Interview Question: ‘Tell Me About a Time You Had to Learn Something Quickly’

Interviewers will often ask you questions to find out how good you are at thinking on your feet. They want to know how you will cope with unexpected situations and how well you act under pressure.

Questions such as ‘Tell me about a time you had to learn something quickly’ or ‘Tell me about a situation when you had to learn something new in a short time. How did you proceed?’ are often used for this purpose.

These types of questions are popular across all industries. No matter what your position, there will be situations when you need to think creatively or learn a new way of solving a problem unexpectedly.

It is always worth making sure that you have prepared an answer to this sort of question before you go for your interview.

What Is the Interviewer Really Asking?

Questions that ask about your experiences may sometimes feel as though the interviewer is trying to trip you up, but they are a lot easier to answer than you think.

Essentially, by asking a question such as ‘Tell me about a time when you had to learn something quickly’, the interviewer wants to know how adaptable you are and how willing you are to learn new skills.

Being able to quickly adjust your way of doing things to take into account new processes or requirements is an important skill and shows a willingness to change.

Interviewers will want to know that you are going to be able to adapt to their company. Although there are similarities between businesses, and even between industries, each company will have a slightly different way of doing things.

It could also be that the company regularly updates software or procedures and they will want to know that you can change your thought processes and working patterns accordingly.

Skills the Interviewer Is Looking For

Every question asked during an interview will be there for a reason. Even though it seems obscure, the interviewer will be looking for particular skills or attitudes.

When asking, ‘Tell me about a time when you had to learn something quickly’, the interviewer is looking for:

• Adaptability
• Thinking under pressure
• A willingness to learn
• The ability to react quickly to changes
• The ability to recognize skills within yourself which need improving
• A determination to continuously improve performance

Different Versions of the Question

Although many interviewers will use the same style of questions when meeting potential candidates, the wording may sometimes change.

Examples of questions that sound different but are looking for similar skills are:

• "Can you tell me of a time when you had to overcome an obstacle?"
• "Can you give me an example of something you have had to learn at work?"
• "Have there been any times when you have had to learn new skills unexpectedly?"
• "Have you ever been in a situation when you had to learn something new?"
• "Can you tell me about something that you have learned recently?"

Answering the Question ‘Tell Me About a Time You Had to Learn Something Quickly’

Using Previous Work Experience

There have probably been many times when you have learned new skills quickly in the workplace, possibly without consciously thinking about it.

Consider times when processes or systems have changed, or an occasion when you realized that you weren’t as good at something as you had thought you were.

How did you manage that situation?

Catering Example

If you work in catering, it could be that health and safety or food hygiene requirements changed.

For example:

Office Example

If you work in an office environment, you may have had to adapt to new managers or change your marketing approach.

For example:

What if You Don’t Have Any Work Experience?

If you don’t have any working experience, it may feel impossible to answer certain interview questions.

There is no need to feel that way. Even if you don’t have any work history, there will be experiences from your everyday life that show the skills the interviewer is looking for.

Volunteer Work Example

If you have any experience in a voluntary role (charity work, church volunteering, school PTA), you can use this experience to answer interview questions.

For example:

Life Experience Example

If you haven’t done any voluntary work, there are still experiences from life that you can use when answering questions.

For example, if you have children, you could say:

Mistakes to Avoid

• Don’t be vague – The interviewer is looking for a specific example. They want to know what the situation was, what you learned and what the result was.

• Be careful of your facial expressions – Our nonverbal language tells an interviewer just as much as our words. By clenching up or grimacing, you are telling the interviewer that you don’t feel comfortable with the question. Remember to relax.

• Try to keep your answer relevant – While this is not always possible, try to give examples that are relevant to the job you are being interviewed for, although any example is better than none.

• Keep your examples as recent as possible – The interviewer is looking for examples of how willing you are to learn now, not 10 years ago. Try to keep your examples recent.

There are a few ways to answer questions like ‘Tell me about a time when you had to learn something quickly’.

A few of the best methods are below:

Final Thoughts

‘Tell me about a time when you had to learn something quickly’ and similar questions are very popular with interviewers. It may seem daunting when you are asked to give examples but remember:

The interviewer wants to hear about you and your experiences.

While there are ways to answer these questions well, there are no truly wrong answers. As long as you show that you are willing to learn and that you can adapt to different situations, you are answering the question which has been asked.