Firefighter Mock Interview
Practice 35 Firefighter interview questions covering situational scenarios, physical fitness, and emergency response judgment.
Question 15 of 35
What type of person would you find most difficult to work with?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Example Answer
What to Avoid
Example Answer 2
Community Answers
Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
Usually, the type of person you find the most difficult to work with is the opposite of the type of employee you are. If you find it challenging to work with a lazy person, you most likely have a lot of energy. If it is difficult to work with someone negative, you are likely a positive person. This question is also asked to see how well you work with diverse groups of people. You will be working closely with your crew, and you may have some coworkers who have different political and religious beliefs. You will also serve the public, who will have different beliefs and customs than you. The interviewer wants to determine that you can work with many different people and get along well with others.
Describe the type of individual you find challenging to work with and explain how you manage to work with that type of person.
Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
"I find the most difficult person to work with is one who does not have a strong work ethic. Those with no work ethic are typically late to work, do not pull their weight, and make it harder on the rest of the crew. They do not seem to understand how their actions, or lack of, affect their coworkers. When I must work with people who lack work ethic, I lead by example and hope my work ethic rubs off on them."
Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
The interviewer does not want to hear that you find it hard to work with people you disagree with. Some people find it hard to work with people who have a different political or religious view, but Firefighters should not discuss those views in the firehouse. Some departments even have it written in their Manual of Operations that sexual, political, or religious topics are not to be discussed while on duty.
If you have difficulty working with individuals you disagree with, the interviewer will think you are a challenging person to be around and may pass you over for a friendlier candidate. Assure the interviewer that, while you may find it challenging to work with a particular type of person, you are mature enough to work well with anyone.
Avoid saying that you find it challenging to work with someone with physical or mental disabilities, as it shows you are not compassionate. Firefighters must be compassionate people and not judge others on something out of their control. Firefighters see patients daily who have disabilities, so they must be sympathetic.
Choose a trait that you find challenging to work with and make sure it is not a quality the interviewer is looking for in a Firefighter. For example, you do not want to say you find it challenging to work with people who are always cheerful and happy when that is a desirable trait to possess as a Firefighter.
Krista Wenz has been on thousands of interview panels hiring EMS professionals and firefighters for public and private agencies.
"I believe the most challenging people to work with are those who talk about people behind their back. Talking behind others' backs is immature and childish and can ruin a person's reputation. I do not feel those people are trustworthy, and I do not think they should be in the fire service. I like working with people I can trust and who are mature enough to say something to a person if they have an issue with them. If I am working with someone who talks about others behind their back, I tell them they should speak directly with the person they have a conflict with."
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Anonymous Answer
The most difficult person who I would find it hardest to work with would be someone who doesn't like to work as a team.
Amanda's Feedback
This question is a great opportunity to give the interviewer better insight into your personality and the way you like to work. To keep your answer from feeling vague or generic, consider talking about the kind of qualities that make someone difficult to work with from your perspective, such as poor communication or listening skills, wasting time, or someone who doesn't do their share of work. Finally, share the steps you take to try to work well with any team member such as communicating clearly, listening to others' ideas, or making sure you follow through on your share of the work.
Anonymous Answer
I feel the most difficult type of person to work with would be someone who is both careless and negative. When working with someone careless with any type of work, they won't take pride in their work and perform tasks to the best of their ability or have no ambition to work hard and do what's expected of them or necessary for the tasks. When working with someone who is negative, they complain about many aspects of the job, career, or occupation and that can usually lead to a toxic work environment between coworkers or the worker and the public.
Amanda's Feedback
Working with someone who continuously makes mistakes or brings the work environment down through negativity can seriously hurt team relationships that you count on to get the job done as firefighters. You can also talk about how working with those who are careless makes it hard to trust each other and is actually dangerous for team members and the public because of the inherent risks of your work as firefighters.
Anonymous Answer
I would find someone who thinks they are always right to be the most difficult to work with. I don't want to surround myself with someone who is unwilling to admit they were wrong or learn from their mistakes. As a firefighter, you all work as one to accomplish a common goal and someone who is unwilling to accept that they are wrong is detrimental to the team aspect. At a fire scene, I believe this could get someone killed.
Amanda's Feedback
Your answer shows that getting it right is more important than being right all the time. Mistakes happen, but they can still add value when we are willing to learn from them. Because fire fighting is an innately team-oriented role, you can enhance this answer further by sharing that such individuals can make it difficult to collaborate as a team, which is a vital part of fire safety.
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