Question: Describe a time where, despite your best efforts in building a working relationship with someone, there was still friction between you and them. What happened and what did you learn?
Alternative Question Phrasing:
- Give me an example of a time when you tried your best to work with someone, but the problems still remained. What did you learn from that situation?
Follow-up questions:
- How did you handle the situation going forward?
- Did you manage to resolve this issue, and how?
- How is this relationship now?
- What happened in the end?
- How did you try to smooth things out with this person in the past?
Question Details:
Question Type:
Skills:
Work Activity (Task):
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 – Developing Objectives and Strategies
Work Context (Person-Job/Team/Org Fit):
Interpersonal Relationships – Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People,Interpersonal Relationships – Frequency of Conflict Situations,Interpersonal Relationships – Frequency of Contact With Others,Interpersonal Relationships – Relationship With Subordinates,Interpersonal Relationships – Relationship With Supervisor,Interpersonal Relationships – Work With Work Group or Team (As a member, not a leader)
Work Style (Person-Job Fit):
What to look for in an answer:
You are looking to see how the interviewee handles working with someone even after the usual methods of relationship building have failed, and they still have to work together either way.
Red Flags to Watch For:
If the interviewee reports no way of working with people they do not get along with, this is a red flag.
Sample Answer:
N/A
Question Source:
https://www.jobbankusa.com/interview_questions_answers/