What is a stress interview?
A stress interview is a type of job interview that involves placing pressure on the candidate to see how they respond. In some cases, hiring managers may use a stress interviewing technique throughout the entire conversation. Alternatively, managers may ask just one stress interview question and then focus on other questions the rest of the time.
What are some examples of stress interviews?
Depending on your strategy and what reactions you’re looking to elicit from the candidate, stress interviews can take a variety of forms. Let’s look at some examples.
Disinterested or inconsiderate stress interviewing
With this type of stress interview, the hiring manager acts as if they’re not interested in what the candidate has to say. They may scroll on their phone, fidget in their seat, check their watch and/or focus their attention on something else in the room rather than focusing on the person they are communicating with. Or the hiring manager may act in an inconsiderate manner. For example, they may interrupt the candidate, question or scoff at their answers or roll their eyes at a response.
Employers should avoid using these types of stress interviewing because they show a general disregard for the interviewee’s time and effort. Using these tactics can also get a professional relationship off on the wrong foot.
Brainteasers
Using brain teasers in your interview process can help the hiring manager better understand how the candidate thinks. You can compile several brain teaser questions or riddles to use in your interview process, using the same for each candidate or switching them up. Employers may find this type of stress interview useful when interviewing for positions that require a lot of critical thinking.
Case interviews
At the beginning of a case interview, the hiring manager will present a challenging business scenario related to the industry or position being applied to. The interview process will then involve the candidate investigating the problem and proposing solutions. This can help hiring managers test a candidate’s analytical skills and soft skills in a realistic way.
Forceful stress interview questioning
A forceful stress interview question puts the candidate on the spot and may make them feel awkward or uncomfortable. Some examples of these types of questions include:
- Do you think I am a good interviewer? Why or why not?
- How do you explain this period of joblessness on your resume?
- What would your least favorite supervisor say about your job performance?
When posing these types of questions, hiring managers want to evaluate how quickly the candidate can come up with an answer, whether they can communicate well under pressure and how they react to feeling uncomfortable.
Lightning round interview questions
Lightning round questioning is the final type of stress interview. With this approach, you ask rapid-fire questions. Here’s an example question sequence:
- Tell me about a time you had a particularly heavy workload. How did you manage it?
- What one book do you think was most impactful on your work style? Why?
- How did you learn from a mistake that you made on the job in the past?
- Do you prefer working individually or in a team?
- How do you handle tight deadlines?
The unrelenting pace of this stress interviewing technique requires candidates to remain focused and think quickly, giving an indication of how they respond under pressure.
Related: Best Interview Questions to Ask Candidates
What are the benefits of conducting a stress interview?
For employers, stress interviews have a few key benefits.
Simulates the on-the-job experience
A stress interview can simulate a high-pressure working environment in a way that asking behavior interview questions may not. If a candidate doesn’t perform well or is made uncomfortable in an interview setting that mirrors a stressful workplace, they may not be right for the position.
Provides the chance for observation
Traditional interviews rely heavily on the candidate’s own opinion of themselves. If you ask a candidate how they handled a stressful situation in the past, they will likely try to paint themselves in the best possible light. Actually introducing stress to the interview allows you to observe firsthand, which may give you a more realistic picture of their coping abilities.
May lower employee turnover rates
Ongoing stress can lead to high rates of turnover in some positions. When hiring, a stress interview may help to eliminate candidates from consideration who don’t cope well with pressure and may be more likely to become burned out or quit. Over time, stress interviewing may therefore lead to lower employee turnover rates.
Could lead to improved hiring decisions
The ultimate goal of an interview is to find the right hire for the position. A stress interview may give you a fuller picture of candidates’ abilities, so you can make a more informed decision.
What are the drawbacks of stress interviews?
For all their benefits, stress interviews do have some downsides.
Narrow focus
The focus of a stress interview is on assessing a person’s ability to cope with pressure. As an interviewer, you might find it difficult to get a clear picture of a candidate’s other skills and qualifications if you employ a stress interviewing technique throughout the entire conversation.
Poor candidate experience
Being subjected to a stress interview can leave a person feeling angry and upset, detracting from the overall candidate experience. Candidates who feel mistreated during an interview may tell others not to apply for your open positions in person and on social media.
Related: What Is Candidate Experience (and How to Create a Positive One)
Skewed view of your organization
Stress interviews can give the impression that your organization doesn’t care about the mental well-being of employees. It may send the message that you know a position is stressful, but you expect your team not to be affected by it. In actuality, you may have many programs in place to help your employees manage workplace stress and promote mental wellness.
Risk of losing high-quality candidates
While you’re deciding whether a candidate is the right fit for an open position, they’re also thinking about whether they want to work for your organization. Stress interviewing may turn off even those candidates who perform very well in the challenging environment you create, leading them to turn down future job offers.
Stress interview FAQs
Are stress interviews beneficial for all types of positions?
While all jobs can be stressful, a stress interview may not be the best choice for all positions. You may find them most useful when hiring for jobs that involve an ongoing high-pressure environment. Examples of fields where stress interviewing may be useful include food service and hospitality, law enforcement, health care, customer service, air travel and retail.
How should I evaluate the answer to a stress interview question?
When asking a stress interview question, assess the quality of the candidate’s answer but also consider things like their visible demeanor and their tone of voice. Take note of how they respond to subsequent questions. Are they able to quickly recover and continue on, or do you notice major changes in their answers or their behavior?
What is a good alternative to stress interviews?
If you want to get a feel for a candidate’s ability to manage stress and deal with difficult situations, you can include behavioral questions like, “Describe a time when you had to handle an issue for an upset customer. What did you do to resolve the issue?” You can also consider putting together a written test of behavioral questions for candidates to complete. Test-taking adds an element of stress to the interview process but may have less of an impact on the candidate experience than some methods of stress interviewing.
How can I mitigate the risks associated with stress interviews?
One way to reduce some of the potential negative impact of stress interviewing is to stick to asking just one stress interview question. Another approach is to conduct a traditional preliminary interview to narrow down the pool of candidates and then invite your short list back for stress interviews. You can let them know upfront that you’ll be employing a stress interview technique like lightning round questioning, so they’re prepared for the experience.
