Question: Describe a time when you faced an obstacle preventing you from achieving an ambitious goal you set for yourself. How did you handle the situation?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Tell me about a hurdle which got in the way of achieving an ambitious goal. How did you go about overcoming it?

Follow-up questions:

What was the result? How did you feel after overcoming the challenge?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility)

Other Factors:

Motivation/Ambition/Aspiration,Personality-Job Fit

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events,Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People,Mental Processes – Making Decisions and Solving Problems,Mental Processes – Thinking Creatively (Creativity)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Adaptability/Flexibility,Analytical Thinking,Stress Tolerance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate’s ability to manage a challenging or stressful situation.
The candidate’s stress management ability.
The candidate’s professional maturity.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The candidate’s inability to handle a challenging or stressful situation.
The candidate’s professional immaturity.

Sample Answer:

Whenever I am faced with a hurdle, I analyze the situation and think of ways on how to overcome it. There was an instance when I couldn’t complete a training program because we had challenges with the venue. I just resorted to printing the materials and conducting the program in the office. I just made use of the resources available.

Question Source: https://www.jobbankusa.com/interview_questions_answers/