When have you had contractor disputes? How do you handle them?
Think about the last time a contractor did not carry through on their promises or meet your expectations for quality of work. These situations make great examples for this question! Provide the interviewer with what work the contractor was supposed to be doing for you, and share what the outcome of the contractor's work actually was (...or, perhaps lack thereof if they failed to complete the project altogether). Next, share how you reached out to the contractor either via phone to talk about the issue or on-site to talk face-to-face. Discuss how you professionally and graciously told the contractor the issue and expressed your disappointment. Share what remediation you requested. You may have asked for the project to be re-vamped. You might have asked for your money back. Or, you may have asked for the project to be started all over again. Finally, be sure to mention that you enjoy working with contractors and typically don't have any issues with them. The challenging ones are few and far between, and you try to work with all of them on a pleasant and professional basis to maintain a positive image for the company.
"I have a great team of contractors that regularly service my properties, but it took awhile to find a team that I could depend on. Early on in my career, I grew frustrated with the company I hired to maintain the landscaping at a few of the buildings I managed. We had agreed that they would check on all buildings seasonally to plant flowers, cut grass, rake leaves, plow snow, and maintain the overall exterior appearance of the buildings. Each time I visited the buildings, I had to call the landscaping company and request that they come out and do something. The flowers were planted in the wrong spots or not enough of them were planted, the leaves were left piled up in a corner of the parking lot, snow plowing was not done in a timely manner, and communication was poor. I decided to finish out the year with this company, but do some research to find a new company come spring. I spoke directly with the owner and calmly explained that I was unhappy with the service and the communication, and that I would not be extending my contract with him. He apologized and said he understood. I moved on to a new company that next spring based off a referral I received from a trusted colleague."
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
Prior to hiring a contractor, we have everything in writing and we review the proposed contract. Should a dispute occur, we address it with the contractor. Most of the time, the contractor agrees to fix the problem. If the contractor does not, we refer to the contract.
Rachelle's Feedback
Your reply is a good start! First, be sure to phrase your questions with more targeted language and less collective language (i.e.: 'Prior to hiring a contractor, I...') Second, this question asks for a specific story example which you can quickly put together using the STAR framework as mentioned in previous feedback. I have provided a starter for you, below.
"Before hiring a contractor, I have everything (what encompasses 'everything'?) in writing, and I review the proposed contract with all stakeholders. Should a dispute occur, I address it with the contractor. Most of the time, the contractor agrees to fix the problem; however, I have encountered instances when this was not the case. One example of a contractor dispute is...(give a story example and outline it using Situation, Task, Action, Result as your framework)."
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