How to Answer: Talk about a time when you dealt with a difficult employee regarding benefits. How did you handle the situation?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Benefits Specialist job interview.
30. Talk about a time when you dealt with a difficult employee regarding benefits. How did you handle the situation?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
In the Benefits department, employees are your customers. While the customer isn't always right, they do always need to be treated kindly and with respect. The interviewer wants to know if you have the emotional intelligence and communication skills to deal with a difficult employee since it is inevitable that you will at some point.
Written by Tiffany McPherson on May 16th, 2022
How to Answer
Tell the interviewer about a time when you dealt with an upset or difficult employee professionally and empathetically. Discuss the positive outcome you were able to achieve by remaining calm and collected.
Written by Tiffany McPherson on May 16th, 2022
Answer Example
"A couple of years ago, I had an employee call me who wanted to cancel his FSA mid-year due to a change in his hours. He was still working full time but instead of working overtime each week, he was now just barely averaging 30 hours a week, and he wanted to stop his FSA contributions to increase his take-home pay. Since he had not experienced a life event, he was unable to make a change to his benefits. He was less than pleased when I delivered this news to him and began yelling into the phone and using profanities. I took a deep breath and waited for him to finish venting his anger. When he paused for a moment, I jumped in and told him I understood why he was upset and how frustrating benefit laws can be. I then said while I could not stop his FSA, I could help him find the best ways to use the money being put into the account. This turned me from the enemy into a partner and we worked together to come up with ways he felt good about using the money, like asking his doctor for a note to allow him to use FSA dollars to cover the vitamins and supplements he and his family took. By the end of the call, he seemed excited about the ways he could use his FSA. He even apologized for yelling at me! I was just grateful I had found a way to help him."
Written by Tiffany McPherson on May 16th, 2022