Question: Describe a time you had to work on an assignment with a coworker who was underperforming. How did you handle the work and the coworker?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Describe a time you had to work with someone who wasn’t pulling their weight. How did you handle it?
Have you ever been on a team where someone was not pulling their own weight? If so, how did you handle it?

Follow-up questions:

How did things change in the long run?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Social – Coordination (Adjusting one’s own actions in relation to others),Social – Persuasion,Social – Rapport Buiding/Relating and Connecting with others

Other Factors:

Big 5 – Conscientiousness (Work Ethic),Personality-Team Fit

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates,Interacting with Others – Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others,Interacting with Others – Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships,Interacting with Others – Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (Conflict Management),Interacting with Others – Selling or Influencing Others

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

Interpersonal Relationships – Coordinate or Lead Others,Interpersonal Relationships – Frequency of Contact With Others,Interpersonal Relationships – Work With Work Group or Team (As a member, not a leader)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Adaptability/Flexibility,Independence,Persistence/Perseverance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate trying to make the best of a bad situation.

Red Flags to Watch For:

If they did nothing about the situation. Not a red flag, but still not ideal, they could have brought a manager or other external party to resolve the issue instead.

Sample Answer:

Either the interviewee took on the work and did it all on their own instead of splitting the work, or, they managed to convince the lagging coworker to do half of the work.

Question Source: Unknown