Think about a difficult manager or coworker you've had throughout your career. How did you successfully interact with this person?
At Quest Diagnostics, teamwork is essential in meeting the needs of patients, physicians, and healthcare facilities and also helps drive innovation into the future. Fully knowing that all team members won't be naturally cohesive, your interviewer poses this question to hear how you successfully handle colleagues that don't mesh with your personality.
"I once worked for a director who was very difficult in meetings. He did not interact politely with others. I took it upon myself to help this person interact better with our team and stakeholders. When he would bark orders, I would reiterate what he was trying to say to the group more professionally. It was a subtle approach, and I did so with total respect and patience. It took some time to see change, but soon he learned to communicate in a way that made people want to collaborate with him."
"In my current position, one of my senior colleagues is very cold and 'matter-of-fact' in his approach. I have worked for over ten years in the clinical lab setting and have witnessed a large variety of personalities. However, I am a warm person by nature and found it challenging to connect with this particular person. As the team lead, I needed to adapt because we collaborated on tasks nearly every day. I changed my approach with this person by sticking solely to the facts in meetings and always presenting data versus opinions. In the end, it wasn't the most profound relationship I've had in my career, but we've made it work for us and get along well enough to do our jobs and deliver reliable performance."
Tell the interviewer about a specific time you encountered a challenging boss or co-worker and successfully communicated with them and maintained a great working relationship. Outline the situation, describe why it was vital that you communicated successfully with this person, and explain the actions you took to build a healthy relationship with the individual. Your interviewer wants to see evidence that you can interact professionally and constructively with others, even if they have a challenging personality or work style.
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
in my current position, one of my colleagues dislikes doing tasks that have to be done and tends to leave for others to do. One of my core values is fairness and I knew I needed to approach this in a professional manner. I took it upon myself to approach him in a calm and respectful way and explained how we should split the tasks evenly and that if he needed help I was available. With time he noticed my efforts and learned to be fair himself in his work.
Jaymie's Feedback
Great job! You were able to showcase your communication and interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, and professionalism in your example.
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