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How Do You Deal with Change Interview Answer

How Do You Deal with Change Interview Answer

March 10, 2023

Being prepared for anything an interviewer can throw at you is one of the best ways to ensure you succeed in an interview setting. If you have all of the relevant skills and experience for a role, the only thing you need to do is demonstrate this to the interview panel.

One of the questions you might face is “how do you deal with change?” This question can often trip people up because they are either too broad or too specific in their answer. If you’ve recently faced this question in an interview and felt that you didn’t deliver the best possible response, try our approach to help you answer with more confidence.

How Do You Deal with Change Interview Answer CMD Recruitment

What is this question asking?

When someone asks “how do you deal with change” they want to know more about your adaptability and your capacity to learn new things. Change can mean lots of different things, so you don’t have to use an example from your recent work history. 

For example, if you moved far away for university or to start your first job, you might reflect on how you handled this transition and use this in your answer to the question. You can also use a change of career direction, a change in your personal circumstances, or a change in your industry to illustrate your point.

How Do You Deal with Change Interview Answer CMD Recruitment

How to answer this question

To answer this question, you should break it down into three parts. First, you want to think about how change might influence the job role. Next, think honestly about how you respond to change. And finally, try to come up with an example of when you have faced change so you can describe how you responded to it.

Think about the job role

When thinking about what the interviewer wants to hear, you first need to think about the job role. Are you applying for a job in a fast-paced industry that is always subject to changes and you have to be willing to continually adapt your skills? Or are you applying for a role in a very traditional industry that relies on the rules and regulations remaining the same?

You should always be honest in your response, but you might try to tailor your response more to the job role and avoid saying anything that would completely rule you out for the job.

How Do You Deal with Change Interview Answer CMD Recruitment

Think about your personality

We don’t often think about how or why we do things, but this is an ideal opportunity to do some soul searching and think about how you respond to change. Even if you don’t respond well to change and like things to remain predictable, you can talk about what you do to help yourself through difficult transitions.

And if you thrive on change and like to regularly shake things up, you can also highlight how this helps to keep your enthusiasm for your role fresh.

How Do You Deal with Change Interview Answer CMD Recruitment

Think of an example

The best way to answer this question is with an example. Examples of how you have responded to change could include:

  • Moving to another country for university or your job
  • Changing careers
  • Working in a fast-paced and unpredictable industry
  • Being made redundant unexpectedly
  • Adjusting to caring for a sick or elderly relative

These are all great examples of big life events that will allow you to demonstrate how you respond to change, but what about work examples? Here are some examples of times you might have to face change in your role.

  • How you respond to last minute change requests from clients
  • Recent industry changes that have had an impact on your job
  • A change of office environment
  • A takeover that has resulted in teams merging 

Closing thoughts

With a bit of preparation and self-reflection, you can formulate an answer that will impress the hiring manager and allow you to put your best self forward. Just make sure you are honest in your assessment and can back it up with an example.

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