Question: Describe a time when you had to adjust to fit your coworker’s working style so as to complete a team based project. How did you find the experience?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Tell me about a time when you had to adjust to a colleague’s working style in order to complete a project or achieve your objectives.

Follow-up questions:

Did you have any particular challenges?
How did you handle it?
Do you prefer working as an individual or as a team or both and why

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

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

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility),Cognitive – Flexibility of Closure (Pattern Detection)

Other Factors:

Big 5 – Agreeableness,Big 5 – Conscientiousness (Work Ethic),Big 5 – Openness to Experience (Open Mindedness),Personality-Team Fit,Practical Intelligence (Street Smarts)

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Assisting and Caring for Others,Interacting with Others – Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others,Mental Processes – Developing Objectives and Strategies,Mental Processes – Making Decisions and Solving Problems,Mental Processes – Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work,Work Output – Process Management

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

Interpersonal Relationships – Work With Work Group or Team (As a member, not a leader),Job Structure – Level of Responsibility (Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Organization Results)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Adaptability/Flexibility,Analytical Thinking,Compassion/Concern for Others,Initiative,Self Control

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

You are looking for ability to successfully work with others (team building skills). You are also looking for ability to compromise for the ultimate goal of the company/organization. You are looking for how they structure their answer and thinking as they work out an answer.

Red Flags to Watch For:

If the interviewee has trouble compromising their working style to achieve a set goal. If the interviewee has poor people skills- is unable to work well with teams/ groups.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: https://www.zippia.com/employer/behavioural-interview-questions/