When you're interviewing someone for a job, the applicant may ask a question like, "What constraints, such as time and funding, make your job more difficult"
The applicant may ask this question to help him determine what his own constraints would be if he took the position he's interviewing for. He probably understands that industries work under certain limitations and wants to be aware of potential complications he would encounter on the job. He also probably wants to see how you respond to a question about job difficulties and will use this information to help him understand how the company operates as a whole.
Points to Emphasize
To honestly answer this question, you may want to provide a balance between acknowledging constraints and what your company does to lessen them.
- Mention any previous complications or setbacks the company has had with funding and what it has done to overcome them.
- Make reference to a team of individuals who work together to ensure productivity and progress.
- Emphasize the company's commitment to its service and how the rewards of making an impact in the field outweigh the complications.
- Mention specific strategies that the company employs to help lessen individual workloads and overall constraints.
If you're honest about constraints and positive about company support, you'll probably help lessen any concerns the applicant may have.
Mistakes You Should Avoid
You'll want to be prepared to answer this question well, should it come up during an interview. To help ensure that you provide the best answer possible, avoid these common mistakes:
- Don't show negativity surrounding the constraints as it may paint the company in a bad light.
- Avoid going into detail about what the constraints are without also mentioning how the company handles them.
- Be sure not to downplay constraints or insist that your company doesn't have any, as this wouldn't be an accurate picture.
- Don't limit your response to just your position, but instead discuss the company as a whole.
The applicant is seeking true information, so avoid glossing over any complications to make the position look more desirable.
Sample Answer
A great answer to a question regarding job constraints would be:
When the company first started out, we really struggled with funding and all of us had to put in a lot of extra hours to ensure productivity. However, as the company has grown, we have more people and businesses that support us and we've been able to work fairly reasonable hours.
The applicant wants to get an understanding of how the company is run, and this question will help him visualize what would be expected of him on the job.
