3 Interpersonal skills questions

 

Interviewers want to know if you will be a good fit for the company as well as for the job. They may ask questions to determine how you connect with other people and whether you’re seen as approachable and easy to work with. While they won’t directly ask if you are difficult to work with, they may ask questions about your ability to manage conflict.

They may also ask about how you build credibility and trust with different individuals and groups. This is especially important for jobs where success involves inter­actions with people at different levels and in different areas. Many roles require some sort of influence. Candidates will want to show they will be able to convince people to listen to new ideas or make important changes.

Another topic that is important to some companies is diversity, equity, and inclusion. Candidates should be prepared to address their experiences and views.

Approachability, credibility, and humility

Interviewers want to know if candidates have a good balance of confidence and humility, will be approachable by people at all levels inside the company, and will display the authority needed to be viewed as credible by others.

Give an example of an initiative you led that required you to interact with various levels within the company

Tell me about a time when humility played a role in your being successful

Describe a situation where you had to build credibility

Influencing and gaining support

Give me an example of a time when you convinced leadership in your organization to make a significant change

Describe a situation where you had to delicately let a key stakeholder know that their expectations were unrealistic

Tell me about a situation in which you built needed support for a goal or project from people who didn’t report to you and over whom you had no direct authority

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

How has your background and experience prepared you to be effective in an environment that values diversity and is committed to inclusion?

In what ways do you think diversity is important to someone in this role?

What kinds of experiences have you had with people whose backgrounds are different from your own?

What programs or initiatives have you been part of that focused on working with diverse populations, and what was your role in those efforts?

Conflict management

Describe a time when you successfully defused a conflict

Give me an example of a time when you found yourself in the middle of conflict; what did you do or say to get to a resolution?

Think about

Key takeaways