Tell me about a time when communication became an issue when working on a team.
In looking to hire you on their team at Qatar Airways, your interviewer needs to be assured that you can work your way through any communication hiccup that would come your way on the job. At times, work life in the commercial airline industry can be stressful and hectic. Communication breakdowns can happen and your interviewer needs to hear that you can work through them with ease.
"I worked on a team to solve a problem that could have potential effects on our ability to grow the business and reach our goals. Each person on the team was tasked with a different aspect, such as gathering data and analyzing it. We came together to discuss the results but couldn't seem to agree. We were struggling to listen to each person's opinion. I explained my observation, and I suggested we give each person a chance to talk through their findings and opinions, which helped us take a more collaborative approach. It was certainly a struggle for some at first, but I stayed diligent in guiding the conversation so every person had input."
"My current company recently went through a merger, which has caused a lack of communication between the team as thoughts of job security flood people. I suggested to my department head that we have a team-building event to gather everyone together. I helped plan the event with my leader and it really helped to remind our group that we are still a team that can talk and share our true feelings and input."
Think back to a time when during your career you experienced some communication issues as part of a team-based setting. As you answer, make sure your example can clearly highlight what the issue was and how you worked your way through clearing the lines of communication to provide a great result. Make sure your interviewer walks away from your time together knowing that you are an employee that would join Qatar Airways with a great ability to communicate in the toughest situations.
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
We once had a situation during a short transit chk when there were multiple defects along with the transit chk and I had 2 techs supporting me on that occasion. The following were the defects on the day:
1. Bird strike on eng 5 which had to be
2. Cabin related defects.
4. Refuel fault prior to refueling.
3. Refueling transit chk.
I had a bit of a debrief with my team and laid down the plan of action. However, I noticed that one of the techs wasn't working to plan. I felt that he did not perhaps listen to my initial communication or that he wasn't following the discussed plan of action. I wanted to find out the exact reason for this.
I quietly pulled him out of the process and in private, I asked him if he had properly understood my recommendation. I found out that there had been some miscommunication and subsequently made sure that the plan was once again communicated to him in a more clear manner and I made sure that he fully understood what was required and also the gravity of the situation.
I realized that he did reciprocate in the desired manner.
Rachelle's Feedback
You sound like an exceptional leader! This is a fantastic answer with a lot of great detail for the interviewer.
"We once had a situation during a transit check when there were multiple defects. I had two techs supporting me on that occasion. I had a bit of a debrief with my team and laid down the plan of action. However, I noticed that one of the techs wasn't working to plan. I felt that this tech did not perhaps listen to my initial communication as to why he wasn't following the discussed plan of action. I quietly pulled him out of the process, and in private, I asked him if he had properly understood my recommendation. I found out that there had been some miscommunication and subsequently made sure that the plan was once again communicated concisely. I made sure that he fully understood what was required and also the gravity of the situation. Moving forward, he complied with our plan of action."
Anonymous Answer
We were analyzing our processes to determine what was critical to quality on our insurance service based on the overall customer journey in the organization. This was to help us align our K.P.I.s to the customer journey eventually. It was difficult for us to agree. As the project lead, I decided to breakdown the project into small bits of analyzing each job process individually, which enabled us to agree and map our processes more clearly.
Rachelle's Feedback
Breaking down the project into smaller bits is an excellent approach! Communication often breaks down when team members feel overwhelmed. Again, the interviewer should see your confidence in leadership in this answer. Nice :)
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