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Southwest Airlines Mock Interview

Question 27 of 39 for our Southwest Airlines Mock Interview

Southwest Airlines was updated by on January 14th, 2024. Learn more here.

Question 27 of 39

Think about a difficult boss, professor, or coworker. What made him or her difficult? How did you successfully interact with this person?

"I once worked at a locally owned shop where the owner was very demanding. When the owner would walk into the store, employees would announce over their headset system that the owner was in the building, so that everyone felt prepared for his entrance into their department. The owner had great intentions; however, his people skills were a little rough. I could see that he meant well, and I recognized that he wanted to do good things. When we interacted, I always took his feedback with the understanding that he didn't mean things as harshly as they came out."

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How to Answer: Think about a difficult boss, professor, or coworker. What made him or her difficult? How did you successfully interact with this person?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Southwest Airlines job interview.

  • 27. Think about a difficult boss, professor, or coworker. What made him or her difficult? How did you successfully interact with this person?

      How to Answer

      Show the interviewer that you work well with most personalities, even though you recognize some folks approach things differently than you do. Think about someone who was challenging to work with and what that relationship meant to you. Avoid speaking poorly of anyone, and be sure to end your response on a positive note. As the founder of Southwest said, "If you don't treat your own people well, they won't treat other people well."

      Written by Kevin Downey on February 2nd, 2023

      1st Answer Example

      "I once worked at a locally owned shop where the owner was very demanding. When the owner would walk into the store, employees would announce over their headset system that the owner was in the building, so that everyone felt prepared for his entrance into their department. The owner had great intentions; however, his people skills were a little rough. I could see that he meant well, and I recognized that he wanted to do good things. When we interacted, I always took his feedback with the understanding that he didn't mean things as harshly as they came out."

      Written by Rachelle Enns

      2nd Answer Example

      "I once worked for an executive who was very difficult in meetings and interacting with groups of others. I took it upon myself to help this person interact better with others. When she would bark orders, I would reiterate what she was trying to say to the group more professionally. It took some time, but she learned to behave in a way that made people want to work with her."

      Written by Rachelle Enns

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "I normally work well with most personalities. But, I once worked with a flight attendant that was really sweet until she signed up to be in the galley. She was very possessive about her space and wanted no one in her way. I’m always trying to be helpful. So when something happened one time I gave a suggestion on how to fix it. She turned and snapped at me and said “I’ve worked here for 15 years I think I know how to fix this!” I apologized for being so intrusive and basically stayed out of her way while she was in the galley. She later apologized for snapping at me, that she was having a bad day, and didn’t mean to sound so snotty. We still get along and have some great times together."

      Marcie's Feedback

      You've provided a good example here of a time when you successfully dealt with a challenging personality. Nice job! If you approached her privately and asked to discuss the issue, don't forget to mention that as well.

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