Over the past two weeks I have covered the topic of answering interview questions the right way. This is the final part, where we continue to provide information to job seekers on how to answer specific interview questions. Let’s continue with a few additional questions below:

“How have you successfully worked with difficult people?”

It is never easy to speak negatively about other without being seen as a tattletale. This is definitely one of the hardest questions to answer; so keep things simple. For example, “I usually stay focused and positive and hope that my actions will rub off on others around me. I had a difficult time with one individual who never seemed to see eye to eye with me and never pulled his weight. I met this individual for coffee and lunch and got to know him personally, explaining he is bringing the team down. He explained his personal situation and I was able to help him through it. In the end, he made a complete improvement and was one of the main decision makers. We continue to work well and have become good friends”. Overall, you want to show the interviewer(s) that you stay optimistic throughout and it’s hard to change all negative individuals. If things get out of control and you have as much as you can, don’t be afraid to approach the manager in confidence.

“What kind of people do you find difficult to work with?”

This could be a probing question to the one above. You could keep it simple by saying: “People who don’t follow company or departmental processes and procedures or slackers. These individuals are usually confrontational and don’t lack in the complaint department. They always bring others down around them with lack of work ethic, team work and solutions”.

“What are some problems you have encountered on the job and how did you resolve them?”

 Remember; always take ownership without laying blame or problems on your tools or other individuals. Always give a response of a problem you recognized and solved. For example: “My job consists of ongoing changes and multi-tasking, so its easy to overlook problems as they arise. I actually enjoy this environment because it keeps me alert and motivated to find solutions. Last year I was managing a group that consistently produced memory chips that were faulty. I could not understand why other groups had no issue except for my team. The pressure was mounting and it was costing the company each day. I took the time to go through the process on my own after work and realized that a few new steps were accidentally omitted. I quickly recognized the issue and brought the team together for a meeting the next day. We had a step by step session before going forward. The issue was resolved and I updated all the instructional manuals so the problem did not arise again in the future.

I hope I was able to cover most of those tough questions our readers requested.

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