At UnitedHealth Group, we believe in continuous feedback from our members, customers, and network of providers. Tell me about a time you received constructive feedback on the job. What did you do after hearing this?
Each year, UnitedHealth Group puts out a National Account Client Survey to gain insight on how to improve their health plan experience. On top of this, the company is always open to feedback on their claims, billing, and other important processes that both providers and members experience. This seeking of continuous improvement also extends to the staff of the company, so it will be important for your interviewer to understand how you handle feedback in your work. In asking this question, your interviewer ideally wants to hear that you can take criticism without getting your feelings hurt and turn that criticism into a positive outcome. Be open and honest about a time you received feedback and make sure to focus on the mindset you had following that and the improvement that you made because of it.
"Early in my career as an actuary, I was inadvertently not following a company procedure on proper documentation and filing of work that my department was doing and it wasn't noticed by my manager until I had been on the job for almost six months. She sat me down and went through the procedure in full and I of course was very apologetic. As it turned out, my orientation didn't fully cover this procedure and, since I was working away from our home office, it had gone unnoticed. Fortunately, I had saved all of my work in a secure place and was able to e-file it accordingly in very short order. Coming aboard here at UnitedHealth Group, I would focus my initial weeks on the job on proper documentation of work records to ensure this would never happen again."
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
A new staff member who I was training at the time had some issues understanding why and how we did certain things. I sat down with her, discussed her questions and suggestions, and implemented a couple of her ideas into our staff training. It did help improve things, and she is still with the company today.
Rachelle's Feedback
Nice start! It's a bit of a vague overview, so if time allows, I recommend practicing this question using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), which helps candidates learn to give more of the tangible details and outcomes that interviewers are really seeking in behavioral-based interview questions.
Anonymous Answer
In my previous role, I was asked to change the daily task timeline and rearrange the time slots with tasks to be performed to create a more effective schedule. I was already pretty much established in my routine, but to bring about positive change, I had to rearrange things to be more effective in the grand scheme of things. It is always good to get out of your comfort zone, see things from a different perspective (someone else perspective), and try a different way.
Marcie's Feedback
It sounds like you were willing to make changes in order to be more efficient, which is great. This also shows that you are open to feedback. Don't forget to emphasize any lessons you learned and carried with you.
Anonymous Answer
There was a time that I received constructive feedback from my manager when she felt I was being taken advantage of. A nurse asked me to do her med pass along with mine so that she could chart on patients. I agreed to do so, and my manager found out and told me that " I don't have to say yes to everything and to let her know if that ever happened again". Since then, I have worked on standing up for myself and not taking on more than I can handle.
Amanda's Feedback
Good answer! You've provided a specific feedback example and related how you're working to improve based on that feedback. You can make your answer even stronger by sharing another example that demonstrates how you've improved your ability to maintain appropriate boundaries or assist team members without taking on more than you should.
Anonymous Answer
I have always valued customer feedback. I handled a partnership that I had a close relationship with and we provided mutual constructive feedback as needed in our weekly meetings. I am able to receive constructive feedback and incorporate it into my job.
Marcie's Feedback
Who was this partnership with? What kind of constructive feedback did you receive, and how did you react upon hearing it? Keeping your answers vague will make the interviewer wonder if these are real examples or just made-up ones. Give specific details and show in this answer how you learned and carried a lesson away from the feedback you received. Good job!
Anonymous Answer
One piece of feedback I received that I have carried with me for years is from a manager that told me I need to learn to say no. I want to help and feel like it is my job to take on assignments when asked, but it is also important to manage my workload well. When there are many competing priorities, it is important to discuss that with my manager and work together on budgeting resources.
Marcie's Feedback
Nice! It sounds like you took the feedback you received and learned a lesson from it, which the interviewer will be happy to hear. Also, the feedback you got shows that you're the type of person who always tries to help others, which the interviewer will also appreciate. Can you include an example of a time when you said no because you had too much on your plate to show the interviewer that you learned from and implemented the feedback you received? This will further strengthen your answer. Otherwise, great job!
Anonymous Answer
I am very energized by feedback, whether constructive or not. I feel that it makes me improve. I receive constructive feedback all the time on my job. One of those was the Daisy Award, which is the highest honor award in clinical nursing practice. After I received this award, I begin to perform even better on the job. I always was making sure that I had my Ts and Ds in place because I didn't want to disappoint my honor.
Jaymie's Feedback
This is a great achievement to share. Typically, interviewers ask this question to understand better how you receive criticism, so consider having an example prepared to show that you can take constructive criticism, digest it and learn and grow from it.
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