How much time should it take during an interview for you to come up with a senerio when a recruiter ask you to tell them about a time when you experienced something?

twenty seconds.
You really need to spend some time thinking in detail about your past job experiences prior to the interview, so it is all fresh in your mind. And the more of these situational questions you get, the more prepared you will be next time.

Tell me about a time you. . .
disagreed with your boss.
were unable to complete your work by the time it was due.
received conflicting instructions from two different supervisors.
had an irate customer.
solved a problem in an original and creative way.
had to rely on help from others.
took a leadership role in getting a project completed.
had co-worker you could not get along with.

And the list goes on and on.

The format for answering is STAR.

What was the SITUATION?
What was the TASK you were faced with?
What was the ACTION that you took?
What was the RESULT?

You get better at it over time. Trust me!!

Hi, Shaquanna: you ask a very good question because it gets at the very heart of good interviewing: being prepared. You need to have a good collection of stories ready to go before you get into the interview room. As the previous advisor suggested -- you can anticipate the kinds of questions you will be asked. So, take a close look at your own resume and pick out stories that illustrate your strengths (and weaknesses). For example, let's say you get a question about your leadership skills . . . look back at a time when you had a chance to demonstrate your leadership skills, even if only a small example. That will give the interviewer a very specific example of how you approach leadership. Let's say you don't have a good example, then pick a person you admire who demonstrates good leadership and say why you think so. Again, it will be a specific experience that will make you a memorable candidate. So, to answer your question . . . you should be ready with a response within a few seconds that the question is asked. Prepare by assembling some good resume stories and you'll be ready to go!

Great question!

It's perfectly fine to take a moment to think about a question and ask for clarification if you're not sure what's being asked. 20 seconds is the maximum amount of time you should need to think about an answer to a question. Remember, the interviewer is asking you specific questions to gauge whether or not you have the necessary skills and experience to be successful in the position you've applied for. Take some time to review the qualifications and skills listed in the job preview prior to the interview so that you'll have an idea of the characteristics you need to portray in order to be considered a favorable candidate. As a few commenters have noted, preparing examples that display leadership, collaboration, persistence, and resourcefulness will serve you well in many interviews. Also, remember to focus on your contribution to the results so that the interviewer can tie those key characteristics back to your skill set.

I agree with reflecting on your experiences and situations before the interview. Typically the questions will be asking about your clutch moments and trying to see how you reacted and what the results were from your actions. In my opinion, I think 5-15 seconds. That said, don't have "canned" responses. Speak to your experiences with authenticity and not as if you memorized it. Your emotional reaction and body language go a long way in an interview as well. Good luck!

In addition to the great advice given by the first two volunteers, if you are newer to the job market and may not have a ton of examples to offer up, find ways of connecting your answer to school projects or any extra curricular activities you may participate in. Either way, preparation is a must. Best wishes

Shaquanna, As someone who interviews candidates for my team, I want to give each person I am interviewing a minute or two to collect their thoughts when I ask a scenario question. But I also have an expectation that the interviewee has come prepared with some scenarios they have already thought through. If you have thought through some scenarios and then the question asked is not something you have a ready example for, you can ask for a minute to think of an example. I like it when my interviewee takes the time to really think about the question to come up with a relevant example. It is a fine balance of not taking too much time.

I have also had personal experience in an interview where I just could not come up with an example. I asked if we could go to the next question and come back to it and that worked really well.

There is no perfect answer. What i see from your question is - your have interview fear or fear of facing interviews. The best way to solve this or overcome this fear is by having role plays of interviews with your friends or with folks whom you know (but not your close friends or buddies). Ask them to ask your questions. This way you will overcome fear of facing interviews