Question: Describe a time when you were not able to handle a difficult member of your team. What was the situation and what happened?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Give us an example where you were unable to deal with a difficult member of your team.

Follow-up questions:

What did you learn from this experience?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Active Learning,Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Social – Coordination (Adjusting one’s own actions in relation to others),Social – Social Perceptiveness

Other Factors:

Candidate Preparedness,Personal Improvement (Growth),Personality-Job Fit,Personality-Organization Fit,Personality-Team Fit

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Assisting and Caring for Others,Interacting with Others – Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates,Interacting with Others – Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships,Interacting with Others – Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (Conflict Management),Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People

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

Interpersonal Relationships – Work With Work Group or Team (As a member, not a leader)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Compassion/Concern for Others,Cooperation,Handling Ambiguity,Social Orientation (Work Alone vs Group Work),Stress Tolerance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

If the candidate has put in enough efforts to understand the situation.
If the candidate has learnt what they need to be prepared for when working in a team.

Red Flags to Watch For:

If the candidate talks negative about this team member.
If the candidate blames on others for being unsuccessful in handling this team member.
If the candidate has difficulty empathizing with others.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: https://www.totaljobs.com/advice/most-common-competency-based-interview-questions