Tips on Answering Situational Interview Questions

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TIPS on answering Situational Interview Questions
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We recommend using the MECE Framework to answer
Situational Interview Questions
MECE stands for Mutually Exclusive
Collectively Exhaustive
The optimal solution path
Problem Statement
Option 2
Option 3
Option 1
Option 3-A
Option 1-A
Option 1-B
Option 3-B
Option 3-C

• It is a problem-solving approach that forces you
  to list down all possible options without double
  counting.
• The Problem Statement is written down first. You
  must choose your words carefully while writing
  this down to ensure that there is no ambiguity in
  understanding the problem.
• The Options to solve the problem are then listed
  down in a tree-like fashion. The options must not
  overlap (Mutually exclusive) and no option must
  be missed out (Collectively exhaustive)
• Once the tree is built, the pros and cons of each
  path in the tree is discussed until the optimal
  solution path is decided.

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Illustration 1 What will you do if your teams
project is unlikely to be completed before the
deadline?
The project cannot be completed before the
deadline. What should your team do?
Increase productivity of the team
Try to get deadline extended (This may not always
be possible.)
Realign delivery expectations
Build a prototype / presentation that will create
a good appearance but only covering selected
scenarios
Push everyone including yourself to work harder.
Risk Poor Quality
Better Tools Downside Training to use new tools
takes a few days
Drop low priority items but ensure delivered
items are high quality.
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Illustration 2 One of your team members is
underperforming. What will you do?
One of your team members is underperforming. What
will you do?
If the issue is very drastic, raise it with Mgmt.
Ignore the issue. It will probably be fixed on
its own.
Solve it internally. Chat with the teammate to
understand whats wrong
Increase your teammates productivity
Increase productivity of others in team to
compensate
Offer tutoring on problem areas
Offer help with personal/ professional problems
Rebalance the workload to align with your
teammates strengths
Get everyone to chip in and do a bit more while
your teammate is going through a tough period
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Illustration 3 Your Manager has a negative
impression of you. What will you do?
Your Manager has a negative impression of you.
What will you do?
Identify the root cause of the negative
impression via self-introspection and also by
having a heart-to-heart discussion with your
Manager
If the situation is very drastic, you can speak
to HR and try to get re-assigned to a different
project.
This is a communication/ perception issue
The problem is with your performance
Ask for more challenging tasks to prove yourself
Ensure that your Manager is always informed about
your progress.
Invest in Relationship-building through informal
Get-togethers
Step up your performance
Schedule regular feedback sessions to understand
where youre going wrong
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Using MECE Framework in a job interview

• Before starting with solutions, focus on defining
  the Problem Statement using a clear, unambiguous
  sentence.
• DONT just use the MECE Framework within your
  mind. Use it to communicate that your thought
  processes are actually structured. Draw the MECE
  Tree on paper or on whiteboard during the
  interview.
• Once you have drawn the MECE Tree, engage the
  interviewer on different solutions that are the
  leaf nodes in the MECE Tree.
• Ask questions to get more context to see if this
  solution is applicable.
• Discuss pros and cons of each solution with the
  Interviewer.
• Think out aloud to ensure that you and the
  Interviewer are on the same page.
• If the Interviewer offers any hints, always take
  those hints and make corrections to the MECE
  structure as necessary.
• After you have arrived at the final solution,
  conclude with a quick summary. The summary should
  restate the problem statement, describe the pros
  and cons of various alternatives considered and
  finally state the solution that you would
  recommend.

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• You can read more about Tips on Answering
  Situational Interview Questions.