Big corporations try to have processes in place for everything. However, in a fast-paced workplace (and the world), with many variables constantly changing (and new people coming and leaving all the time), it isn’t really possible to predict everything. If you apply for any managerial or senior position, you will almost certainly face at least one question about dealing with ambiguity, which basically means making decision in a situation when not everything is perfectly clear. Or sometimes nothing is clear… The most common questions here is “Tell us about a situation when you had to make a decision without all information you needed.” It is a tricky question, but I will try to explain what you should focus on and what mistakes you should avoid. A few sample answers will no doubt help as well. Let’s start.
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The Basics
- Most common interview questions belonging to this area: Tell us about a situation when you had to make a decision without all information you needed. How do you deal with ambiguity?
- Less common questions belonging to the area: Talk about a situation when you weren’t exactly clear what your superior (or your client) wanted from you, since their message offered more than one interpretation. Describe a situation when you took a risk.
- Out of 10 random jobs, in how many cases will this area be tested during the hiring process: 2/10. Not common in entry level job interviews and completely absent in hiring processes for basic roles in retail and public institutions, you will face this question almost always when applying for senior and managerial roles in the corporate world. So you can either skip it or pay close to attention to every word on this page, depending on the job you are applying for at the moment.
- Difficulty: 5/5. Definitely one of the toughest areas of interview questions. Nobody likes uncertainty and taking risks, and that’s exactly what these questions deal with. What’s more, it is easier making mistakes when one deals with ambiguity, and it is never easy talking about situations that didn’t end particularly well, and perhaps even reveal some of your weaknesses. Summarized and underlined, this one is tough, and it is great that you decided to prepare for it in advance.
- Main goals of the hiring managers with questions belonging to this area: Assessing whether you’re able to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty. Understanding how you handle stressful situations, and whether you’re able to make decisions under pressure. Assessing your attitude to taking risks.
- Your main goals with answers to questions belonging to this area: Convincing the interviewers that you have enough experience and calm to handle stressful situations, especially when facing uncertainty. Demonstrating a clear way of dealing with ambiguity when it comes to practical tasks and duties in your job. Convincing them that you’re ready to take calculated risks.
5 sample answers and examples of dealing with ambiguity
Let me start with some common examples, so you know what situations you can talk about:
- Having to make a decision without possessing all important information. You had to decide but could not assess the possible outcome of various options you had on your table.
- Leading a project with unclear variables and goals, or one that was impacted by many external factors which you had no control over.
- Hearing or receiving some message from your boss, or even from your subordinate, message that wasn’t clear and offered more than one interpretation.
- Delivering a report to your manager who gives you additional questions that you don’t have an exact answer to. But you still have to say something and explain.
- Any other situation when you had to deal with something inexact, and had the responsibility for the eventual outcome.
Sample answer no. 1: Applying for a senior sales role, talking about ambiguity they faced in their job of an account executive:
I faced this situation very often when working as an account executive. We were making cold calls, and I had little information about the prospects–just some basic background information. I had five different versions of a short sales pitch ready, one minute long each, each fitting a different group of people. This depended a lot on their life situation but also emotions and priorities. Logically I did not have the information about the customer, and had to decide which pitch to use on a call. My strategy was to try to deduce as much as possible from the few initial words of the prospect–whether they were at work, at home, how they felt on a given day. I choose one of the pitches, and when I wasn’t sure, I went with the most successful one statistically. At the end of the day you can’t hesitate on such a call. Saying something is better than not saying anything at all.
- Quick thing to notice about this one: Just being brave to make cold calls on a daily basis is enough to stir the interest of any hiring managers. The applicant explains clearly the situation and the uncertainty (“…I did not have the information about the customer, and had to decide which pitch to use…”), and also their way of dealing with it (“…try to deduce as much as possible from the few initial words of the prospect…”). The way they talk about the issue also shows nice attention to detail. Overall a good answer for interviews for sales roles.
Sample answer no. 2: A project manager talking about ambiguity they faced in their last job:
I remember a time when I had to decide about a budget for a project that had a lot of unknown variables. It was a unique project, I had not worked on a similar one before, and I could not use historical data to forecast the expenses. But we needed a budget to be able to start the project. I estimated what I could estimate–it wasn’t much, and came up with the rough number. It was approved by the management and we started the work on the project. We eventually didn’t have enough funds, and had to extend the budget. Needless to say, my superiors weren’t happy about it, but what could we do? I learned my lesson, and I still think it’s better to start with an inaccurate budget than to wait for our competitors to make the first move…
- Quick thing to notice about this one: It isn’t a bad answer, but it lacks details. For example what exactly the unknown variables were, or what the goal of the project was. Details and numbers give your answer credibility in the eyes of the hiring managers. They also make it easier for them to imagine what you are talking about. What I like about this one though it the attitude they express at the very end: “I still think it’s better to start with an inaccurate budget than to wait for our competitors to make the first move…”. It clearly shows that the applicant is ready to make decisions on a managerial level and take calculate risks, even when they lack some information and aren’t 100% sure about the outcome.
Sample answer no. 3: A manager talks about dealing with ambiguity in general:
I simply try to stay calm, and follow the best course of action. Speaking frankly, there’s nothing like a situation without any ambiguity in this field of business. With many competitors and with market situation constantly changing, we cannot always predict what will happen. I have three things I stick to when making decisions without all information. First one are historic data. It is important to track everything, because while trends change customers do not change much, and historic data can help us predict their behavior in any given time. Secondly, I rely on a strong work of the analysts who study the market. It is crucial to have a good team in place, and to trust your people. And my third helper is my ‘gut feeling’. I’ve been in this field for over ten years. Sometimes I simply feel something isn’t going to work, without knowing exactly why… Considering all these three, I am ready make decision in any situation.
- Quick thing to notice about this answer: Notice how they clearly outlined their decision making process, and what they rely on when facing ambiguity (historic data, work of analysts, gut feeling). They also showed courage at the end (“…I am ready make decision in any situation”). A really good answer overall.
Sample answer no.4: Applying for a senior analyst position talking about a tricky situation with a manager:
While delivering a report to my manager they asked me several question. I did not have an answer to some of them, but I understood they still needed my opinion, as they had to make a decision quickly. What I did was that I clearly identified these questions, and declared that I was going to talk in guesses, based on my past experience. Secondly I gave them my opinion to each of their questions, and also clearly explained why I thought so. There was also one issue I had no clue about, and I admitted it. Work of an analyst should be exact, but sometimes we deal with so many variables that it simply isn’t possible. I am ready to acknowledge it and try my best.
- Quick thing to notice about this one: The applicant shows great attitude with their answer. Instead of trying to look perfect in the eyes of their manager, they declare that they do not have exact answers to some of their questions. They also do not blame anyone for the situation. On the contrary, they focus 100% on the solution, and what the manager wants from them: the answers, best to their knowledge and abilities. The only thing I would improve about this answer is explaining at least one of the problematic issues in detail: what exactly was missing in their analysis, and why they could not figure it out (the ambiguity), why it was important for the manager, etc.
Sample answer no. 5: Talking about a situation when the instructions of a manager weren’t exactly clear:
I remember such a situation from my last job. I was working on several projects and had to deal with conflicting priorities. And I wasn’t exactly sure what to focus on, since I did not see into the projects clearly enough, and did not know how important my work was for other people in each project. Hence I sent a clear message to all three project managers explaining my concerns and asked specifically about the deadline and importance of each task for each given project. And I demanded a quick answer. It helped me understand the projects better and to set up my priorities correctly. And while there was still some uncertainty, I set the plan of work as well as I could, and simply started working.
- Quick thing to notice about this one: In some roles, the worst thing an ambiguity can do to you is paralyzing you. I like the attitude of an applicant, that they simple “started working”, even though they still lacked some information. Notice also that they had courage to write message to their managers and demand an immediate reply (“…I demanded a quick answer”). A great answer overall to this particular interview question.
Advanced information
Mistakes people make while answering questions about dealing with ambiguity
- Lack of details and numbers. We deal here with ambiguity–situations unclear for you, let alone for the hiring managers. To demonstrate your point and to give credibility to your answer, try to include at least some details and numbers. It is a big mistake supposing that the hiring managers will understand you, just because they have experience in the field. You can also ensure that they understand you well but asking whether they was to hear additional details about the situations you are just narrating.
- Relying on your superiors to make a decision for you. A common mistake I observe, especially with people applying for their first managerial/senior role, is leaving the responsibility for making decisions in ambiguous situations for their mangers. And while this is fine in some cases, in senior roles you will have the responsibility. And you should be ready to take it. Hence even if you left the decisions to your mangers, you should clearly state that you know it won’t be the case in your new role, and are ready to make decisions without having all important information. It is also crucial to show that ambiguity won’t paralyze you in your work.
- Claiming that with your attitude to work and skills there’s no room for ambiguity to occur. I experienced this a few times in the interviews. A job candidate claimed that with their skills, experience, and management, simply the way they work, there’s not a chance for ambiguity. They claimed to have things always under control. But this is very unrealistic in the world we live in today. What’s more, if the hiring managers ask you about dealing with ambiguity, there is clearly going to be some in your new job, whether you like the idea or not. Hence dismissing the question saying that you simply don’t deal with any ambiguity is a big mistake.
Few points from the perspective of the hiring managers/interviewers
- Please bear in mind that we specialize in interviewing, and not necessarily in your field. And while some specialist is always present in the interviewing panel sooner or later, it isn’t necessarily in the round of interviews when we inquire about ambiguity. What I try to say here is that when you talk about some technical situation from your past job, explain it to us almost as if you were explaining it to a child. Because without understanding you, we can barely give you any points for your answer.
7 keywords to remember when answering questions belonging to this area
- Details and numbers add credibility to your answer, show readiness to make decisions on your own, there’s nothing like too much explaining when it comes to ambiguity, show courage to take calculated risks, ambiguity should not paralyze you at work, outline clear steps and methodology of dealing with uncertainty, readiness to accept responsibility for the eventual outcome.
So that’s it! You’ve just covered area no. 20 out of 25 areas that cover 99% of questions you may ever get in the interviews. Just 5 areas left! Check the next one: Persuasion, or go back to homepage for the full list of 25 areas and pick one you want to learn about and practice right now.
