Tell me about a time you had to work with a difficult personality. How did you handle that relationship?
Managing working relationships can be one of the most significant skills you can gain! It's challenging to adapt your communication skills to someone else's style, especially when a communication breakdown occurs. Demonstrate that you're proactive and have a grasp of nondefensive communication. Your goal is to demonstrate an ability to amicably work with varying personalities and refocus the efforts away from the individual to the goals and betterment of the team. They're also keeping a keen eye out for any red flags. In the simplest terms, in this scenario, the last thing you want to do is make the interviewer think the challenging co-worker in this scenario was you.
"My coworker was great at sales but terrible at paperwork. She would play dumb at times to get other people to do the work she didn't want to do. I focused on coaching her and giving her tools so that she could do her job more effectively whenever she asked for help. Even though she was challenging to work with, I used it as an opportunity to learn and step into leadership."
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
I had a corporate boss handpicked me for a job position. I gracefully declined the offer. After that, my boss began treating me differently in a harsh manner by assigning me difficult deadlines, late evenings and not including me in team events. After a couple of weeks, I asked for a meeting with her and addressed my feelings. In conclusion, by communicating openly and honestly while keeping it professional, we gained a more respectful working relationship.
Rachelle's Feedback
This would be a complicated situation to be in, and it's wonderful that you could handle it directly and with professionalism. You organized this story-based example very well.
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