Have you ever had a difficult boss, professor, or coworker? What made them difficult to work with, and how did you successfully interact with this person?
While the airline industry and Air Canada focus on serving their passengers in the best way possible, being a great colleague is also vital. As in any other industry, you will join a passionate and robust workforce in this role and likely encounter some strong and even difficult personalities. It will be important that your interviewer is confident in your ability to work effectively with personalities that clash with you.
"I once worked at a locally owned shop where the owner was very demanding. When the owner would walk into the store, employees would announce over their headset system that the owner was in the building, so that everyone could be prepared for his entrance into their department. The owner had great intentions; however, his people skills were a little rough. I could see that he meant well, and I recognized that he wanted to do a lot of good things. When we interacted, I always took his feedback with the understanding that he didn't mean things as harshly as he might say them."
"I struggled most with the new VP of Sales at my previous company. She was brought on with no experience in our industry and seemed to have little interest in it To win her over, I invited her on a business trip for an out-of-town client. I wanted her to meet my clients and spend one-on-one time together. We bonded as humans, mothers, and sales executives. She learned a lot about the company and industry, and I learned a lot about what skills she brought from her previous roles."
Before your interview with Air Canada, think back to that one person you worked with who was seen as hard to please. Perhaps they tried to intimidate others or had to have the last word. Talk to the interviewer about what made this person challenging and their relationship with you. The key to your answer here is describing how you worked to make the relationship a positive one and the steps you took to do so. Avoid speaking poorly of anyone, and be sure to end your response on a positive note.
"Last year, I was on a large group project, and it didn't take long to see we had a person with a very dominant personality on the team. Both in our in-person meetings and email communications, she put down the ideas of others and would only use her ideas. I took it upon myself to approach her one-on-one to talk about the issue and how I felt about it. My approach was direct and friendly, speaking from the heart. While a bit taken aback, she let me know she appreciated the feedback, and she became a more cohesive teammate moving forward."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
Sometimes the difficult boss or coworker has a very high standard that new employees are hard to meet. My lead at my current company is a strict man who teaches us how to drive a golf cart and how to remove a special needs passenger from flights by using an aisle chair. He gave us a very detailed and specific guide, but to pass the exam is very hard. I knew that before I started the course. So I asked him to help me practice several times and asked him a lot of questions, then I successfully passed my exam.
Rachelle's Feedback
This is a great example of how you determine the expectations of your management and then work hard to exceed these expectations. Nice example, and I am sure this lead appreciated your efforts very much.
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