Finishing your answer

Finishing your answer with an outcome or outcomes

As much as possible, try to conclude with a positive outcome.
Summarising the above points, here’s what a question and a full
answer might sound like:

Question: Tell us about the way you dealt with working in a fastpaced
entrepreneurial environment. Whilst working for this company, an important client needed
changes made to one of the orders she had placed and she
needed these changes completed within a very short space
of time. Given that a number of our clients worked in unpredictable
environments, these requests were not uncommon.
Our job was to ensure that we could meet them, otherwise
we’d effectively be out of a job.

This establishes the context—step 3. Amongst other things, this
opening tells the interviewer about the significance of your work.
The way I dealt with working in such a demanding environment
was to ensure that my planning took into account the
fact that matters could change at any minute. For example,
I made it very clear to my clients and colleagues that, due to
the nature of my work, I might be changing appointments
or sending someone else instead of myself.

I also avoided making long-term commitments. Coping in such a hectic
environment also meant that I had to make some fundamental
changes in the way I thought about work. I had to quickly
jettison the idea of working predictable hours and performing
foreseeable tasks. I also had to come to terms with the idea
that work can often be unpredictable requiring a great deal
of flexibility. Now I could never see myself going back to a
settled working environment.

I also had to be prepared to learn new things quickly as
the need arose. For this job, I had to learn the basics of
PowerPoint and Access in a few days and apply them on the
job. Retraining becomes a way of life, as does learning to
work well with others.