Question: Describe a time when you delegated a task, but the work was not done properly. What happened and how did you handle it?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

You’ve probably had a situation in which you delegated a responsibility but the work wasn’t done as you expected. Why do you think this happened? What would you do differently next time?

Follow-up questions:

How would you give feedback to the person concern?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Social – Social Perceptiveness

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility)

Other Factors:

Management Level,Personality-Job Fit,Personality-Organization Fit

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Assigning Tasks to Others (Delegation and Direction),Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People,Work Output – Quality Improvement

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

Interpersonal Relationships – Coordinate or Lead Others

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Adaptability/Flexibility,Leadership/Command,Patience

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate’s professionalism when delegating tasks.
The candidate’s leadership and management skills.
The candidate’s flexibility in dealing with difficult situations.
The candidate’s problem-solving skills.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The candidate’s unprofessionalism when delegating tasks.
The candidate’s poor leadership and management skills.
The candidate’s poor problem-solving skills.

Sample Answer:

There was this instance when I assigned a particular task to a direct report. I was surprised to find out that there were many errors so I asked him what happened. It turned out he did not understand the instructions clearly. In times like these, communication and transparency are vital so next time around, I always validate if everything is clear.

Question Source: Unknown