Korn Ferry Mock Interview

Practice 35 Korn Ferry interview questions covering consulting expertise, talent assessments, and organizational strategy.

Question 28 of 35

Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult person. How did you handle it?

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Ryan Brown

Ryan Brown created and launched MockQuestions in 2008.

This behavioral question will offer a meaningful glimpse into your personality. It will reveal how capability you navigate the bias geared against your role when entering a new work environment. Its aim is to reveal how well you deal with those in subordinate positions, and how well you work with the client's teams. The interviewer needs to know if you respond defensively to situational conflict, or approach such instances diplomatically, working swiftly towards a communal end goal. They want to know whether you're part of the problem or part of the solution.

Ryan Brown

Ryan Brown created and launched MockQuestions in 2008.

"In my current role, I have a customer that flies off the handle very easily if things don't happen just right. 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."

Crystal Goines

"A couple of years ago, a close colleague of mine had a very abrupt turnaround in her attitude and performance on the job. She was very curt and abrasive in conversations when she was normally very talkative and friendly on the job. After noticing some concerns in her work, I approached her with an open mind and asked her what was going on to cause these things to change. I showed concern and approached her as a friend and this approach prompted her to tell me about some issues happening in her personal life. By taking this approach, rather than getting upset or even made with her, I showed her that I cared and valued her as a person and my approach helped her open up and turn her life at work back around to the positive side."

Kevin Downey

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.

When an interviewer asks you how you deal with conflict, focus your example on the solution rather than the problem. Always focus your example on the situation and never steer your focus to any one person.

Kevin Downey

Rather than detailing why the person in your example was difficult, offer insights into how you handled the situation, and what you did to foster relationships. Focus on empathy, tolerance, understanding, and great communication skills when delivering your examples.

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Jaymie

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35Korn Ferry Interview Questions & Answers

Discovery

1.At Korn Ferry, you'll work with high-level executives and leaders from the companies we contract with. What experience do you have in this regard?

Discovery

2.As a human resources professional, what niches are you most interested in providing consultative services in?

Leadership

3.Talk about a time you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?

Leadership

4.When working with groups of high-level leaders on team development, what do you see as a potential hurdle to overcome?

Leadership

5.Rate your communication skills from 1 to 10 with proper examples backing your given rating.

Discovery

6.In this role, you'll be asked to work with unfamiliar businesses across different industries. How would you assess their training needs?

Scenario

7.You're working with a client-facing production cuts to limit market risks. What steps you would you take to help them analyze their situation?

Leadership

8.Do you have any experience with 1:1 coaching of business leaders? As a consultant, what skills would you bring to the table?

Operational

9.A key component to our success is building relationship with our clients. How would you effectively lay the groundwork for a long-lasting relationship?

Leadership

10.If hired for this role, what team-building skills and techniques would you be able to offer our clients here at Korn Ferry?

Behavioral

11.Would you say that you are a goal-oriented person on the job? If so, tell us why.

Leadership

12.Tell us when you applied conflict resolution in a business setting. How did you positively influence the outcome?

Situational

13.Have you ever experienced a time when a person or group were disruptive during a training session? If so, how did you handle that situation?

Discovery

14.Our clients rely on real-world analytical data versus assumptions and guesswork. What analytical skills would you bring to our clients?

Behavioral

15.At Korn Ferry, we look to hire those who will be a long-term fit. Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Leadership

16.What knowledge do you have of differing leadership styles and how would you work effectively with each in this role?

Discovery

17.Do you have any experience in succession planning? If so, in what areas do you have specific experience?

Discovery

18.At Korn Ferry, an important part of receiving buy-in from clients is attained through business diagrams and charts. What experience do you have in creating and presenting business diagrams and charts?

Situational

19.Working with our clients here at Korn Ferry often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?

Direct

20.In what ways would our clients here at Korn Ferry benefit from your knowledge and services?

Discovery

21.Change management is an important aspect of consulting our clients here at Korn Ferry. Have you taken part in a change management process during your career?

Behavioral

22.When a problem arises, what's your first reaction?

Discovery

23.A difficult part of working for Korn Ferry is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. What enables you to handle this aspect of the job with ease?

Experience

24.What insights would you bring to the area of performance evaluation and development when coaching the leaders of our clients?

Operational

25.Being successful in the consulting industry requires adaptability and the ability to learn a business fast. What's your approach to learning the ins and outs of a new client's business?

Discovery

26.What do you feel are the keys to being an effective trainer?

Operational

27.How would you define, promote, and educate our clients on the key qualities of a great business leader?

Situational

28.Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult person. How did you handle it?

Behavioral

29.What do you perceive as your greatest strengths?

Behavioral

30.Have you ever been employed by a company that suffered production cuts resulting in mass layoffs? If so, tell me about your experience.

Behavioral

31.Because Korn Ferry is geographically widespread, are you open to international travel? Is there anything that would restrict you from traveling for work?

Behavioral

32.Korn Ferry puts a lot of focus on corporate responsibility, acting ethically, and becoming more radically human. What do you know about our company values, and how do they align with your personal values?

Behavioral

33.How do you encourage ideas in others?

Behavioral

34.How do you like to spend your free time?

Behavioral

Korn Ferry Mock Interview

Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult person. How did you handle it?

35Korn Ferry Interview Questions & Answers

1.At Korn Ferry, you'll work with high-level executives and leaders from the companies we contract with. What experience do you have in this regard?

2.As a human resources professional, what niches are you most interested in providing consultative services in?

3.Talk about a time you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?

4.When working with groups of high-level leaders on team development, what do you see as a potential hurdle to overcome?

5.Rate your communication skills from 1 to 10 with proper examples backing your given rating.

6.In this role, you'll be asked to work with unfamiliar businesses across different industries. How would you assess their training needs?

7.You're working with a client-facing production cuts to limit market risks. What steps you would you take to help them analyze their situation?

8.Do you have any experience with 1:1 coaching of business leaders? As a consultant, what skills would you bring to the table?

9.A key component to our success is building relationship with our clients. How would you effectively lay the groundwork for a long-lasting relationship?

10.If hired for this role, what team-building skills and techniques would you be able to offer our clients here at Korn Ferry?

11.Would you say that you are a goal-oriented person on the job? If so, tell us why.

12.Tell us when you applied conflict resolution in a business setting. How did you positively influence the outcome?

13.Have you ever experienced a time when a person or group were disruptive during a training session? If so, how did you handle that situation?

14.Our clients rely on real-world analytical data versus assumptions and guesswork. What analytical skills would you bring to our clients?

15.At Korn Ferry, we look to hire those who will be a long-term fit. Where do you see yourself five years from now?

16.What knowledge do you have of differing leadership styles and how would you work effectively with each in this role?

17.Do you have any experience in succession planning? If so, in what areas do you have specific experience?

18.At Korn Ferry, an important part of receiving buy-in from clients is attained through business diagrams and charts. What experience do you have in creating and presenting business diagrams and charts?

19.Working with our clients here at Korn Ferry often involves some initial conflict with our clients. How would you rate your ability to handle conflict or disagreements in the workplace?

20.In what ways would our clients here at Korn Ferry benefit from your knowledge and services?

21.Change management is an important aspect of consulting our clients here at Korn Ferry. Have you taken part in a change management process during your career?

22.When a problem arises, what's your first reaction?

23.A difficult part of working for Korn Ferry is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. What enables you to handle this aspect of the job with ease?

24.What insights would you bring to the area of performance evaluation and development when coaching the leaders of our clients?

25.Being successful in the consulting industry requires adaptability and the ability to learn a business fast. What's your approach to learning the ins and outs of a new client's business?

26.What do you feel are the keys to being an effective trainer?

27.How would you define, promote, and educate our clients on the key qualities of a great business leader?

28.Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult person. How did you handle it?

29.What do you perceive as your greatest strengths?

30.Have you ever been employed by a company that suffered production cuts resulting in mass layoffs? If so, tell me about your experience.

31.Because Korn Ferry is geographically widespread, are you open to international travel? Is there anything that would restrict you from traveling for work?

32.Korn Ferry puts a lot of focus on corporate responsibility, acting ethically, and becoming more radically human. What do you know about our company values, and how do they align with your personal values?

33.How do you encourage ideas in others?

34.How do you like to spend your free time?

35.Can you tell us about a time you had to support an unpopular company policy?