What makes you angry?
Have you ever thought about it?
Anger is one of the most common yet complex emotions that can get the best of anyone. While this question may make you introspect in general, you would need thorough preparation while answering it in a job interview.
That's right! It is one of the most common behavioral interview questions, and if you are job hunting, you must check out this article.
Read this article to learn how to answer What makes you angry? with 5 unique sample answers and six simple hacks.
Let’s get started!
Also read: Behavioral interview questions
Why do recruiters ask “What makes you angry?”
Anger can make the calmest people lose control and say or do things they do not mean. But how did it become something to talk about in an interview?
It is strange, but questions like What makes you angry? helps recruiters assess your personality and gauge reliability in the most complex situations. After all, what better way to do that than asking about your anger directly?
Your answer helps them understand your ability to control your emotions and handle setbacks without affecting the organization. To get your preparation off the ground, here are five sample answers.
Sample answer - for leaders
I’m usually a calm and patient person, but it would be wrong to say I never get angry. I think the one thing that makes me angry at work is poor team spirit.
As a leader, I try to keep my team together and establish a good camaraderie so they can work well together. But when handling large teams that can become difficult to achieve. That makes me frustrated and sometimes angry too.
I do realize my responsibility and the dynamic nature of team handling, so on days when I get angry, I try to take some time, step back, relax, and catch my breath. Sometimes, a little break is all you need to calm down.
Sample answer - for freshers
I feel extremely upset about situations beyond my control. A lot of the work we do relies on technology, which is great! But it becomes difficult when you have to deal with unforeseen hiccups and technical glitches like like power outages, Wi-Fi issues, laptop or mobile damages.
Such situations make me feel helpless and in turn, angry! But it has got better over time. After working on several college projects, I realized that this is a part of life. To remedy this, I now spare some contingency time in my schedule.
This way, any error does not hold me up too much, and in cases where I face no roadblocks, my work gets done before the deadline.
Sample answer
I have rarely had an episode of extreme rage, but I do have things that make me angry. Usually, people feel angry because of external factors, but I am more enraged when I make a mistake.
Missed opportunities and blunders put me off and make me furious, especially when I am responsible for them.
Over the years, I have learned to be more forgiving- to others and myself because mistakes are bound to happen, and a better use of my energy would be to take a deep breath and look for ways to control damage, not pout.
Sample answer
I am not an angry person, but yes, given the uncertainty at the workplace, I do feel agitated sometimes! However, I have learned that I can handle any situation by speaking my mind.
One of the most common mistakes people around me make is to keep their issues and grievances to themselves and let their emotions bottle up. It often becomes frustrating and turns into anger.
Speaking my mind has helped me share timely feedback effectively while understanding others' perspectives. We were also able to control several situations before they got out of hand or blew out of proportion, leading to a reduced number of escalations and fewer reasons to get angry.
Sample answer
The one thing that makes me angry is lying. I find it very hard to work with someone who lies because there is an immediate loss of trust, which infuriates me.
I understand diplomacy and sugarcoating at the workplace, but lying leads to misinformed decision-making and poor execution. I believe the best way for a team to succeed goes through honesty.
If I can rely on my team, I feel assured. However, if I find someone lying to me, I try to understand their reason, and if it seems reasonable, I let it slide.
Otherwise, I remove myself from the situation, take a 5-minute walk to cool down and then deal with the situation.
6 hacks to answer What makes you angry?
Here's how you can ace this interview question:
1. Acknowledge what makes you angry
The first thing to do while answering behavioral questions like “What makes you angry?”, is to address the issue. Discuss 1-2 factors that make you angry. It can be pet peeves, incidents from previous workplaces, etc. Choose a general, low-intensity, and low-impact issue.
2. Briefly talk about what angers you
Harping on the same issue can make you seem obsessed and annoying, putting the recruiters off. Describe things that anger you as briefly as possible and avoid going into minute details or repeating the same tune.
3. Focus more on damage control
It is part of the answer that the recruiters want to hear. Addressing the issue is just setting the premise. Recruiters are keen to know more about the methods you use to control these situations. So, answer this aspect elaborately and spend more time talking about the solution and its results.
4. Don’t say “I never get angry”
Anger is a natural emotion. Saying that you never get angry may come off as your attempt to escape the question and will only raise suspicions.
While we ask you to practice restraint, try to answer honestly. Questions like “What makes you angry?” tell the recruiters more about you and make you vulnerable and human. So don’t lie! Just share what infuriates you and discuss your tips to control it.
5. Discuss only work-related issues
There are many reasons for a person to be angry- Traffic jams, noisy environment, bad-tasting food, and so much more. Avoid talking about such reasons in an interview.
Discuss professional, work-related issues, pet peeves, and put-offs you may have faced in your experience and how it affects you in the workplace.
6. Avoid blaming others- especially seniors
Last but not least- Never play the blame game, especially while answering critical interview questions.
Holding others responsible for your anger can leave a poor impression on the recruiters and make you seem like a bitter person who lacks ownership.
So, keep the reasons to yourself, and if your anger does come from other people, keep it general- do not take names and talk about it as positively as possible.
Conclusion
Anger is a counter-productive emotion that takes more energy and does nothing constructive, making it a matter of concern for recruiters. So, ace your interview by answering this question with preparation and impressing your interviewers.
You can also check out other interview questions here.
All the best!
