How to Answer: How have you handled working under someone you felt was not good at communicating?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Pfizer job interview.
1. How have you handled working under someone you felt was not good at communicating?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Communication is integral to any position. This is a test of your communication skills. They will evaluate your communication style with this question, as well as how you deal with authority.
Written by Kevin Downey on January 27th, 2022
How to Answer
Exemplify your ability for non-defensive communication, and how you helped enhance clear communication in this scenario. Talk about how you would find opportunities to clarify when communication was unclear. Provide specific examples of situations where you had to ask questions, mirror what was being communicated to you, and how a consensus was reached.
Written by Kevin Downey on January 27th, 2022
What NOT to Say
Don't give examples where you went outside of the change of command, complained about the poor communicator you worked under, or quit because of this person. By discussing these points, you'll only make yourself seem like part of the problem the team faced, rather than part of the solution.
Written by Kevin Downey on January 27th, 2022
1st Answer Example
"I recognize not everyone is a natural at communicating. When situations like this occur, I find it initially requires more work. After a bit of mirroring, making sure there are no missing pieces, a person can understand a poor communicator better. Once we establish a rapport, the poor communication improves. People just want to be understood. If a person feels misunderstood all the time, they might grow less communicative to defend themselves. These things just require patience and understanding."
Written by Kevin Downey on January 27th, 2022
2nd Answer Example
"There was a supervisor we had. They'd said one thing and later would say they said something else. There were a lot of complaints. People felt gaslighted. I didn't believe this supervisor had bad intentions. I figured they were just having trouble articulating their thoughts. So I told them about the attention they were drawing. They then confided in me they were dyslexic. It also turned out the medication they were on amplified their dyslexia, and they'd often say the opposite of what they meant. Left instead of right, that sort of thing. They stopped taking the medication, worked on their communication, and the problem resolved itself."
Written by Kevin Downey on January 27th, 2022