Missed Deadlines and Tough Clients: How to Respond in Job Interviews

“You’ve missed the deadline for a major rollout. The client is furious and refuses to pay for any costs associated with the delay. They won’t entertain another go-live for six months. What do you do?”

That was the question. A loaded one, full of intensity, dropped like a bomb in the middle of what seemed like a routine interview. My friend, who thought it was just another standard interview process, was suddenly thrown off balance.

Up until that moment, the interview had been moving along — nothing too remarkable, nothing that raised any red flags. But then came this curveball, and it stopped everything in its tracks. The way the interviewer asked the question, the intensity in their voice, made it feel all too real. It wasn’t just a hypothetical; it felt like a problem that was happening right now, like the interviewer was living through this nightmare as they spoke.

Suddenly, thoughts were racing. *Is this really where I want to be?* The tension of sleepless nights, heated arguments with furious clients, and the constant firefighting that comes with such situations felt palpable. The money and the title were tempting, sure — but at what cost? Was this job going to be one where every day was a high-stakes drama? Was the stress worth the paycheck?