Question: Describe a time when you had problems communicating with a person you were supposed to work with. What were the issues and what did you do?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Describe a time whe you had to work with someone you had difficulty communicating with. What were the issues and how did you handle it?

Follow-up questions:

What happened in the end?
What worked and what didn’t?
What was the cause of the issue?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Social – Rapport Buiding/Relating and Connecting with others,Social – Social Perceptiveness

Abilities:

Cognitive – Problem Sensitivity (Problem Recognition)

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Assigning Tasks to Others (Delegation and Direction),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)

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

Interpersonal Relationships – Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People,Interpersonal Relationships – Frequency of Conflict Situations,Interpersonal Relationships – Work With Work Group or Team (As a member, not a leader)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Assertiveness/Courage,Cooperation,Initiative

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

You are looking for conflict management and general communication and relationship-building skills in the interviewee.

Red Flags to Watch For:

A red flag is if the interviewee avoided dealing with the communication problem. As this issue is fairly common, if an interviewee answers with “I do not have anyone I have difficulty communicating with”, it is potentially a red flag as it might demonstrate a lack of social understanding.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: Unknown