Egon Zehnder Mock Interview
Master 27 Egon Zehnder interview questions covering executive search, leadership assessment, and consultative thinking.
Question 12 of 27
Talk about a time you had to work with a very difficult person. What was the situation and how did you handle it?
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Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
At some point in any person's career, they have to work with a colleague or customer who is extremely difficult. Rather than looking to hear the fine details as to why this person was difficult, your interviewer will be looking to gain insight into how you personally handled the situation and others like it to ensure that a sound relationship was fostered even when you faced difficult circumstances. In your answer, some key things to focus on are your ability to be tolerant, understanding and a great communicator in these situations.
Ryan Brunner has over ten years of experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring candidates in the healthcare, public service, and private manufacturing/distribution industries.
"In my current role, I have a customer that flies off the handle very easily if things don't happen just right and I learned this from my first interactions with him. In seeing this happen from the start, I have always maintained a calm demeanor when he was upset and showed empathy by asking questions about his expectations and how to fix situations for him. To this day, I expect difficulty from him when we work together and the years we've had a working relationship together have better prepared me for more clients like him in the future."
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Anonymous Answer
In a previous role, I had a colleague who was known for being extremely difficult to work with as he had a tendency to be confrontational, dismissive of other people's opinions, and would often take credit for others' work. I found myself in a situation where I had to collaborate with this colleague on our rapid-response medical mask-sourcing project. To handle this situation, I made a conscious effort to listen to his ideas and suggestions and to try to find common ground where we could work together effectively. I also made sure to communicate clearly and frequently, so there were no misunderstandings or surprises along the way. Although it wasn't always easy, I remained professional and focused on the task at hand, always keeping the project's guiding tenets in mind and using them to help defuse conflicts that would arise. In the end, we were able to successfully complete the project, and I believe that my approach helped to drive this success. While I would not say I look forward to working with him again, I would definitely say I am confident that I will be able to be successful working with him in the future.
Marcie's Feedback
Nice! Your example is effective because it gives lots of specific details. The interviewer will feel confident in your ability to handle working with a difficult personality. Good job!
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