WTW Mock Interview
Practice 25 WTW interview questions covering risk, consulting, and client solutions.
Question 17 of 25
Tell us about a time you had a communication breakdown with a coworker. Describe the situation, your approach, and the outcome.
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Most of HireVue's interview questions are designed as situational judgment questions, asking about a situation you've been in, your course of action, and the results or consequences of your actions. These specific story-based behavioral questions are designed to assess your professional behavior in challenging situations. How you answer stands to reveal your emotional intelligence, communication skills, empathy, resourcefulness, team orientation, initiative, and how well you align with their company culture.
To avoid rambling, try to be as concise as possible, ensure clarity and consistency, keep your answers to under three minutes, and meet the algorithm's criteria for passing your interview onto the recruiter, we recommend using the STAR method to structure your answers. First, offer the SITUATION in your example. Then move into the TASK this situation required. Then share the ACTION you took and the RESULT of your actions.
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
Remember, you'll want to choose true examples that exemplify how aligned you are with WTW's way of doing things. As they state online, "We speak with one voice that reflects our values of client focus, teamwork, integrity, respect and excellence when communicating."
Objectify the situation, exhibiting an emotionally mature perspective, and how you navigated this terrain, ultimately leading to a successful resolution. Nonverbal cues for empathy are slightly tilting your head, nodding slowly, keeping your palms open, maintaining eye contact, smiling softly, and slightly raising your eyebrows. Posture yourself in a relaxed and comfortable position. Focus on the positives and how the overall outcome benefitted the team.
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
"The last time I experienced a communication breakdown with someone on my team, it was pretty clear the person I was interacting with was not receiving the message I was trying to communicate. They kept responding with something totally unrelated to what I was saying. So, not only was what I was saying not being heard, but it was clear they didn't feel heard either. So I started listening attentively to what they were saying and asking questions and mirroring. They started being more responsive. I asked why they were bringing this up now, and they explained it was related to an exchange with another supervisor. I then expressed that this other issue was unrelated to what I was communicating. I needed to ensure we were on the same page with what needed to get done. They then asked me to repeat the instructions I'd offered earlier. I did and asked them to ask questions, and soon I felt comfortable we were unified in our approach."
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