Walk me through a time when you delivered difficult feedback. What was your approach, and how did the person(s) involved respond?
"I facilitate various strategic planning and reflection meetings for our organization. I recently facilitated a session with a group of teams that collaborated on a series of complex projects. There was a lot of conflict within the overall group and some of the feedback raised during the session was negative.
I felt like the session went well overall. It seemed like the participants were open and honest and genuinely wanted to improve before their next round of projects began. However, the program manager of their group came to me after the meeting and asked me to adjust several points that were raised before the notes were shared. She knew that her senior management would see the negative feedback and she was afraid it would reflect poorly on her specifically.
Her request made me uncomfortable, but I let her know that it would be unethical for me to alter the feedback from the meeting. The participants put their trust in me to offer a neutral perspective and to accurately capture their thoughts. I reminded her that some of the feedback centered around being afraid to be honest with senior management and her proposed action would serve to exacerbate that issue. I was empathetic to her fears and let her know I understood why she was asking. I then asked if she would be open to an alternative.
I offered to schedule a meeting to share the feedback with the senior management group. That way, I could provide context and gain buy-in on the action plan the teams devised to improve their processes. She hesitated at first but thanked me for suggesting an ethical path that also honored her needs. The meeting with the senior managers went well and they offered their support for several of the improvement opportunities. I am grateful the program manager was willing to try something new and that the needs of the overall group were addressed authentically."
I prepare my career coaching clients to expect to discuss negative feedback in one form or another during an interview. It is a common subject of discussion in job and graduate school interviews. I believe it is a popular choice because it can quickly uncover a candidate's core values and behavioral patterns. The admissions committee at UVA Darden understands this and asks to learn more about how you handle yourself when offering feedback that is potentially difficult to deliver
Describe a time when you has to share feedback with someone that you felt they might not want to hear. The more difficult the situation, the better. For example, perhaps you had to discuss an employee's lack of performance, or maybe you were asked by your manager to do something unethical.
Be sure to demonstrate your emotional intelligence through the actions you took. Convince your interviewer that you have the empathy necessary to understand how others feel and that you approach these situations with the care they deserve. Also, feedback scenarios in which you offered to assist the person through a difficult time are likely to be even more powerful than those in which you deliver the feedback and move on.
Unlock all 30 University of Virginia questions
Prepare for Darden's rigorous behavioral and case-style interview format with expert responses.
Get Started