PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW IN ENGLISH PAGE 35

8. HOW DO YOU HANDLE WORKING WITH

UNDERPERFORMING CO-WORKERS?
Working as part of a team involves interacting with people who have a variety of skills, interests, and performance levels.

WE WILL DISCUSS HOW TO ADDRESS WORKING WITH AN

UNDERPERFORMING CO-WORKER IN AN INTERVIEW QUESTION AND
SHARE A FEW POTENTIAL RESPONSES.

What this question serves

To determine if you know how to tactfully approach co-workers
on the same project and encourage them to achieve shared goals.
To identify your ability to identify and solve problems.
To determine if you have the initiative to resolve issues internally
and be proactive about your productivity.
PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW IN ENGLISH PAGE 36

8. HOW DO YOU HANDLE WORKING WITH

UNDERPERFORMING CO-WORKERS?

How to answer

1. Focus on yourself
2. Share actionable strategies
3. Highlight results
4. Use examples
5. Be respectful

DESCRIBE HOW USING THAT

STRATEGY CAN BENEFIT YOU, YOUR
COLLEAGUE OR THE TEAM
PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW IN ENGLISH PAGE 37

8. HOW DO YOU HANDLE WORKING WITH

UNDERPERFORMING CO-WORKERS?

"WHEN I'M WORKING WITH SOMEONE ON A PROJECT AND THEIR

PERFORMANCE DOESN'T MEET THE APPROPRIATE STANDARDS FOR THE
PROJECT, I START BY TALKING TO THEM ABOUT THE CAUSE OF ANY
EXAMPLE ANSWER 1

CHALLENGES. BECAUSE WE'RE WORKING AS A TEAM, I'M HAPPY TO PROVIDE

ASSISTANCE TO ACHIEVE THE BEST OUTCOME FOR THE PROJECT. BY
RELATING TO THEM AND SHARING MY OWN EXPERIENCE WITH TRYING TO
IMPROVE MY PERFORMANCE, I CAN CREATE A FEELING OF COMMUNITY AND
MOTIVATION. I TRY TO SHARE ANY STRATEGIES THAT HAVE HELPED ME
MANAGE MY TIME OR IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF MY WORK.

DURING A PREVIOUS PROJECT, I WORKED WITH A FELLOW DESIGNER WHO

CONSISTENTLY RECEIVED NEGATIVE FEEDBACK FROM A CLIENT. I KNEW THAT
CLIENT HAD PARTICULAR TASTES, SO I SHARED SOME OF THE CLIENT'S NOTES
ON MY WORK WITH MY COLLEAGUE AND PROVIDED TIPS ON HOW I ADJUSTED
MY DESIGN PROCESS TO MEET THEIR SPECIFICATIONS. AFTER A FEW
SESSIONS OF COLLABORATING, THEY STARTED EARNING MUCH BETTER
FEEDBACK AND STARTED WORK INDEPENDENTLY ON THEIR PARTS OF THE
PROJECT AGAIN."
PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW IN ENGLISH PAGE 38

8. HOW DO YOU HANDLE WORKING WITH

UNDERPERFORMING CO-WORKERS?

"BEING SUCCESSFUL WITH AN UNDERPERFORMING CO-WORKER

EXAMPLE ANSWER 2

INVOLVES SETTING CLEAR BOUNDARIES. I TRY TO DETERMINE

IF MY COLLEAGUE HAS A PATTERN OF UNDERPERFORMANCE OR
IF THEY'RE ONLY HAVING ISSUES WITH A CERTAIN PROJECT.
WHEN THEIR WORK AFFECTS MY PERFORMANCE, I CHECK IN
REGULARLY TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE DELIVERABLES
READY TO SUBMIT AHEAD OF TIME, ALLOWING ME TO MAKE ANY
ADJUSTMENTS OR ASK THEM TO MAKE CHANGES IF
NECESSARY. THIS LETS ME MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY AND
QUALITY OF THE ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT THAT I
CONTRIBUTE."
PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW IN ENGLISH PAGE 39

8. HOW DO YOU HANDLE WORKING WITH

UNDERPERFORMING CO-WORKERS?

“I ALWAYS CONSIDER THE PROTOCOL OF THE COMPANY WHEN

EXAMPLE ANSWER 3

INTERACTING WITH A CO-WORKER WHO HAS PERFORMANCE

ISSUES. AT MY PREVIOUS EMPLOYER, THE POLICY WAS TO ASK
SUPERVISORS TO HANDLE ALL PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK, SO I
COPIED OUR MANAGER ON ALL COMMUNICATIONS. THIS
ALLOWED THEM TO HAVE ACCESS TO ALL OF MY CO-WORKER'S
SUBMISSIONS TO THE PROJECT AND SEE THEIR TIMELINE FOR
SUBMITTING WORK, WHILE ALSO SEEING ALL OF MY
CONTRIBUTIONS AND EFFORTS TO KEEP MY COLLEAGUE ON
TRACK. I SHARED ADVICE AND PROVIDED SUPPORT ON A PEER
LEVEL, BUT ALSO RESPECTED THE MANAGER'S POLICY ON
HAVING AN OFFICIAL PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT PLAN.”
 PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW IN ENGLISH PAGE 40

8. HOW DO YOU HANDLE A CONFLICT IN

THE TEAM?
EVALUATING YOUR CONFLICT MANAGEMENT ABILITY AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH CONFLICT?

TELL US ABOUT A TIME WHEN YOU HAD ISSUES WITH A COLLEAGUE.
TELL US ABOUT A TIME YOU DISAGREED WITH YOUR BOSS.
GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF A TIME YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH AN UNHAPPY
CLIENT.
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH DIFFERENCES IN OPINION WHEN WORKING WITH A
TEAM?

Using the STAR method to answer

PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW IN ENGLISH PAGE 41

8. HOW DO YOU HANDLE A CONFLICT IN

THE TEAM?

S/T (SITUATION/TASK)

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE CONTEXT FOR THE CONFLICT SITUATION THAT AROSE
AT YOUR WORKPLACE AND DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE IN THAT SITUATION. BE AS
SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE. IT'S HELPFUL TO TALK ABOUT A STORY THAT HAD A
POSITIVE OUTCOME FOR ALL PARTIES AND CAN BE SUMMARIZED EASILY.

Example: I was managing t he cre a ti on of a n e w we bs ite for t he co mpa ny . T he

I T consultant that we engaged ke pt mis s in g his d e a dlin e s a n d go t a ngry a t me
when I confr onted him.
PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW IN ENGLISH PAGE 42

8. HOW DO YOU HANDLE A CONFLICT IN

THE TEAM?

A (ACTION/APPROACH)

NEXT, ELABORATE ON THE APPROACH THAT YOU TOOK TO RESOLVE THE

CONFLICT. BE SURE TO EMPHASIZE THE STEPS YOU TOOK TO RESOLVE THE
CONFLICT IN A PROFESSIONAL AND PRODUCTIVE MANNER. FOCUS ON WHAT
YOU DID, RATHER THAN WHAT YOUR BOSS OR COLLEAGUE DID IN RESOLVING
THE PROBLEM.

Example: I was sur pr ised b y his re a cti on , b ut r e ma ine d ca lm a n d e xpla ine d t he

r easoning behind the tight de a dlin e s a nd the impo rta nce of ha ving t he we b s ite
r unning on time. He opene d u p to me abo ut the othe r p roj e ct s on his pla te a t
the moment and how ove rwhe lme d he wa s with his workloa d. I a gre e d t o
appr oach his manager with him to e xpla in to he r a bo ut how time -cons uming t his
pr oject was. The manager wa s comple tely un de rs tan ding a nd a s s igne d s ome of
his ongoing pr ojects to othe r cons ultants in the tea m.
PREPARE FOR A JOB INTERVIEW IN ENGLISH PAGE 43

8. HOW DO YOU HANDLE A CONFLICT IN

THE TEAM?

R (RESULTS)

FINALLY, END YOUR RESPONSE BY DESCRIBING THE POSITIVE OUTCOMES OF

YOUR ACTION/APPROACH. IT'S EVEN BETTER IF THE RESULTS ARE
QUANTIFIABLE (INCREASED SALES BY 30 PERCENT, SAVED THE COMPANY
$100,000, ETC).

Example: After our meeting with the manager, the IT consultant was able to fully focus on
completing our website design. He apologized for getting angry and thanked me for talking to
his manager. We successfully launched the website by the deadline set by my top management.
The website enabled us to promote our new line of products which led to an increase of
$500,000 in sales.