Question: Describe a time when you had to gain the cooperation of a group of people which you have little or no authority over. What was the context and how did you handle it?
Alternative Question Phrasing:
- Tell me about a time that you had to gain the cooperation of a group over which you had little or no authority. What did you do? How effective were you?
Follow-up questions:
- What was the outcome?
Question Details:
Question Type:
Skills:
Other Factors:
Work Style (Person-Job Fit):
What to look for in an answer:
The candidate’s negotiation skills.
The candidate’s critical thinking skills.
The candidate’s creativity.
The candidate’s perseverance.
Red Flags to Watch For:
The candidate’s lack of creativity.
Giving up easily.
The candidate’s poor negotiation skills.
Sample Answer:
Once I was in-charge of a company-wide project. I needed everyone to cooperate so I created a tracking board where the contributions were visible. I also came up with visuals to explain the benefit and end result of the project. That kept them on their toes and I was able to pull it through.
Question Source:
Unknown