How would you help a teammate who is clearly struggling after a run of tough calls?

What the interviewer is looking for

• This question tests resilience under pressure. Has practical ways to reset after hard calls and stays consistent through long, busy shifts.
• What to bring out: Checking in kindly, offering practical support, sharing coping tips and involving a supervisor if needed.
• Expect a follow-up like: How do you balance helping them with keeping your own calls moving?

Another way it may be asked: The person next to you looks upset after several bad calls. What do you do?

A structure to follow: STAR, with the weight on Action and Result

1. Step 1

   Situation

   One or two sentences: where, when and what was at stake. Pick a real example you were close to.

2. Step 2

   Task

   What you personally were responsible for. Say "I", not only "we", so the resilience under pressure you showed is visible.

3. Step 3

   Action

   The two or three things you did and why you chose them over the alternatives. This should be about half your answer.

4. Step 4

   Result

   What changed, in your own measure of it, and what you would do differently. Only use numbers you can stand behind.

This is guidance on shape, not a script. Use your own real experience and facts; never invent details to fill a gap. See the STAR guide and answer frameworks.

Common slips

• Describing what the team did without saying what you did.
• Choosing an example with no clear outcome, or one you cannot answer detailed questions about.
• Ending on the action and skipping the result and what you learned.

How to practise it

Write two bullet points for each STAR letter, then say the answer aloud in about two minutes.

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