Common Interview Questions #6: Tell Me About A Difficult Person You Had To Work With
Common Interview Questions #6: Tell Me About A Difficult Person You Had To Work With
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Sometimes the question is phrased a little differently: "Tell me about a time you had to work with someone you didn't like, or who didn't like you."

However the question is asked, don't project an image of yourself as someone who dislikes or is disliked by others. Reframe it as a situation where it was a challenge to work effectively with someone.

This question requires you to say something negative about a co-worker, which is generally a no-no in interviews. So be tactful by not giving any information that could identify who this person is.

Take an emotionally neutral tone. Resist the urge to kvetch, even if the interviewer encourages it by offering you sympathy.

Avoid characterizing the co-worker in judgmental terms like "Nothing was ever right as far as he was concerned" or "She wasn't a team player." Instead, describe the specific behavior objectively: "He would often make negative comments about team members" or "We needed her to provide a report every Monday, but it usually wasn't done until mid-week."

Be very brief about the difficult behavior, focusing primarily on what you did to make the best of the situation and how well it turned out. Treat this as a success story, emphasizing the positive results.

If you weren't able to get any positive results, tell a different story! Remember, this question is not about the other person, it's about you and your ability to collaborate with or manage others, to manage your own emotions and behavior, to resolve conflicts, and to use discretion and fairness in discussing a difficult situation.

Read the original post on Thea's blog.