?
How quickly did you make this decision?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral,Traditional

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Social – Coordination (Adjusting one’s own actions in relation to others)

Abilities:

Cognitive – Deductive Reasoning,Cognitive – Inductive Reasoning

Other Factors:

Personality-Job Fit

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Estimating Characteristics of Objects, Events, or Information,Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People,Mental Processes – Making Decisions and Solving Problems

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

Job Structure – Freedom to Make Decisions,Job Structure – Frequency of Decision Making,Job Structure – Level of Responsibility (Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Organization Results)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Analytical Thinking,Assertiveness/Courage

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate’s decision-making and critical thinking skills.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The candidate’s poor decision-making skills.
The candidate’s poor critical thinking skills.

Sample Answer:

Last year, I had to let go of some people due to poor performance. It was tough because I was close to them but I had to do it. I had to be objective about it and believe that it’s for the good of the company.

Question Source: Unknown