Job Recruitment

What Challenges Are You Looking For In A Position? – Interview Question

Atish Ranjan

Challenges in the workplace are expected and common. What actually matters is the attitude of the employee to face, tackle and solve these challenges. This attitude is one of the fundamental requirements that a candidate should have. The employer loves a candidate with an attitude to accept and solve challenges.

Some questions test this attitude in the candidate in the interviews themselves. In your next interview, the employer may ask you, “What challenges are you looking for in this position?”. In this case, how are you going to answer this question?

What Challenges Are You Looking For In A Position?

During an interview, you might be asked plenty of questions that might bewilder you. From questions like what are three things your former manager would like to improve on, to whom would you discuss confidential customer information. A candidate can be asked simply everything and anything during an interview. And it is needless to say; the candidate should be prepared for such situations.

It would help if you found out the relevant and tailor-made answer for this question for every interview. It is observed that many of the candidates fail in answering this question. Therefore, to answer this question, you should know why the interviewer asks this question. Accordingly, find the answer later from the job description and your experience.

Note that the answer is not the same for the two interviews since the answer is based on the job profile and the company background.

In this article, we will tell you the perfect way to answer this question so that you can crack that dream interview of yours. But first, it might be a good idea to understand why an interviewer asks such questions.

Why Does An Interviewer Ask This Question?

The employer performs the interview to test and analyze the level of the candidate. The questions that are asked also depend on a lot of factors. The question, “What challenges are you looking for in this position?” has similar reasons behind it. To give a perfect answer to his questions, you need to know the real and exact intent of the employer and what they want from you from the answer you reply. Therefore, it’s time to know what the interviewer wants to know from you.

What Does The Interviewer Want From You?

The interviewer has the sole motto to figure out the right candidate for the profile. The same motto continues for this question too. When the interviewer asks such a question, they want to check whether you are qualified for the profile. You must now think, How?

The employer can estimate the level of motivation you have from the answer you give and to what extent you can handle situations and complexities.

To check if your challenges align with the challenges of the profile and company

The question lets the employer understand a lot of things about you. The most important among them is to check if your challenges align with the challenges of the company profile. This way, they can see if your expectations from the profile are the same as they want them to be. When the expected challenges align with the company’s challenges, the candidate can be given ample Motivation when required.

To have an idea about your personality and attitude

Another underlying reason behind the question, “What challenges are you looking for in this position?” is to get a better idea about your personality and attitude. From the level of challenges that you anticipate, the employer can estimate your maturity and tackling ability. Some candidates fail to state great challenges; this implies these candidates may not be ready or cannot handle the challenges in the workplace that are quite complex for them.

On the other hand, your attitude can also be estimated from your answer to the question. You may choose and state a bigger challenge to create a good impression. However, if you are asked about how to solve it, you may fail to answer. The way you tackle the challenge is the underlying factor that may impress the employer. The employer can know about your attitude from the way you tackle the challenge.

However, one great tip here would be to not be overconfident, as that can cause more harm than good.

How To Answer This Question?

The previous section makes it clear that employers are probably particular and want to know about you from the question, “What challenges are you looking for in this position?”. Thus, it is wise to understand that it is not easy to answer this question. You may need to take care in various areas to give out a perfect answer for that moment.

Here are our suggestions for you to follow for a perfect answer to the question, “What challenges are you looking for in this position?”:

Express Your Level Of Motivation
You can see that the employer wants to know your attitude from the question, “What challenges are you looking for in this position?” Thus it is a great idea to express the level of motivation you have in the workplace. You may convey that you, in fact, get motivated by the challenges that arise in the workplace. This establishes the fact that you are work-oriented and also focused on personal and company’s growth. You may thus use this question as a chance to prove yourself worthy of the profile.
Let The Employer Know About Your Skill Set
You can use this question to clearly demonstrate the skill sets that fit you for the profile. You can put forward a challenge and state how you can tackle it with the skill set you possess. This way, you can successfully establish a real-time challenge of the profile and the solution for the same. The interviewer would be glad to have a candidate like you after that.
Ensure Your Answer Is Related To The Profile
We have seen in the previous lines that establishing a big challenge and solving them will make the answer strong. However, the candidate needs to ensure that the answer (the challenge) should be related to the profile. As mentioned earlier, if you establish a real-life challenge in the workplace or profile, you can easily be considered. Thus, take this question as a challenge, take care and impress the employer.
Don't Step Back From Sharing Examples
Examples and instances are important parts of descriptions. The same lies true for the answers given to questions like these. Giving examples of what challenges you came across in the present or the previous profiles can be a big plus. Stating how to tackle these challenges with skills will ensure that you have experience in facing challenges. This way, you can nonverbally establish how experienced you are and how this experience will make you the best fit for the profile.

Preparation For This Question

Now that you know what care needs to be taken while you answer such a peculiar question, it is time to know how to prepare for this question beforehand. Note that the question, “What challenges are you looking for in this position?” is one of the common questions, especially if you are looking to advance in your career with the new profile.

Thus, you can prepare the appropriate answer beforehand, ensuring success. You can follow the following steps or tips while you prepare for the questions:

Have a thorough idea of the profile description

The fundamental level of preparation that you should have about a job interview is knowing about the profile and the company in detail. This part of preparation is necessary for all questions of the interview. You can get a better answer only after knowing in detail about the profile. You can find relevant information about the same in the job listings and the website of the company.

As far as the question, “What challenges are you looking for in this position?” is considered, you can take some care while reading the job description. In many cases, the potential challenges and responsibilities of the profile are clearly stated in the job listing and description itself.

You can go through it and know what sorts of challenges you can face in that profile. This way, you can work towards the ideal answer that best fits the situation, profile and the company.

Show a positive attitude towards the challenges

Now that you understand the profile and the potential challenges you may face later in that post, it is time to prepare to show how positive you are towards those challenges. The best way of ensuring it is to state a great solution or alternative. This makes the interviewer understand your problem-solving skills in no time. As mentioned earlier, you also include some instances or examples from your past experience to add strength to your answer.

Know that challenges need not be all intellectual
The first thought that comes to a candidate like you is that the challenges in the workplace are all intellectual, which is not always the case. Probably, intellectual challenges are common; however, one can have other forms of challenges in their profile as well. Maybe you will have to face a physical challenge in exposing yourself to new works or work styles. Thus, also look for other sorts of challenges, if any, and try solving them in your answer.

Sample Answers for Handling Disputes in Organisation

These sample answers would help you understand how you can frame your answer better, in a way in which it becomes super easy to answer, and such questions don’t feel like a nightmare anymore.

Example 1:

I expect to challenge the tough programs and puzzles that I have never attempted before. I enjoy writing new and innovative programs because this will let me devise my way of tackling and solving problems. I understand that your company is focused on creating interesting mobile applications and products. The innovative products that need to be made motivate me to grow personally and professionally as a programmer.
Why does it work?: 

This example is a clear example that states you love challenges. This answer also ensures that the challenges that you expect to align with the potential challenges of the company. This way, it ensures that you are the best fit for the profile.

Example 2:

I have taken additional responsibilities over the years in my past job. I have been the manager for a few months in the absence of our manager. I know your organisation is team-oriented and have big goals. I feel teamwork is the basis for handling big projects within deadlines. I feel I have the Motivation and ability to accept change and work with ease and efficiency.
Why does it work?:

This answer shows how the candidate can act in emergencies and the flexibility that they have. This way, the employer can ensure that they can offer multiple responsibilities to the candidate in emergencies which may be the need of the day.

Example 3:

I’m looking for a change. You can see that I have a different background from my resume. I was exhausted at my previous profile and industry practices. Looking for something new, I feel this profile is the one for me. I’m sure I can easily handle the transition and deal with challenges with ease. I feel that’s exactly what you are looking at.
Why does it work?:

This answer directly states that the candidate is fond of challenges. Thus can make a great impression if the employers are looking for one who needs to accept challenges and changes.

Example 4:

In my opinion, leadership is the most challenging duty in my profile. I’m not new to handling managerial roles; I have managed two different roles that need different approaches. I believe that a good manager is not necessarily a good leader. But, I’m confident I’m a leader too, and my experience proves it. Now, I’m exploring new challenges to grow personally. I can’t wait to start!
Why does it work?:

By this answer, the candidate communicates that they have experience in taking challenges. The answer also has a hint of an example from past experience. If the situation demands the candidate to give a short yet in-depth answer, this is the one.

Example 5:

I understand that the profile wants me to address the customer issues. I’m motivated to ensure that our customers have cleared all their issues; my past experience shows that I successfully served customers. I have served at the complaint desk for a couple of years, and I feel that experience is helpful for this position.
Why does it work?:

By the answer, the candidate clearly aligns their personal expectations and experience with the company’s requirements. This way, they prove to the perfect for the position.

What To Say If You Aren’t Looking For Any Challenge?

A few people want to give unique answers to ensure they stand out from others. They may choose to answer that they don’t look for challenges in the workplace. If you belong to this category, you can also state your view in your answer. However, ensure you will:

Communicate your view properly and optimistically

Communication is one of the important aspects of any interview. Both sides need to communicate their views effectively. Thus you must convey your views effectively to the employer. Since you want to convey a probable unfavourable answer, you need to be careful while stating it and justifying it as soon as possible to make the interviewer understand your actual intent.

Communicate why you aren't looking for challenges

A large part of the population actually doesn’t look for challenges. All they want is a secure job and ample income. Personally, there is nothing wrong with this attitude. However, it is not always healthy to communicate the same to the employer. So, how can you answer his opinion wisely?

Firstly, check if the profile really needs you to accept challenges. For instance, you don’t need to face challenges in a restaurant compared to a marketing profile.

Secondly, you may consider inculcating your personal challenges in your answer to show you can’t take challenges. One thing to be noted here is that don’t emphasise personal challenges; just let the employer know about it non-verbally. If you feel the situation is clear and clear, you can state the intent not to take challenges directly.

Example Answer

To be transparent, I’m not looking for any challenges in my new profile, and that’s exactly why I have chosen a remote format for the job. I worked in the onsite mode in my previous profile. As of now, I have faced many challenges and solved them. I think I have done enough challenging tasks. Now I feel it’s time I prefer to have a simple daily routine and benefit from the experience that I accumulated from my past years of experience. I feel no need to be challenged anymore, having my challenges and tricky situations.
Why does it work?:

These examples show how you need to answer if you don’t want challenges in life. This shows that the candidate has already tackled enough challenges, thus wants a regular and safe life.

What Not To Say While Answering This Question?

Now that you know what needs to be answered, you also know what not to be answered. Let’s look into some answers that you shouldn’t say. They are:

Money is the first priority. Thus I don't like challenges!
Accept it or not, every candidate has to focus on the money aspect for a new profile. There is nothing wrong with it either. However, this should never be conveyed to the employer. It is ok to discuss monetary matters to ensure it; however, this cannot be the sole reason you can work officially. Thus, if you don’t like challenges, try conveying the same with some other reason optimistically. This way, you avoid creating a wrong impression.
Sharing irrelevant examples
Relevant and impressive examples make the best answer for the question, “what challenges are you looking for in this position?”. However, irrelevant and boring examples can also break the interest of the interviewer. Thus if you are confident and ensure that the example you take is relevant to the profile, or else your effort may go useless.
Misguiding the employer with your answer

Guiding the employer towards what you want to say is the ideal way of answering an interview question. However, sometimes you end up misleading instead. This can lead to a negative result of the interview. Thus take care while you elucidate the challenge and the solution. Taking care to convey the view clearly can increase your chances of selecting. This can be both deal maker and breaker at the same time.

Thus, it would help if you were positive and relevant while giving a perfect answer.

Insights on Challenges You Are Looking For

It is not the only tricky question in interviews. You may face similar questions like prioritisation, dealing with pressure and ambiguity, etc. The questions may also differ based on the situation and the profile you have applied for. Preparation with some tips can make you surpass your competitors with ease. The interview can ask the same question in multiple ways. Here are some instances of the same:

  • What are your expectations from the profile?
  • Do you have what it takes to fulfil this post?
  • What is your driving force/Motivation in your workplace?

Whatever may be the question, the soul of your answer need not be changed.

Conclusion

That’s it! You now know how to answer the question, “What challenges are you looking for in this position?” Before preparing for your perfect answer, you need first to know the employer’s intent behind the question. After this, you can look into tips and steps to prepare the best answer for the interview beforehand. We hope the examples provided will give you a better idea of what preparation you may need to do. If you don’t need a challenge in your new profile, you can convey the same optimistically and with a valid reason. You also need to be that there is no tone of being overconfident when it comes to a question like this. You want to sound like a humble professional who is eager to learn and overcome any challenge that comes your way.

Good luck!

About the author

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Atish Ranjan

Hi there, I am Atish Ranjan! I have been into work and business for more than 11 years now; I have given and taken numerous interviews over the years.
Thus, I started TheInterview.top to share my knowledge & experience with you! Hope you enjoy reading here.

About the Author

Hi there, I am Atish Ranjan! I have been into work and business for more than 11 years now; I have given and taken numerous interviews over the years. Thus, I started TheInterview.top to share my knowledge & experience with you! Hope you enjoy reading here.

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