Master 35 American Express interview questions covering service excellence, financial products, and customer relationship building.
Question 12 of 35
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
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How to Answer
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Elisabeth Walter is an experienced Recruiting Consultant and Enrollment Advisor.
Notice here the interviewer has asked this question about your manager. Yet we're all human, and anyone can do annoying things. But the main reason this question centers on your manager is to see how you deal with and cope with people in positions of authority. How you frame your answer is the answer they're looking for.

Elisabeth Walter is an experienced Recruiting Consultant and Enrollment Advisor.
"I'm pretty relaxed. When focused on my work it's hard for me to pay attention to little annoyances."

Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
Even some of the best managers have that one annoying thing they do that drives you up the wall. Whether they speak condescendingly when giving you feedback or they just don't wash their dishes in the break room, managers can be challenging to deal with at times. By merely being relaxed and flexible, you don't let anything get you down. Talk about how you can brush off people's quirks and stay focused on the task at hand.

Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
"I think the golden rule often rings true. Treat others the way you'd want them to treat you. A good rule to live by, but you can't confuse that with the expectations of others. Everyone is different. If someone, whether a manager or not, does something annoying, I first ask myself, was that in character? If so, you can't expect anything else. That'd be like expecting someone to apologize for being themselves. If it was out of character, or a mistake that affects workflow or operations, then I might pull that manager aside and give them a heads-up. It's worth pointing out so they know how others might perceive the situation. That's the golden rule in action."

Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
Avoid answers that frame your manager as an oppressor or you as a victim. Take care not to place too much emotional value on your choice of words. You want to answer this question as lightheartedly as possible.

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Jaymie
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Anonymous Answer
I'll just let it go, small things don't bother me much until it is something very serious.

Chad's Feedback
Great! It sounds like you have a relaxed attitude to small annoyances, and are able to easily overlook them. Next, discuss how you would handle it if your manager did something that seriously annoyed you since you indicate in your response that you may deal with that differently.
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Written by Kevin Downey
35 Questions & Answers • American Express

By Kevin

By Kevin