Tell me about a time when you worked with a person who did things very differently than you. How did you collaborate?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
How to Answer
1st Answer Example
2nd Answer Example

Since everyone's work style is unique, it can be challenging to collaborate with everyone 100% of the time. Your interviewer at Saint Vincent Hospital wants assurance that you are a team player, regardless of personality or work style differences.

Answer this question by telling the interviewer about a specific time you worked with someone who approached their tasks or communication style differently than you. Outline the situation and describe why it was a challenge to collaborate with this person. Focus on describing the specific actions you took to ensure a successful collaboration. The goal of your response is to describe your approach to collaborating with others while highlighting how your collaboration style will be a good match for the new team you'll be joining.

"My current fellow administrator and I approach our work very differently. I prefer mapping out the situation and putting myself on a timeline, whereas she prefers to jump right into the task. After working on a few projects together, it became apparent that we needed to find a better balance between our two working styles. I called a private meeting where we openly discussed our differences. We agreed to split our tasks up and come together at the end of each day. We also agreed to keep the lines of communication open throughout the day. So far, this approach has resulted in a more streamlined process. As different as we are from each other, we both agree that as long as we get to the end goal together, it doesn't always matter how we got there."

"In my clinic setting currently, I am one of two team leads. Since we share team and management responsibilities, we often had clashing opinions. I knew that I needed to collaborate with the other lead since our behavior would directly impact the productivity of our entire team. By spending time writing out our main strengths, we were able to divvy up the work according to each other's strengths. This method solved the 'too many cooks in the kitchen' issue entirely."