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Hey guys. My peer part of the interview is coming up Monday, and I was told I would more than likely be asked this question. This job is really team-oriented. I've worked only 2 jobs in my life. One for 7 years, the other was with my best friend and his family for a year and a half.
The only problem I've ever had with a coworker, was when I was working with my best friend for his family's business. He would slack off like crazy, being employed by his parents, and I would always have to pick up the slack. It got to a point where I had to tell him about it, but of course nothing was done, so I just continued picking up the slack.
Other than that, I've honestly had no problems with coworkers. Everyone I've worked with has been close friends, so I'm really not sure how to answer this question. I don't want to act like I'm putting someone down about not doing their work, but how could I answer this?
Hey guys. My peer part of the interview is coming up Monday, and I was told I would more than likely be asked this question. This job is really team-oriented. I've worked only 2 jobs in my life. One for 7 years, the other was with my best friend and his family for a year and a half.
The only problem I've ever had with a coworker, was when I was working with my best friend for his family's business. He would slack off like crazy, being employed by his parents, and I would always have to pick up the slack. It got to a point where I had to tell him about it, but of course nothing was done, so I just continued picking up the slack.
Other than that, I've honestly had no problems with coworkers. Everyone I've worked with has been close friends, so I'm really not sure how to answer this question. I don't want to act like I'm putting someone down about not doing their work, but how could I answer this?
You have to twist everything into a positive somehow.
Put yourself in the shoes of the person having to select the best employee for the job first of all - what kinds of answers would impress you if you were the interviewer trying hard to find an employee that would work out well and fit in with the other employees.
Very often when they ask this kind of question, they have some difficult employees that for whatever reason they have to keep around. So - they might be trying to figure out how a job candidate will adapt to existing employees.
They want to know if you might have the right approach - or if you would be antagonizing.
You might try to show how you try to see that everyone has strengths and weaknesses and someone who is different than you might add something someone else doesn't.
Maybe one employee seems too laid back but they are friendlier with customers than others, or someone is very intense and puts others off but they contribute in some other way.
Or you can get into the philosophy that everyone brings a "personality" to to workplace and that they contribute something to it.
I'd leave off the picking up the slack story. That doesn't really look positive. You could say something like you once thought an employee was a problem because they came in late, but later you saw how that employee also would stay late when needed or was more agreeable with tasks others didn't prefer - because in a teamwork environment, it's not about one viewing himself as a star but accepting the others are team members with their various talents and abilities.
I wouldn't tell the story about your spoiled brat friend/co-worker, nor would I mention that everyone you ever worked with was a close friend. Both put you in question of being able to problem solve in the general workplace with people of different backgrounds.
I Suggest you do tell them that you haven't had a work place issue, ever, but try and find a parallel experience where you actually did have to learn to work it thru for the common goal. A sports team? A church or parent/PTA group? A committee? I'm sure you have been part of some kind of goal oriented team with someone with whom you had to work thru differences. Unearth that issue and start working your spin on it....with the conclusion being the most practical one for the situation.
Not a good idea to bad mouth or say anything too negative about your coworker on an interview. I would talk about a situation where you and your coworker have conflicts of interest/the way to handle things and how you come up with a solution to make everyone happy.
I would talk about a situation where you and your coworker have conflicts of interest/the way to handle things and how you come up with a solution to make everyone happy.
Exactly - make sure whatever anecdote you relate ends with a positive spin. I had a similar question in a few recent interviews. My response was in regards to one of the people I managed having an issue with a client that caused some tension between both. The story ended with my stating that the employee, who was relatively new, had done the right thing (identifying a potential issue) but did handle it improperly, so the outcome was some further training on how to handle such a situation in the future. In short, I reiterated a situation where an issue did eventually end with a positive outcome.
I am pretty easy to get along with. The only thing that immedietly comes to mind is about 15 years ago, some new-ish know-it-all employee. I was on the phone and suddenly he was in my face telling me what to do with the calller. Which was wrong. I put the caller on hold and yelled "GET THE F*** OUTTA MY FACE," to which he did, back to his cubicle, hunched over low. Never again made eye contact with me the duration of his employment. It was good that he didn't talk back or else I would have dragged him into the alley just off company property.
That is an example of a story that should not be shared in an interview
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