How would best answer this interview question: ‘Tell me about a time when you had an opportunity to coach and provide feedback to a team member, peer, or direct report in your work area.’?

So the key here is to not just regurgitate the first thing that pops in your head. Make sure that the story you tell includes all three elements.

  Hr Classes   Apr 18, 2024   168  Add to Reading List

This is what is known as a behavioral based interview question. The best responses to these questions involve telling an actual story from your work history that includes three elements. The first is a description of the problem that was at hand. The second is a description of the very specific actions that you took to remedy the problem. The third is the positive measurable result that took place because of those actions.

So the key here is to not just regurgitate the first thing that pops in your head. Make sure that the story you tell includes all three elements. In order to do this you need to spend some time in the days leading up to the interview reviewing your work history and coming up with a series of stories that would fit multiple behavioral based interview questions and allow you to answer with all three elements.

l would follow this up with a evaluation of the communication style and why that worked in the particular instance.

Here is an example:

I had another department come to me about one of my direct reports saying that they were not being updated on the key project. As soon as I was able to, I had a video conference with my direct report and asked about the status of the project.

The direct report was able to provide me with details. I asked the direct report if he had informed all of the necessary stakeholders. He replied back that he had failed to let the other department know what was happening. I asked him what the expectation should be in this case. He said he should have informed the other department.

I then got a commitment from him to immediately recap all the stakeholders once we were out of the meeting. I also stressed this is the expectation on these projects going forward.

I continued to touch base with him at least once per week and I would ask for updates on projects and he would from then on always confirm that he had looped in all of the stakeholders. About a month later I had a discussion with the other department and they told me they were very pleased with the communication from my direct report since that time.

I think the important thing here was that my conversation with the direct report was me simply asking questions and letting the direct report tell me where the breakdowns were. In coaching the important thing is that the person being coached takes ownership of the situation. Direct report in the situation knew that he had failed to do something important and instead of me telling him something he already knew I had him tell me by asking some leading questions. He left the meeting knowing what he had to do and not feeling that I was coming down on him just that I was following up to ensure things were done properly. However he also knew that I was going to address situations and that it was best to get out ahead of things in the future.