Question: Describe a time when you had to communicate bad news to your coworkers. How did you communicate this?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Describe a time you had to share bad news with your team.
Tell us about a time when you had to relay negative news or information to your work group. How did you handle delivering the news?

Follow-up questions:

What happened in the end?
In hindsight, was that the best way to deliver the news?
How did you attempt to soften the blow?
Did you attempt to lessen the impact of hearing the bad news?
How did you coworkers take the news?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Speaking,Basic – Writing,Social – Rapport Buiding/Relating and Connecting with others

Abilities:

Cognitive – Oral Expression,Cognitive – Problem Sensitivity (Problem Recognition),Cognitive – Written Expression

Other Factors:

Big 5 – Neuroticism (Emotion Regulation),Personality-Team Fit,Practical Intelligence (Street Smarts)

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates,Interacting with Others – Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships,Interacting with Others – Performance Management (Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates),Interacting with Others – Provide Consultation and Advice to Others

Work Context (Person-Job/Team/Org Fit):

Interpersonal Relationships – Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People,Interpersonal Relationships – Frequency of Conflict Situations,Job Structure – Consequence of Error

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Assertiveness/Courage,Compassion/Concern for Others,Self Control,Stress Tolerance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

Look for the interviewee’s emotional intelligence and street smarts in being able to deliver bad news in the least damaging way possible.

Red Flags to Watch For:

Any inability to deliver bad news, or bad news delivered not tactfully, is a red flag.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: Unknown