Interviewing for a job can be an important step in starting in a career you love. It can be useful to prepare for this important conversation by reviewing questions you might encounter and preparing potential answers. One question your interviewer or hiring manager might ask you is, “What frustrates you?” In this article, we explain why employers ask about what frustrates you, how to answer and example answers to this question to help you prepare for your interview experience.
What frustrates you? | Easy German 309
Examples of the Best Responses
Example Answer
When Im on a tight deadline and working to finish a project, I get frustrated if I run into roadblocks, like if my internet wont load or my partner is slacking off.
Why It Works: Its not unreasonable that this situation would anger someone and points to the candidate being eager to get work done. Note that the interviewee uses the word “frustrated” instead of “angry.”
Example Answer
In my last job at ABC company, there was one time when I had a run of frustrated customers on the phone, who were quite rude. It was hard not letting that rub off on me, but after the fifth call, I took a one-minute break to walk around the block and remind myself that the customers didnt mean to make things personal.
Why It Works: This person shows an awareness of situations that lead to strong emotions, and also shows theyve got a healthy, reasonable coping mechanism in place.
Example Answer
In general, Im a fairly even-keeled person. Of course there are times when things do not go according to plan, or when it feels like someone is not pulling their weight, but I try to head off these situations by forming contingency plans and keeping the lines of communication open with my team. When I do feel fired up, I usually try to take a moment away.
Why It Works: This answer paints a real picture of the candidates personality. While the person is not quick-tempered they do acknowledge sometimes getting angry and share how they cope with the situation.
Tips for Responding for Management Jobs
Prospective managers might be asked this question to determine if they are tough enough to deal with problem employees. In those situations, you might describe how you dealt effectively with frustrating underperformers. Follow these strategies:
Typically, you should state how you communicated directly with subordinates about problem behaviors or performance issues, and then set up a plan for improving performance. The plan should include consequences for continued poor performance, and how you may have partnered with Human Resources to devise the plan.
Tips for Giving the Best Answer
Using the STAR Approach
The STAR approach can be a real asset in formulating your response to these types of questions.
STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, and Results. Briefly describe the situation, the event or task, your action, and the results your actions received.
Answering Interview Anger Questions
Your answer to any question about anger should contain two components. First, describe the particular situation that frustrated you, and then explain how you handled that situation. The situation should be work-related, and not something that happened in your personal life. Keep your explanation brief and to the point.
When describing the situation, avoid heated words like “hate” or even “angry.” Instead, use less intense words to describe your anger, like “frustrated” or “disappointed.” This will emphasize that you are not one to lose control in a difficult scenario. As you answer, keep your tone even or light—that is, you dont want to seem fired up just recounting the situation.
Selecting a Situation
Try to select a situation that does not involve a previous boss or manager, as this will make you appear to be an easily disgruntled employee. Similarly, while it is fine to mention being frustrated by someone’s unprofessional behavior or a difficult situation, do not spend too much time blaming or attacking someone else in your answer. Its also not to your advantage to mention something that could portray you in a bad light or something that to others may seem minor and petty. Your interviewer might wonder why it riled you up.
Briefly mention the behavior or event that bothered you, and then move on to the solution. Make sure to explain how you handled the situation, with an emphasis on your calm, professional manner in dealing with it. For example, if you were frustrated by an employee’s behavior, explain how you met with them and provided constructive feedback that led to a positive change in their actions.
Another option for answering this question is to say that you typically do not get angry at work. This demonstrates both that you do not lose control at work and that you realize that kind of behavior is inappropriate. However, after explaining this, you should still describe a time when you were frustrated or disappointed by something at work, and how you handled it. To deny that you ever become frustrated would make you appear insincere.
Think about reasonable examples of workplace frustrations
Consider frustrations that are often relatable to most individuals in the workplace. This may be a minor inconvenience such as slow internet or challenging customer interactions. Try to use examples that are external to your team, or that may be outside your control, to possibly demonstrate that you are likely to extend grace toward your colleagues. Using examples that are common can help you come across as relatable and show that you have a reasonable frustration tolerance.
Use the STAR method to explain your anecdote
Use the STAR interview response method to include appropriate information about that anecdote. This means try to explain the situation, your task, the action you took and the result of your actions. For example, you might share a time you felt frustrated about slow internet because your team was facing an important deadline. If your task in that situation was to prepare important documents by that deadline, you might have taken the action of figuring out the source of your internet issues, and the result may have been that your team met their deadline.
Connect your answer to your potential future role
Be sure to connect your response to your potential future role as well, so its evidence that you can transfer your skills to different situations. For example, if you use a situation involving the frustration of slow internet you might explain how your successful trouble-shooting could help you new team meet their goals as well.
Why employers ask about what frustrates you
Employers usually ask about what frustrates you when they want to know how well you handle workplace stress. This can be particularly important in industries that are high-paced or that involve a high degree of interpersonal interaction, or both. Identifying a potential new hires frustration triggers can help determine whether a particular job is a good fit for that candidate.
The way a person answers this question can be revealing as well. If, for instance, a candidate provides many examples of workplace frustrations and expounds on why they are so frustrating, an interviewer might wonder if they will find a similar amount of frustrations in their new role. If, however, a candidate provides one or two well-chosen examples and calmly explains how they handle them at work, the interviewer might know to expect similarly productive habits if they are hired.
Frustration #1: Pulling extra weight for lazy co-workers
No one likes having to pick up the slack when others aren’t tackling their fair share of the work. And when this feeling is between co-workers, it can be a destructive force within your company.
Minimizing any imbalances in work will go a long way in building positive energy within your company. Instead of letting the less motivated ride the coattails of your hardest working employees, try assessing your training program to see whether you can even out the load while maintaining your quality standards across all staff. Sharing time management tips as part of your training program can help get all employees working efficiently and effectively.
Frustration #2: Lack of communication from the management team
Your strongest employees are those who genuinely care about the future of the company.
These employees often wish they could learn and contribute more to the company than they are able – but unfortunately, a lack of communication about the holistic view of the business from management teams keeps them from doing contributing at a higher level.
Although it’s not always practical to be completely transparent about your business practices, providing a view into different areas of the company can go a long way in showing your employees that they are a trusted part of your company.
Once you’ve identified the employees who are invested, eager to learn and committed, you can begin to include them in additional pieces of the business. They’ll appreciate the investment in their continued education in their field, and you’ll have the added benefit of an additional brain to help with organizational challenges.
Find a communication system that works well with you and your employees. Communicating online with your employees helps you communicate quickly and efficiently. Streamline communication in your organization by using some sort of collaborative software. At ZoomShift we offer the discussion board that gives people a place to communicate around scheduling. Not only does this improve communication in the workforce it also empowers employees which in turn leads to greater productivity.
Do you love your job? Not Really? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. According to recent studies, 48% of employees worldwide don’t even like their jobs, more than 80% of US workers feel stressed at the office, and only 30% feel “engaged and inspired” by their careers.
Gen Y workers are known for seeking jobs that are personally satisfying and inspiring to them, but they’re not alone. A statistics-packed Huffington Post article reveals, 55% of Gen X and Gen Y workers believe that finding a job that’s personally fulfilling is worth sacrifices in salary. Boredom in jobs is a surefire path to frustration!
When we go to work, we like to be rewarded and recognised for our contributions. If this isn’t happening, or worse, people doing mediocre work are getting the same treatment as strong performers, it’s natural to just turn off and do your job on autopilot. Companies that don’t deal with performance issues bring down the average for everyone.
Employees who work for unstable companies or in jobs deemed expendable will only invest enough to keep getting their pay check while they look elsewhere. The rest of their energy will be spent sharing rumours with co-workers, updating their resumes and planning their next move. This is frustrating for both employer and employee.
Nothing is more irritating than having a co-worker who’s always whining about something. The constant complainer who would rather bash everyone’s ideas than come up with any of her own is a drain on everyone’s energy. In addition, listening to the know-it-all who won’t let others get a word in at meetings or won’t take responsibility when a project fails is stressful for the co-workers left in the dust.
FAQ
How do you answer what frustrates you?
- Think about reasonable examples of workplace frustrations. …
- Find a clear, concise example. …
- Use the STAR method to explain your anecdote. …
- Connect your answer to your potential future role.
What are the thing that frustrates you?
- When you knew you were right. …
- Your ‘ugly’ body part. …
- The joke that went too far. …
- Getting cut off while driving. …
- When you did not get the credit you deserve. …
- Not taking that chance. …
- Bad restaurant food. …
- Not paying someone back.
What causes frustration at work?
What are your greatest sources of frustration at work answer?
- Few opportunities for advancement. The top source of job frustration, cited by 45% of surveyed IT workers, is feeling stagnant in their career. …
- Unmanageable workload. …
- Few chances to learn new skills. …
- Not empowered to make decisions. …
- Don’t see eye-to-eye with the manager.
