Employers know that difficult people are everywhere and situations come up frequently. Explaining how you’ve been able to handle a challenging person in a mature way demonstrates your ability to manage difficult moments successfully.

Example-1:

“My boss assigned me to a big project that entailed working across multiple teams. I had to collect and analyze data that would help her make an informed decision about a new service we were introducing to our customers. One of these individuals I needed to collect data from had a bit of a difficult personality. He was late to provide the data, and when he did provide it, it was incomplete or inaccurate. Without getting the right information from him I knew I wouldn’t be able to complete my assignment. After I asked a few times, he agreed to have coffee with me so we could talk about the situation and I could get a better sense of what his challenges were. I asked what I could do to help make the request easier for him. He shared that he was overwhelmed, as he had multiple competing deadlines, and that there were errors and delays with all the data. We brainstormed ways that I could break down my request into more bite-size chunks so he could squeeze in the request in between bigger projects. I then customized each of my requests in a way that would work with his schedule. He appreciated how much I was able to tailor my request to meet his needs. And ultimately, he helped me complete my assignments on time.”

Why this answer worked well: She/ He described a tough situation and the difficulties that she experienced with this person. She explained the action steps she took and its positive outcome. She took the time to understand this individual’s issues, which is a crucial skill you need when working with others.

Example-2

“My company had kicked off a highly controversial cross-functional initiative. I was the project lead with a team of three Product Managers, though I was not their direct manager. One of the Product Managers was many years my senior and a level above me in the organization. Throughout the process, I found that he was working around me, looping me out, and stalling the process by surfacing problems without recommending solutions. I set aside time for us to chat directly. I shared some of the challenges and pressure I was facing, making myself vulnerable to create space for him to be receptive. I explained the tension I was feeling with regards to our working relationship and asked what I could do to help improve the situation. This allowed us to clear the air, identify issues, brainstorm solutions, and commit to a healthier form of partnership moving forward. It was a powerful reminder of the value of communication and the importance of transparency and honesty on teams. Seeing one another in a humanizing light allowed us to build a stronger team”

Why this answer worked well: The candidate demonstrated strong leadership with the ability to “manage up” when team members have seniority. The answer outlined important soft skills like problem solving, communication, and emotional intelligence.

Respond to this kind of question with a compelling story that uses the “SAR” framework: situation, action, and results.

Describe the situation.

Talk about the initial events that occurred. What were the problems that you were experiencing? What needed to be solved and what resources did you have–or not have? This is a really key part of the story, so it should be about three to four sentences long.

Get into the action.

Speak about the key milestones that you went through. Tell them what you did to turn the situation around. Don’t go into too much detail though. It should only be about two to three sentences, and try to use active verbs, things like “I implemented” or “I persuaded”.

Show the results.

Let them know how well things turned out, how the problems were solved and what you may have learned along the way. Try to include a clincher at the end, like dollars saved or improved profitability. It drives home that you did a great thing.

Some More Tips

• Describe how the person was ‘difficult’.
• Explain the negative potential impact this could have caused.
• Talk about how you approached the situation.
• Be sure to highlight the positive result your efforts created.