Interviewers frequently ask candidates to provide examples of their past work experiences and how they reacted to them. For example, employers or hiring managers may ask you to discuss an instance in which you experienced negative emotions at work to gain a better understanding of how you overcome workplace challenges. If you’re preparing for an upcoming interview, it may be helpful for you to learn how to answer this question effectively. In this article, we explain why employers might ask you to describe a time you got angry at work and how to respond, including three example answers.
“WHAT MAKES YOU ANGRY?” (Is this THE HARDEST Interview Question to ANSWER?)
How to Answer “What Makes You Angry?”
Your answer should contain two essential components:
Youll want to be careful in wording your response. Youll seem dishonest if you refuse to share what makes you angry. But you dont want to appear hot-headed or quick to anger, or come off as someone who is inclined to criticize others.
Try to present yourself as someone who, like most people, occasionally gets annoyed by certain situations, but doesnt lash out in an outburst of anger.
While you want to be careful about blaming others, you can mention certain office behavior that doesnt sit right with you, like if a co-worker complains too much or misuses company resources. The key here is to discuss things that either negatively affect the company—for example, those misused company resources—or that give you the opportunity to show how you deal with tough situations gracefully.
Answers that emphasize a measured, controlled response are the most effective.
Be thoughtful as you describe how you handle your anger. Try to respond in a way that implies that you recognize your anger, but do not express it emotionally or dramatically.
For instance, if youre discussing a coworkers unethical or irresponsible behavior, explain how you may have calmly confronted him or her, and then provided constructive feedback. Maybe you offered a suggestion and then walked away before things got heated. Whichever anecdote you can provide, make a point of illustrating how you are a level-headed, rational employee who doesnt let your emotions cloud the workplace.
What the Interviewer Wants to Knows
When interviewers ask what makes you angry, they are trying to determine how you might react to stressful situations in the workplace, and how you might handle your personal emotions without letting them affect your performance.
This is an example of a behavioral interview question, i.e., a question designed to show how you’d behave in a real-world situation at work.
Be prepared for employers to ask for specific examples of situations that made you angry, particularly in a professional environment.
Tips for Giving the Best Answer
Example 2
“To me, anger stems from frustration and isnt a very productive emotion. Whenever I feel anger coming on, I try to regulate my feelings so I can instead take control over a situation and direct my energy toward finding solutions. For example, in my previous role as a teacher, I experienced a lot of frustration about standardized testing and how its used to assess student progress. While I dont think its an effective—or fair—mode of assessment, I realized that I needed to channel my frustrations into action so I can make sure I serve my students successfully.
I decided that, along with implementing new test preparation strategies tailored to my students particular needs, I would teach them about the history of standardized testing. These lessons included information about the discriminatory foundations of testing and how advocates for educational equity have tried to overcome the gaps created through these processes. At the end of the year, I received a lot of positive feedback from my students about these lessons—one student even expressed her interest in joining a local activist group that focuses on improving the field of education.”
How to answer “Describe a time you got angry at work”
Heres a step-by-step guide for answering this question successfully:
Why do employers ask you to “Describe a time you got angry at work”?
Employers may ask this question to make a behavioral assessment regarding your ability to handle stressful workplace situations. Your answer can help employers determine how you approach conflict or other discrepancies at work. If you prove your ability to do so successfully, employers may feel more confident in you as a candidate who can remain professional while navigating negative emotions.
Example 1
“I dont typically experience anger at work, but there have been times when Ive felt disappointed and frustrated, which I think is normal. For instance, I felt really let down by one of my coworkers lack of communication last December. The holidays are always a really high demand time for everybody, and especially for those of us who work in sales. Unfortunately, my coworker decided at the last minute that she was going to take the two weeks leading up to Christmas off from work.
This wouldve been fine if I knew ahead of time, but she didnt notify me until the day prior, so I couldnt come up with a plan. Overall, her absence made a stressful period even more so for me. I tried my best to meet expectations while she was out, and after the holidays, I spoke with her and directly asked her to make sure she communicates more effectively about her time off so we can avoid similar situations in the future. Thankfully, she was very apologetic and now considers how her absences impact our collective workflow.”
Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.
Make sure to prepare your answers before going to the interview and practice it with a peer or mentor for help. As for the preparation, try not to memorize your answers to avoid sounding like a robot. No interviewer would want to talk to a candidate who sounds like one, especially if you have plans of getting hired anytime soon.
What the Interviewer Really Wants to Know
The recruiter or hiring manager wants to know how well you manage your emotions in the workplace when things don’t go your way.
No employer wants someone who flies off the handle, stomps their feet, walks off the job, or otherwise reacts poorly to bad situations. When things inevitably go wrong, they need to know you’re the type of person who will hold it together.
It’s also about your emotional maturity and self-awareness. Your answer shows the interviewer you have the ability to recognize what makes you angry as well as the self-control to manage it.
Self-awareness is important to employers because it means you’re able to learn from past experience and will continue to do so.
How to Answer: “What Makes You Angry?”
Start by telling them something that makes you feel angry or frustrated.
While it’s tempting to avoid giving a direct answer to a question like this, it’s important to embrace the question head-on
Before actually telling them what makes you angry, you can mention you’re a generally calm and collected person, and that it takes a lot to get you worked up.
Whatever you choose to say, make sure it’s something most people will be able to understand and relate to, and it’s something that’s not likely to occur often (or at all) in the job you’re applying for.
Things that make you angry might include:
You can also give some insight into why this particular thing is such an emotional trigger for you.
For instance, if a rude customer makes you angry, you might explain that you always make an effort to treat everyone with dignity and respect, and you only ask the same in return.
Here’s an example:
FAQ
How would you describe a time you were angry at work?
- Emphasize how you don’t normally feel anger at work. …
- Describe a particular situation in which you experienced disappointment or frustration. …
- Explain how you handled the situation effectively and found a solution.
How do you deal with an angry coworker interview question?
How do you express your anger and frustration at work?
“Instead of expressing your anger through angry words and arbitrary sounds, it would be important to just use a vertical voice and express what you’re feeling,” she said. “You can say that you’re at a point where you feel a little bit irritated.
What situation makes you angry?
