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15 Toughest Interview Questions (and Answers!)
Tania Khadder | GovCentral
13. Describe a time when you did not get along with a co-worker.
Bad answer:
"I’m easy to get along with, so I’ve never had any kind of discord with another coworker.”
Interviewers don’t like these types of “easy out” answers. And besides, they know you are probably not telling the truth. Think of a relatively benign (but significant) instance, and spin it to be a positive learning experience.
Good answer:
“I used to lock heads with a fellow nurse in the INCU ward. We disagreed over a lot of things – from the care of patients to who got what shifts to how to speak with a child’s family. Our personalities just didn’t mesh. After three months of arguing, I pulled her aside and asked her to lunch. At lunch, we talked about our differences and why we weren’t getting along. It turns out, it was all about communication. We communicated differently and once we knew that, we began to work well together. I really believe that talking a problem through with someone can help solve any issue.”
"I’m easy to get along with, so I’ve never had any kind of discord with another coworker.”
Interviewers don’t like these types of “easy out” answers. And besides, they know you are probably not telling the truth. Think of a relatively benign (but significant) instance, and spin it to be a positive learning experience.
Good answer:
“I used to lock heads with a fellow nurse in the INCU ward. We disagreed over a lot of things – from the care of patients to who got what shifts to how to speak with a child’s family. Our personalities just didn’t mesh. After three months of arguing, I pulled her aside and asked her to lunch. At lunch, we talked about our differences and why we weren’t getting along. It turns out, it was all about communication. We communicated differently and once we knew that, we began to work well together. I really believe that talking a problem through with someone can help solve any issue.”
alkdean
almost 4 years ago
2 comments
I have to say that I stopped reading this article after the fifth or sixth typo and grammatical error. I'm certainly not a perfect writer, but seriously... how am I supposed to find this information credible if the author can't be bothered to run spell check or re-read the work they're putting out there for a large audience to read?
Jane
almost 4 years ago
4 comments
I found these questions to be very helpful. However, I didn't see anything there that I didn't already know. Since in my last two jobs I did the interviewing for positions. I do find that a person needs to be well presented when they go to an interview. Appearance is very important for me at least!!!
DoctorTractor
almost 4 years ago
4 comments
I am Retired From the USAF an the retirement will no pay todays bills.
an so many people does not want to pay for the person that has the training an smarts with The tools to complete each job. they want it for free.
I have the college hours an the training with all of that an you still won't Hire me an I have over 800 hours in four degrees. Along with over thirty five years of working on every thing.
you still will not get hired though here with out being in your school so I quite typing with your gov. jobs you can now go to hell.
Account Removed
almost 4 years ago
i understood the "bad answers" and what you were trying to communicate to us; these lessons were excellent; it keeps you in check, keeps you focus on what you really want to tell the interviewer; and though these might be the "right" answers, hopefully the interviewer will ask the "right" questions and respond accordingly
Blackwelder
almost 4 years ago
2 comments
I agree with the first answer (the bad one), but there is nothing about the second answer (the good one) that I would be willing to say about my current boss. Plus, the Second answer makes you sound like you were late to work many times (time management), you couldn't meet deadlines (deadline-driven), you created issues in the office and tended not to work very well (no-nonsense attitude pushed me to work harder) and that you aren't a very good worker (meet deadlines that I never even thought were possible). That is what I would get from that answer if I was interviewing someone. It is a nice way to say that you are a lousy employee and you boss had to stand over your shoulder to get the job done. Who would hire someone like that????
chris2134
almost 4 years ago
148 comments
The bad answer for question 2 sounds like something an indecisive person would say ;_;