How to Answer: Describe a time you had to provide constructive feedback to a colleague.
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a TD Bank job interview.
9. Describe a time you had to provide constructive feedback to a colleague.
What You Need to Know
Your interviewer would like to understand how each candidate views their role and participation on the team. The person they hire ideally will have the team's interests at heart and be willing to step outside of their comfort zone now and again while being open to providing and receiving "regular and balanced performance feedback, both formal and informal." Give a recent example where you stepped up and offered helpful and constructive feedback to a colleague, using functional, non-defensive communication to get your point across.
Written by Kevin Downey on February 28th, 2023
Answer Example
"This is a bit embarrassing, but I had a coworker who was going through a rough patch, and although they were performing the basics of their job rather well, they'd let their personal hygiene slip. They were coming in a bit grubby and unwashed, and sometimes a bit stinky. Their clothing was also wrinkled and unkempt. Eventually, I noticed customers were avoiding this person, so I gave them a heads-up and told them about the whispers I heard around the water cooler. I thought they might want to know and change their direction before they ended up where they were headed. They thanked me and turned things around by the next day."
Written by Kevin Downey on February 28th, 2023
Experienced Example
"I had a coworker that kept making the same mistakes, and management had a couple of talks with them about these mistakes. I didn't want them to get written up since they'd exhausted their two verbal warnings. So I shared my system with them. They weren't sure this method would work for them. So I asked them to tell me about their system. I helped them fine-tune it, and they were able to turn things around after that."
Written by Kevin Downey on February 28th, 2023