The Situational Interview is definitely tough. In fact, I am pretty sure I did not get a promotion because I was ill-prepared to answer a situational interview question.

Employers like to see what sort of employee you will really make; so, they dig out a scenario and lob it your way (much like an armed grenade, I might add) and see what happens. With me, it exploded in my face.

Some typical probing might look something like this:

1. What would you do if a co-worker accused you of sexual harassment?
2. How would you handle a member of the production team making trouble, but not necessarily breaking any rules (passive aggressive)?
3. How would you counsel an employee on his or her decreasing performance?
4. What would you say if you had to terminate someone?

Some of these questions might seem self-evident. But, I can assure you that they are not. It would be wise to bone-up some management scenarios before heading to the interview. Knowledge is Power!