Mike Jacobsen

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve got a team leader interview coming up. Good for you! It’s a fantastic role, offering not just a chance to show off your leadership chops, but also a pretty sweet salary, generally speaking. The catch? Well, you’ve got to ace that interview, of course!

This isn’t just about brushing up on your job history and rehearsing your strengths and weaknesses. As a potential team leader, you’ll face a whole new set of questions designed to test your leadership abilities, communication skills, and much more.

Feeling a bit daunted? Don’t be! We’re here to help. In this article, we’re going to break down the most common team leader interview questions, and give you some sample answers to boot. It’s like having the playbook before the big game. So, let’s get started!

Looking for More Questions / Answers…?

Then, let me introduce you to a fantastic resource: “Interview Success: How To Answer Team Leader Questions”. Penned by the experienced career coach, Mike Jacobsen, this guide is packed full of interview tips. This 105-page guide is packed with over 100 sample answers to the most common and challenging interview questions. It goes beyond simply giving you answers – it guides you on how to structure your responses, what interviewers are seeking, and even things to avoid during interviews. Best of all, it’s available for instant download! Dive in and give yourself the competitive edge you deserve.

Click here to learn more and get your copy today

Team Leader Interview Tips

1. Understand the Role

Before you walk into that interview, make sure you fully understand what being a team leader means in the context of the company you’re applying to. Different companies may have different expectations for their team leaders, so tailor your preparation accordingly.

2. Know Your Leadership Style

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to effective leadership. Whether you’re more democratic, transformational, or autocratic, know your style and be ready to articulate it, along with examples of how it has worked in the past.

3. Use Concrete Examples

When asked about your past experiences or how you would handle hypothetical situations, use specific examples. This not only proves your point but shows that you have real-world experience.

4. Show Your Emotional Intelligence

Leadership is as much about understanding and navigating emotions, both yours and your team’s, as it is about managing tasks. Display your emotional intelligence by talking about how you have handled conflicts, motivated team members, and made tough decisions.

5. Be Prepared for Role-Specific Questions

Team leader interviews will involve a lot of role-specific questions. Be prepared to discuss topics like conflict resolution, project management, delegation, and team motivation.

6. Ask Thoughtful Questions

Remember, an interview is a two-way street. Asking insightful questions about the team you’ll be leading, the company culture, or the challenges of the role can show your enthusiasm and critical thinking skills.

7. Show Enthusiasm

Finally, don’t forget to show your enthusiasm for the role and the company. This could be the tie-breaker between you and another equally qualified candidate.

Remember, being a team leader is about guiding your team to success while maintaining a positive and productive environment. Showcase your ability to do this in your interview and you’ll be well on your way to landing that team leader role.

How Best To Structure Team Leader Interview Questions

The key to delivering compelling answers in a team leader interview is structure, and the ‘STAR’ technique is one of the most effective methods. But for a leadership role, we need to start with an additional element – your Belief or leadership philosophy. We call this expanded model ‘B-STAR’. Here’s how to break it down:

B – Belief

Before delving into specific situations, it’s important to first articulate your leadership beliefs or philosophy. These beliefs form the foundation of all your actions as a team leader. For instance, do you believe in leading by example, democratic decision-making, or are you more driven by achieving targets? These core beliefs will underpin your approach to the subsequent parts of your answer.

S – Situation

Set the scene by briefly describing the situation or context. As a team leader, you will have encountered a variety of situations, such as conflict between team members, a missed deadline, or a project that was over budget. Choose a situation that is relevant to the question and highlights your leadership skills.

T – Task

Next, define your specific role or task within the situation. As a team leader, you should be actively involved, making key decisions or setting direction. For example, were you responsible for resolving the conflict, meeting the deadline, or getting the project back on track?

A – Action

Detail the specific actions you took to address the task. As a team leader, your actions should demonstrate your leadership skills. For example, did you mediate the conflict, re-prioritize tasks to meet the deadline, or re-negotiate with suppliers to cut costs? Be specific about why you chose those actions and how they align with your leadership beliefs.

R – Results

Finally, outline the results of your actions. Preferably, these should be quantifiable, but qualitative results are also valuable. For instance, you could talk about how the conflict was resolved and team productivity improved, the project was completed on schedule, or the budget was met. How did your leadership contribute to these results?

Using the B-STAR structure, you can provide detailed and coherent answers that showcase not just what you did, but why you did it, based on your underlying leadership beliefs.

What You Should Not Do When Answering Questions

Do not avoid the question.

Do not describe a failure (unless specifically asked).

Do not downplay the situation.

Do not overhype the situation.

Do not say you have no experience with the subject matter.

Do not reject the premise of the question.

Do not have a passive role in the situation.

Do not give a one-sentence answer.

Do not overly describe the scenario and miss the action.

Team Leader Interview Question & Answers

“Tell me about yourself.”

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Thank you for the opportunity. I’m a dedicated professional with over 10 years of experience in project management and team leadership. I started my career as a software developer, which allowed me to hone my problem-solving and technical skills. However, I realized that my true passion was leading and enabling teams to work cohesively and effectively. I decided to make a shift in my career, taking on team lead roles, where I’ve enjoyed great success in managing and developing teams to drive projects forward and achieve key performance indicators.

Throughout my career, I have led teams of varying sizes, from small five-member teams to larger ones consisting of over 30 members. I’ve prided myself on being a leader who is not only approachable and communicative but also someone who can drive a team to achieve its best.

As for my key skills, I am adept at conflict resolution and have a proven track record of turning potentially disruptive situations into opportunities for team growth. I’m also very skilled at strategic planning, which allows me to align team goals with organizational objectives effectively.

On a personal level, I’m a proactive individual who believes in continuous learning and improvement. I love challenges and have a knack for thinking on my feet, often coming up with innovative solutions to complex problems. I also strongly believe in leading by example, and I consistently strive to embody the values and work ethic that I wish to see in my team.

In this new role, I’m looking forward to bringing in my leadership skills and my ability to foster a motivated and collaborative team environment, thereby contributing significantly to your company’s growth and success.

“What experience do you have in leading a team?”

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I’m grateful for the chance to elaborate on my team leadership experience. Over the last 12 years, I’ve held leadership roles in the IT sector, managing teams that ranged in size from 5 to 25 members. My first leadership role was as a project lead at a mid-size tech company. I managed a team of five developers, overseeing the development and launch of several successful software solutions.

After a few years, I transitioned to a larger organization where I took on the role of an IT team leader. Here, I managed a diverse team of 25 individuals, including developers, analysts, and quality assurance specialists. We undertook several high-stake projects and consistently delivered results within the stipulated timelines and budgets.

One of the most significant challenges I faced as a leader was during a major system upgrade project. The project faced numerous issues due to the complex nature of the existing system. However, by implementing a strategic problem-solving approach and leveraging the individual strengths of my team members, we were able to successfully complete the upgrade with minimal downtime.

I believe the successful outcomes of my leadership are largely due to my leadership style, which is centered around clear communication, mutual respect, and a focus on individual development. I’ve always valued the unique contributions of each team member, and I make it a point to ensure that everyone feels heard and appreciated.

“Can you give an example of a time when you successfully resolved a conflict within your team?”

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Absolutely, I can share a specific incident that occurred a couple of years ago in my current role as a team leader. We were working on a critical project with a tight deadline. Two of my team members, both highly skilled and dedicated, had a disagreement over the best technical approach to a problem. The disagreement escalated to a point where it started affecting their productivity and the overall team morale.

As soon as I noticed the situation, I decided to intervene. I started by meeting each team member individually. This approach allowed me to understand each person’s perspective without the added pressure of the other’s presence. I found that while both had valid points, the root of the conflict was a lack of clear communication and understanding between them.

After the individual meetings, I brought both team members together for a discussion. We revisited the project’s main goal, highlighting how each of their roles was instrumental in achieving it. I encouraged them to express their viewpoints, ensuring the other party was listening. By facilitating open communication in a neutral and controlled environment, they began to understand each other’s perspectives.

Following the joint meeting, we agreed on a blended approach incorporating both their ideas, which, in the end, turned out to be a more effective solution. This conflict resolution process not only solved the immediate issue, but also led to an improvement in their professional relationship and better team cohesion.

Since then, I have emphasized fostering open and respectful communication within the team, and we have significantly reduced instances of similar conflicts. This experience demonstrated to me the importance of addressing conflicts promptly and ensuring open lines of communication in a team.

“How do you motivate team members to meet a common goal?”

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Certainly, motivating team members to work towards a common goal is a crucial aspect of effective leadership. In my experience, people are most motivated when they understand the larger purpose of their work and how their individual contributions tie into the broader team objectives.

In my previous role as a team leader at a tech company, one of the strategies I used was to start every project with a team meeting. During this meeting, I clearly outlined the project goals, the team’s role in achieving these goals, and how this project aligns with the company’s strategic objectives. I found that this approach helped to provide context and made team members feel part of something bigger, thereby driving their motivation.

In addition to this, I believe that individual recognition is a powerful motivator. I made it a point to acknowledge the efforts and successes of team members in team meetings and also through internal communication channels. Recognizing the individuals not only boosts their morale but also reinforces the behavior that contributes to team success.

Moreover, I fostered a sense of ownership among team members by involving them in decision-making processes, particularly those that directly impacted their work. This involvement made them feel valued and empowered, which significantly improved their commitment and motivation.

Lastly, I found that providing opportunities for professional growth is another great motivator. I ensured that my team members had opportunities for skill development, whether through challenging assignments, training, or mentoring programs. This approach helped in keeping them engaged, motivated, and aiming for continual improvement.

In summary, my motivation strategy is a blend of setting a clear, common goal, recognizing individual efforts, fostering ownership, and providing growth opportunities. This comprehensive approach has been very effective in driving motivation and productivity within my teams.

“Describe a situation when you had to make a difficult decision that benefited your team.”

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Certainly, let me describe a situation that occurred during my previous role at XYZ Corporation. We were working on a complex project, which involved multiple teams from different departments. I was leading a team of ten members who were responsible for the software development aspect of the project. We were well into the project timeline when one of our key members, let’s call him Jack, had to take an emergency leave due to a family crisis. Jack was our lead programmer, a very capable individual whose contributions were integral to the project.

We were already under a tight deadline, and losing Jack even for a short period of time had the potential to set us back significantly. I was faced with the difficult decision of whether to push the team to cover for Jack’s absence, which could have led to an increase in workload and overtime hours, or to hire a temporary replacement, which carried its own set of risks and uncertainties.

I weighed the pros and cons of each option. Overburdening the team could lead to a drop in morale and possible burnout, potentially risking not only this project but also future ones. On the other hand, bringing in a temporary replacement had its risks – they could take some time to come up to speed, and there was always the possibility they wouldn’t be as efficient as Jack.

After careful consideration and consultation with my superiors and my team, I decided to hire a temporary replacement. I believed it was crucial to maintain the morale and well-being of my team, even if it meant spending time and resources to train someone new.

The decision wasn’t easy and it did create some initial hiccups as the new hire got up to speed. However, it eventually worked out well. My team was not overworked, and they appreciated the decision not to overload them. This also improved their trust in me as a team leader, as it was evident that I was considering their well-being in my decisions. The temporary replacement, though not as efficient as Jack initially, caught up reasonably well and we managed to meet our project deadlines.

The situation taught me that difficult decisions often have no perfect answers, but considering the long-term impact, prioritizing team morale and welfare, and being adaptable to unforeseen circumstances can lead to the most beneficial outcome. It underscored the importance of strong leadership and the ability to make tough decisions for the greater good of the team.

“How would you handle a team member who is not contributing as much as others?”

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Certainly, managing different team members and their varied productivity levels is an integral part of a team leader’s role. If I notice a team member who isn’t contributing as much as others, my approach is to understand the situation first before making any decisions or assumptions.

Initially, I’d analyze their performance data to validate my observations, ensuring that it isn’t a one-off occurrence but a consistent pattern. Once confirmed, I would arrange a private, one-on-one meeting with them. In this conversation, my aim would be to understand their perspective and find out if there are any underlying issues contributing to their underperformance.

It’s essential to approach this conversation with empathy and active listening. There could be various reasons for their lower contribution, such as personal issues, lack of clarity about their tasks, or a skills gap. In my experience, opening a direct yet empathetic line of communication often helps in identifying the root cause.

Based on the understanding gained from this conversation, I would tailor my approach accordingly. If it’s a skill-related issue, we could arrange further training or mentoring. If it’s an issue of clarity or alignment, I would spend time clearly outlining expectations and possibly reassess their tasks to ensure they align with their strengths. And if it’s a personal issue that’s affecting their work, I would discuss what support measures the company could provide, respecting their privacy throughout the process.

It’s important to note that I would also maintain a follow-up system, monitoring their progress after implementing these measures. If improvements aren’t seen despite these efforts, I would then have to consider other routes, in line with the company’s HR policies.

Ultimately, the goal is to help them improve and continue to contribute positively to the team. By approaching the issue with understanding and providing constructive feedback and support, I believe most performance issues can be resolved effectively.

“Can you provide an example of a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback?”

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Absolutely. Providing constructive, even if difficult, feedback is a key part of being a leader. One particular instance comes to mind from my time as a team lead at a software development company.

We were working on a project with tight deadlines, and one of our developers, who was a highly competent individual, started missing key milestones. It was not like him, so I decided to address it right away before it impacted the project significantly.

I initiated a one-on-one conversation, ensuring it was in a private and comfortable setting. I started the conversation on a positive note, acknowledging his past performance and his potential, emphasizing that my intention was to help, not criticize.

Then, I proceeded to provide the feedback using the “sandwich method.” I began with acknowledging his strengths, followed by the issues regarding the missed deadlines and finished with positive reinforcement, expressing confidence in his ability to rectify the situation.

I made sure to be specific about the instances when he missed his deadlines and how it was affecting the project. I was careful not to make it seem like a personal attack, but instead, a discussion on how we could improve the situation.

To my relief, he was very open to the feedback. He confessed he’d been struggling with a few personal issues which were affecting his concentration at work. We discussed potential solutions together, which included him taking a couple of days off to resolve his personal matters and reassigning some of his tasks to others temporarily.

Upon his return, there was a marked improvement in his performance, and he was able to meet his deadlines without compromising on the quality of his work.

This situation taught me the value of timely feedback and the importance of creating a safe space where team members can express their challenges. It was a delicate situation, but approaching it with empathy and openness allowed us to find a constructive solution.

“Why are you interested in this team leader role?”

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I’m particularly interested in this team leader role for several reasons. First, I’ve been following your company’s work for quite some time and I’m incredibly impressed by your commitment to innovation and the consistent quality of your projects. Your mission of delivering superior service to clients while creating a supportive and inclusive work environment resonates with me deeply.

Second, this role aligns perfectly with my career path and my acquired skills. I’ve spent the last five years in roles that involved leading teams, project management, and strategic planning, which I understand are crucial aspects of this position. I’ve enjoyed the leadership aspects of my previous roles, such as fostering collaboration among team members and guiding them to meet and surpass project goals.

Furthermore, the responsibilities of this role represent the challenges I am eager to take on. The larger team size and the opportunity to work cross-functionally are particularly appealing to me. I believe these aspects will offer me an opportunity to further refine my leadership skills and have a more significant impact.

Finally, I’m a firm believer in lifelong learning, and from my research and our discussion so far, it’s clear that this company values professional development, which is crucial for me. I’m excited about the potential of learning from accomplished leaders in the company and contributing to the team’s success.

See more questions and learn from over 100 sample answers…

Question forms part of

Civil Service Question Bank
The MOST Common Interview Questions

Other interview questions that are similar

1. How have you prepared for today’s interview with our company?
2. Can you describe what steps you took upon receiving the invitation to interview with us?
3. Were there any specific resources you found particularly useful when researching our company and the interview process?
4. What was your initial reaction when you found out you were invited for an interview with us?
5. Did you reach out to anyone in your network who might have insights about our company or interview process?
6. Can you explain how you prepared for potential questions and scenarios for this interview?
7. What aspects of our company’s culture and values did you focus on in your preparation for this interview?
8. Did understanding our interview process influence your preparation methods? If so, how?
9. What did you do when you learned you were asked in to interview with us?
10. Do you know much about our interview process?

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

I wouldn’t say this question was immensely popular with interviewers but you should still prepare for it anyway. Mostly this question will be a follow-up to questions like

What made you choose X company?
Why do you want to work here?

The interviewer might even sneak a smaller version of this question in by asking

Did you get here ok today?

The interviewer isn’t actually interested in whether you got there ok (they know that as you are sitting in front of them), they are asking this because they want to see how you approached getting to a new place.

When this question is asked the hiring team are looking for a couple of things.

Firstly, how seriously are you taking this application. They want to know if you are interested in this role or if your application was just one of many and you are not really bothered about the position.

Secondly, the interviewer wants to see how you plan for things. They want to know if you are a meticulous planner who needs every detail to be sorted, or if you plan as you go. For interviews it’s always best to be the former.

The best approach to answering this question

Scenario based questions like this should always be answered using the B-STAR technique. The method requires the re-telling of a specific example. Luckily for you the interviewer has already selected the example for you so that’s one less thing to worry about.

B – Belief – You should start you answer talking about how you believe in making good first impressions so it is important to you that you should never be late. Also mention how you always want to be prepared for any question that comes up so you practiced in advance.

S – Situation – Rather obviously the situation is the interview you have been invited to. For this question this should be a one liner that keeps the answer flowing. “So when I got the call about this interview I knew I needed to…[continue with T – Task]”.

T – Task – Talk about what you needed to accomplish. Did you need to research the area to understand the best way to get to the interview? Did you need to refresh on your interview technique? The best answers will talk about doing a dry run of getting to the interview site (if you have never been there before of course). Also be careful not to say how you needed to perform research on the company at this stage. The interviewer will ask why you only chose to research the company after getting the interview, did you not know anything about the role or company before you decided to apply? Instead talk about how you needed to ‘refresh your memory’ from your prior research.

A – Activities – Run through what you actually did. Here are some good things to include, if they are applicable to your situation:

• Performed a dry run of getting to the interview site (for online interviews you can say you had a friend setup a video call to ensure your hardware was in order)
• Reached out to contacts you know in the business for advice and to learn more
• Worked on putting your experience down on paper – oftentimes our work achievements are all in our head, writing them down allows us to be able to fully describe our impact to the business
• Practiced interview questions
• Continued research into the company (company website, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, references in the media, financial statements etc.)

R – Results – It’s too early in the day to talk about whether your preparation paid off, you will find that out after the interview. But you should say how your preparation got you to the interview on time and in one piece and talk about anything you learned about the firm.

How NOT to answer this question

“To be honest I didn’t have much time to prepare for this interview as my current role is currently working 50+ hour weeks…”

I’ve had candidates tell me they think this is a great way to answer this question because a) it shows the interviewer that you are capable of putting in the long hours to get things done, and b) the interviewer is likely to be more impressed with good answers because they know that you didn’t have any preparation.

Well as someone who has performed countless interviews I can tell you that the interviewer will not be impressed by this answer. For most companies (I say most because there are always bad actors) the interview process is an arduous one. The hiring manager has to sift through many applications to get it down to the interview stage, then they need to ensure they have the right questions prepared for the interviewee and then they have to make time out of their day to meet with you.

The minimum they expect from a future colleague is to show the same level of preparation that they put in. They want to see that you care about getting the role as much as they care about filling the role.

How Did You Prepare For This Interview?

Example answer 1

“I believe that it’s incredibly difficult to overcome a bad first impression. Because of this I always strive to never make one. That’s why for important meetings, or interviews like this, I make a clear plan of what I want to get from the meeting and outline the steps I need to take to achieve that goal.

So when I received the call about scheduling this interview the first thing I did was research your offices. As you are based in an area of town I am not familiar with I drove by here after work one evening just to make sure I knew the way. I also checked Google Maps to see what the traffic would be like at this time. Nothing worse than being late sitting in traffic after all.

I actually have a contact who works in your finance department, Claire, we were colleagues in the place I am currently working. I reached out to her to see if there was anything she could tell me about the interview process. We had spoken before about the company as a whole and how she talks about the company is one of the reasons I applied.

Following our chat I went through all of my work achievements and made sure they fully encompassed everything I have accomplished in my career.

I’m glad I took the time to prepare as I did because there was a lot of traffic so it was good I knew to expect that. Also talking with Claire helped jog my memory on a project we both worked on a few years back delivering a piece of financial software that I believe your company is in the process of deploying.”

Example answer 2

Preparing for this interview was a thorough process for me as I believe it’s a crucial part of any job application process. My preparation started by researching your organization extensively.

I began with your company’s website, going through each page to understand your products, services, values, and mission. I particularly focused on the section about company culture and values because it’s important for me to understand the environment I could potentially be working in.

In addition to your website, I explored various other sources to gain a holistic understanding of your organization. I looked at your recent press releases to see any significant company news and developments. I also checked LinkedIn to get a sense of your company’s size, the profiles of key team members, and to read any recent articles or posts. Furthermore, I looked at review sites to get an idea of what employees and customers say about your company.

Secondly, I focused on understanding the role I applied for in detail. I reviewed the job description and compared it with my skills, experiences, and qualifications to identify key areas where I could demonstrate alignment and value. I also thought through potential questions you might ask based on the job requirements and prepared my responses.

Finally, I conducted a SWOT analysis to identify my strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the job, along with potential opportunities and threats. This helped me prepare for questions about my abilities and gave me a clear idea of where I could fit within your team and contribute effectively.

I believe this preparation has given me a solid foundation for our discussion today and a good understanding of how my skills and experience can benefit your organization.

More Sample Answers…

The examples provided above can serve as a foundation for creating your unique answers. For additional inspiration, our new guide includes five sample responses to this question and over 100 answers to all of the most common interview queries.

Check out “INTERVIEW SUCCESS: How to answer 20 of the Most Popular Interview Questions (with over 100 sample answers!)”

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Question forms part of

Civil Service Question Bank
The MOST Common Interview Questions

Other interview questions that are similar

1. Can you share an example of a project that didn’t meet its objectives and what factors contributed to its failure?
2. How do you typically respond when a project you’re working on is not progressing as planned?
3. Can you discuss a time when miscommunication led to a project failure?
4. How have you applied lessons learned from a failed project to improve your approach in future projects?
5. What strategies do you implement to prevent project failure?
6. Could you tell me about a project that failed due to external factors beyond the team’s control?
7. How do you handle the situation when a project you are managing is likely to fail?
8. What are some of the common reasons that projects fail?
9. Have you ever worked on a project that was a failure?
10. Thinking about a project that was not entirely successful, what was the cause of the project missing expectations?

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

This is a very popular question for interviewers to ask so you should not be concerned that the interviewer is hinting that you will have to handle a lot of failing projects in this role. That said do ensure that you have a good answer primed and ready to go.

The interviewer is looking for a few things when asking this question:

Firstly how experienced are you working within project teams? Nearly everyone who has been around project for a decent length of time will have experienced a failing project. There is no helping it. Projects fail for reasons outside of anyone’s control every day.

Secondly the interviewer wants to see how you handle failure, either your own failure, the failure of others or the failure of life itself to provide you with what you need.

Finally the interviewer is looking to see if you learn from the failures of the past and can take actionable steps to prevent them in the future.

The best approach to answering this question

As with any situational or behaviors question the best approach to this answer is to use the B-STAR technique:

B – Belief – It’s hard to have any positive beliefs / thoughts about failing projects, after all failure is not really something you want to achieve. The best thing to say here is that you always try your best to avoid a project failing by undertaking a full risk analysis prior to project start. You should also mention how you feel it is best not to get attached to projects and know when it is wise to cut your losses and terminate the project.

S – Situation – The best scenarios to describe in a interview are ones that had you play the starring role. Make the responsibility of pulling the plug on the project fall squarely on your shoulders.

T – Task – If you are the project lead this is fairly straightforward. Your task, as it is with every project you lead, is to deliver the project to the best of your ability and to regularly assess your assumptions and business justification for the project.

A – Action – Talk about the steps you took to evaluate whether the project was still a good idea. What sort of analysis was required? Then talk about how you actually killed the project and the steps you took to either minimize the losses or salvage any benefits.

R – Results – What was the aftermath of the project failing? The best scenario would describe how a project was failing, through no fault of your own, and you managed to close it down without incurring huge losses and even potentially getting some benefits from the project anyway.

How NOT to answer this question

“None of my projects have ever failed. With good planning you can always prepare for anything that is why my projects always succeed”

Don’t say anything like this. Saying that none of your projects have ever failed shows the interviewer that you have not been involved in enough projects. Projects fail from time to time it is as simple as that.

Even if you are the golden unicorn whose projects have never failed this is still the wrong answer to give. If you really are unable to come up with a single failing project then talk about a project that failed one of its metrics (e.g. it was late).

If every project you have ever worked on was a success and met all of its desired goals please write a book and tell us all your secrets.

“One project I was part of failed due to quality issues from one of the project team. Based on the outputs from this colleague we did not hit the target our product should have and management decided to can the project”

Don’t use an example like this when answering this question. Firstly it appears as though you are throwing another colleague under the bus which interviewers never look kindly on. Secondly in an example like this the interviewer will ask why this wasn’t identified as a risk and steps taken to mitigate that risk ahead of time, this will look bad on you as with this example it seems as though the project was reliant on a team member without the required skillset to perform the task at hand. At the end of the day project success or failure rests with the Project Manager. If you are interviewing for this role you need to accept fault and talk about what actions you took to mitigate and prevent re-occurrence.

Tell Me About A Project That Failed

Example answer 1

“Obviously I don’t like to see my projects fail. I always try to plan for enough scenarios and build in enough contingencies to my projects that I am ready for anything. But some times things change and what was going ok yesterday might not be today, so I also believe it’s best not to get too attached to projects and realise when it is the correct move – for the business – to wind the project down.

There was one occasion in early 2020 where a project was facing massive delays. We were attempting to offshore one of our processes and the next step in the project was to send a few trainers overseas to initiate the training sessions. Unfortunately, days before we were due to fly out all flights were cancelled indefinitely (COVID-19)

It was now my job to try to salvage what we could. Our fallback plan was to conduct training sessions via Teams. This was going well until COVID-19 got in our way again. The overseas offices were closed by the government (soon after our own offices would close).

Our team all had the ability to work from home however the offshore colleagues did not.

We started to perform analysis on what it would take our end to get all of the required colleagues trained and working from home. It readily became apparent that the initial costs of deploying such a solution would be higher than the expected benefits over the coming years.

As a result I proposed to senior management that we terminate the project as it no longer made commercial sense. My proposal was accepted and the project was halted and the colleagues were assigned to other projects.

All was not lost however as we were able to repurpose the training materials to be used for our onshore colleagues which saw a reduction in the time spent in attaining competency.“

Example Answer 2

Absolutely, I can share an experience from my previous role as a product manager at a tech startup. We were working on developing a new feature for our app which was supposed to predict user behavior based on past activity and suggest relevant actions. We believed this could enhance user engagement significantly and drive up our app usage.

My team and I put in a considerable amount of time and effort into this project. We spent weeks researching user behavior, building the algorithm, and integrating it into our existing system. However, when we finally launched it after months of hard work, it didn’t perform as we had expected. The feature was not accurate in its predictions as often as we’d hoped, and it actually ended up confusing and frustrating users, leading to a decline in overall user engagement.

In retrospect, there were several factors that contributed to this failure. Firstly, we didn’t test the feature thoroughly enough in a variety of real-world scenarios before launching it. Our testing phase was rushed as we were trying to get the feature live quickly. Secondly, we failed to obtain enough user feedback during the development stage. While we had done an initial survey to validate our idea, we didn’t conduct any user testing during the development phase to get ongoing feedback and make iterative improvements. Finally, we underestimated the complexity of accurately predicting user behavior. Our algorithm was not sophisticated enough to account for the myriad of variables that can influence a user’s actions on an app.

This experience was certainly a disappointment, but it also provided some valuable lessons. It underscored the importance of thorough testing and the necessity of obtaining regular user feedback throughout the development process. Additionally, it reminded us that we need to have a deep understanding of the problem we’re trying to solve before we start building the solution.

Since then, I’ve implemented changes in my approach to product development. For every subsequent project, I’ve prioritized thorough testing, sought user feedback at every stage, and ensured that we have a well-researched and realistic understanding of what we’re trying to achieve before we start building. As a result, our later projects were much more successful, demonstrating that while failure can be tough, it can also be a potent source of learning and improvement.

More Sample Answers…

The examples provided above can serve as a foundation for creating your unique answers. For additional inspiration, our new guide includes five sample responses to this question and over 100 answers to all of the most common interview queries.

Check out “INTERVIEW SUCCESS: How to answer 20 of the Most Popular Interview Questions (with over 100 sample answers!)”

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Question forms part of

Civil Service Question Bank
The MOST Common Interview Questions

Other interview questions that are similar

1. How do you handle customer complaints or dissatisfaction?
2. Do you actively seek customer feedback to assess their satisfaction?
3. How do you respond to negative criticism from customers?
4. How do you create an environment where customers feel comfortable sharing their concerns?
5. Can you provide an example of a time when you successfully resolved an unhappy customer’s issues and regained their trust?
6. How do you analyze and address recurring customer complaints or dissatisfaction?
7. Describe a challenging customer complaint you faced and how you managed to resolve it.
8. What do you do when a customer is unhappy?
9. Do you encourage customers to let you know how you are doing?
10. How do you handle negative criticism from a customer?

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

This is a popular question within customer service facing and customer service managerial interviews.

For customer facing roles the interviewer is looking to see how you handle interactions with the customer with regard to your performance. If it is negative are you able to resolve the issue satisfactorily to leave a happy customer and prevent future mistakes from occurring.

For managerial roles the interviewer is looking to see how you use feedback to create a better team and better overall customer experience. If the feedback is negative do you rectify the situation with the customer and provide training and support to your team members to prevent re-occurrence? If the feedback is positive do you praise your team and try to expand on the things that were done right, that the customer was pleased with?

As this is a behavioural question the interviewer is looking for both how you would respond to customer feedback if you were to get the position but also how you have responded to customer feedback in the past.

The best approach to answering this question

The best way to come at this question is to have 2 examples: one where the customer provided negative feedback and one where the customer provided positive feedback.

In your answer you should start by talking about how you always welcome customer feedback, both good and bad, as feedback allows the company to know where it is going right and more importantly where it is falling down and needs to change.

This question is not looking at how you do your job it is looking at how you handle feedback and how you deal with customers. The best answers therefore are when you received feedback for something that was not your doing.

For negative feedback you can talk about how you took responsibility for the negative experience and apologised to the customer on behalf of the company. This shows good character and leadership as it shows that you took ownership of the fault without resorting to blaming others (throwing your colleagues under the bus as they say). If possible discuss how you took steps to fix the underlying cause of the problem either through changes to process or training of staff members.

For positive feedback it is important that you ensure the correct party receives the accolades (shows humility on your part). Talk about how you praised the colleague and shared the success with others in order to inspire further good work. And again if possible talk about how you took this positive feedback and used it to improve processes elsewhere.

See how, even though you were not responsible for why the customer was providing feedback, the way you handled the feedback shows professionalism and the makings of a great colleague.

How NOT to answer this question

“A customer was upset as we were late in delivering an important report. I told them that it was due to a new employee who was still fresh on the job and that I will personally ensure the report is on time until the colleague is completely up to speed”

This is a partially good answer. The part where the interviewee stepped up to the plate to ensure the issue would no longer occur was a nice touch. However nobody likes it when you blame new colleagues for mistakes. If the colleague is new why were they solely responsible for the report in the first place?

“One of our clients at the end of an engagement provided a pretty mixed feedback report, however it highlighted me and my status updates as one of the more positive elements of the work. I made a note that my status reports were well received and to carry this over to other engagements. The client was so happy that they provided me with tickets to a local sporting event. Me and 3 friends had a great time”

While it is good that the interviewee was called out specifically as being one of the better parts of the engagement, the answer also states that the report was pretty mixed. Meaning that there was some negative aspects to the feedback that were not mentioned. This screams out that the interviewee is only interested in how they were perceived and not that the client had a good relationship with the business as a whole.

It doesn’t matter if the client liked you personally if they still don’t continue working with your firm.

Also taking client gifts and sharing them with your friends is a bit of a dick move. At least say you offered them to your colleagues first!

“How Do You Respond To Customer Feedback”

Example Answer 1

“I love receiving feedback from customers. That’s why in all of our after-sale communications there is a big link asking customers for their feedback. I believe that understanding how a customer feels about our business and process is fundamental to our growth.

When I receive feedback the first thing that I do is thank the customer, regardless of whether the feedback is good or bad. If the feedback is negative I quickly look to rectify the issue and fix the underlying problem, if the feedback is positive I share it with my team to provide encouragement to continue the good work

For example, quite recently we were tasked to provide a market research report for a new client. When we issued the report we received both good and bad feedback.

The client was more than pleased with the work and output from our focus groups and stressed how they thought we went above and beyond in this regard. Upon hearing this I sent the feedback to our Senior Management team to highlight how one of my colleagues who led the session could enhance our focus group processes so that the same level of service can be deployed to all of our clients.

On the other hand the client was displeased with how long the report took to produce and be issued. I immediately apologised to the client and assured them that in the future we will ensure they are given a more robust timeline so they know exactly when to expect our reports. I also discussed with our management team how we could potentially deliver our reports in stages as some areas of the report take longer to complete than others. This was discussed and agreed by the execs and is now part of our offerings to each client”

Example Answer 2

“In my role as a customer service representative for a software company, I highly value customer feedback. We actively encourage customers to share their thoughts and experiences through our various feedback channels.

When I receive feedback, my first step is to express gratitude to the customer, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. If the feedback highlights an issue or concern, I immediately focus on resolving the problem and addressing the underlying cause. Conversely, if the feedback is positive, I share it with my team to acknowledge their efforts and motivate them to maintain their excellent work.

Recently, we had a customer who provided feedback on our software’s user interface. They expressed their appreciation for the intuitive design and user-friendly features. I promptly shared this feedback with our development team, emphasizing the importance of their attention to usability and their success in delivering a positive user experience.

However, the same customer also expressed frustration with the speed of our software’s response time during peak usage. Recognizing the significance of their concern, I personally reached out to the customer to apologize for any inconvenience caused. I assured them that we would prioritize addressing this issue to enhance performance during high-demand periods. Subsequently, I engaged with our development and infrastructure teams to explore optimization measures and improve response times. As a result, we implemented several enhancements to ensure smoother operation, and I informed the customer of the steps we had taken to address their feedback.

Furthermore, I initiated discussions within our company about the possibility of scaling our infrastructure during peak usage periods to better accommodate increased demand. These discussions involved our management team, technical experts, and infrastructure providers, and we established a plan to allocate additional resources during peak times to maintain optimal system performance.

By actively listening to customer feedback and taking prompt action, we continuously strive to improve our software and meet customer expectations. It is essential for us to value customer insights and implement necessary changes to enhance their overall experience.”

More Sample Answers…

The examples provided below can serve as a foundation for creating your unique answers. For additional inspiration, our new guide includes five sample responses to this question and over 100 answers to all of the most common interview queries.

Check out “INTERVIEW SUCCESS: How to answer 20 of the Most Popular Interview Questions (with over 100 sample answers!)”

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Interview Question: Tell me about a time when you have had to make a decision using only limited information? – Answer Tips
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Question forms part of

Civil Service Question Bank
The MOST Common Interview Questions

Other interview questions that are similar

1. Can you provide an example of a time when you had to make a decision with limited facts? How did you approach it?
2. Have you ever experienced pressure to make a decision before exploring all the relevant points? How did you handle it?
3. How do you ensure your decisions are well-informed when you have limited information?
4. Share an experience in which you relied on your instincts or intuition to make a decision due to incomplete information. How did it turn out?
5. Describe a situation where you had to make time-sensitive decisions based on incomplete data. How did you mitigate potential risks?
6. How do you balance the need for quick decision-making with the importance of gathering all the facts?
7. How do you set a course of action when you don’t know all the facts?
8. How do you make limited information decisions?
9. Have you ever been pressured into a decision before all the points had been explored?
10. How do you handle decision-making when you lack complete information?

What the interviewer is looking for by asking this question

The interviewer wants to understand your decision making process and how that process works under less than ideal situations.

It is easy to say what you would do when the ‘correct’ answer is obvious, but the interviewer is looking to see how you cope when the ‘correct’ answer isn’t obvious.

And of course with questions like this the interviewer is not only looking for how you WOULD handle the situation they are also looking at how you HAVE PREVIOUSLY handled similar situations.

The interviewer wants to see that you have faced difficult decisions before and they want to see how you fared.

The best approach to answering this question

As with all scenario based questions it is best to use the Situation Task Action Result method. Come up with a time that you needed to make a decision and then talk it through with the interviewer.

It is important that you recognise that making decisions without all the facts is not an ideal scenario.

The first thing you should mention therefore is how this differed from your normal decision making process. Talk about how you tried to follow your usual process (in order to make an informed decision) but something caused you to be unable to.

It is best – in an interview setting – to lay the blame on an external party or force. A random shift in the weather might have caused your timescales to change and an immediate decision was required. Or even a vendor going bankrupt unexpectedly causing a disruption in the supply chain.

Something that you could not have seen coming and forces you into a bind.

Then use some time to discuss how you went about making your decision, using your experience and expertise to make the best possible decision given the hindrance.

Finally wrap up your answer by talking about how after you made your decision you went back and looked at why you were put in that spot in the first place, i.e. why wasn’t the information available, and how you took steps to prevent a re occurrence in the future.

How NOT to answer this question

“I do not make decisions until I have all of the necessary information, I always prepare in advance so that nothing can surprise me”

You might think this is a good approach to this question. You show the interviewer that you prepare for all eventualities and as such are never caught off guard. Thereby being able to make rational informed decisions every time.

But that is not feasible.

In the real world there are a lot of unknowns. You will often have occasions where the info you require is unobtainable.

If you answer this question like above the interviewer will not be impressed with your thoroughness and level of preparedness. No, the interviewer will think you are inexperienced and naive. Probably cocky as well.

Which is not good

“In the end I just went with my gut and it ended up being the correct decision”

If you say this in the interview the interviewer will just think you got lucky, not that you have some special heightened instincts for decision making in business.

Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without all the information you needed – Example answers

Example Answer 1

“When I worked as a store manager for X I was there on Day 1 of a new store opening and it was my job to make the staff schedule.

Now if you’ve ever been responsible for creating the shift rota you know that the number of colleagues you need is based on forecasts. Forecasts that are largely driven from past data.

But this was a new store so I needed to decide how many staff we should have in without knowing how many staff we were going to need!

I had to think about things tactically. While it would not be ideal to have too many staff in it would be worse if we had too few; so any judgements I were to make would have to err on the side of over staffing.

Through my experience I knew how many staff members were needed to manage a store when empty and when at peak. Now I just needed to make an informed estimate of how many customers to expect.

I reached out to similar sized stores in the organisation and started to speak to the store owners within the area to get an idea of what to face.

Eventually using the information I had gathered I completed the schedule. Day of opening rolled around and luckily we had enough staff to motor through, toward the end of the shift we probably had too many colleagues on the shop floor but that just meant we were able to provide even better customer service. Gotta make a great first impression after all!

After things had settled down I reported to my senior management team that in the future it would be wise to provide the store manager with the analysis that was used when deciding to open the store in this location as it would have had a lot of the necessary information for me to make my decision”

Let’s dive into this answer and see what was done right:

• The scene was set quickly and in an easy to understand manner
• The interviewee quickly realised what information was missing
• The interviewee made educated and rational judgements in formulating the decision
• The answer shows that the interviewee was correct in her judgement without coming off as boastful or cocky
• The whole thing is wrapped up with suggestions on how to improve for the next time around

To make the answer even better the interviewee could have talked about how they usually make a rota but given that the answer is already quite detailed I would say any interviewer would be impressed with the above.

Example Answer 2

“In my previous role as a project manager for a construction company, I encountered a significant disagreement among the team regarding the selection of subcontractors for a new project. We needed to choose the right subcontractors based on their expertise, availability, and cost-effectiveness, but we didn’t have access to all the relevant information.

To address this disagreement, I initiated a meeting with the project stakeholders and team members involved in the subcontractor selection process. We discussed the available options and the limited information we had at hand. It became clear that the team was divided between two subcontractors, each with their strengths and weaknesses.

To make an informed decision, I suggested conducting thorough background research on both subcontractors, including their past performance on similar projects, client feedback, and their financial stability. I assigned team members to gather as much information as possible within the given time frame.

In addition to the research, I reached out to industry contacts and colleagues who had worked with these subcontractors before. Their insights and experiences provided valuable perspectives that helped fill the knowledge gaps.

Once we had compiled the available information, I organized a follow-up meeting to present the findings and recommendations to the team. During the meeting, I encouraged open and constructive discussion, allowing team members to voice their concerns and preferences based on the gathered data.

To ensure fairness and transparency, I proposed a voting process in which each team member could express their preference and provide justification for their choice. However, I emphasized that the final decision would consider the overall project requirements and objectives, rather than solely relying on individual opinions.

After the discussion and voting process, we reached a consensus on the subcontractor selection. Although we couldn’t obtain all the facts, we made the best decision possible based on the information we had gathered. Throughout the project, we closely monitored the subcontractors’ performance and adjusted our approach if necessary.

Looking back, I believe that despite the limited information, our collective effort and thorough research allowed us to make an informed decision. It highlighted the importance of leveraging available resources, industry connections, and collaborative decision-making processes to mitigate risks associated with incomplete information.”

More Samples Answers…

The examples provided above can serve as a foundation for creating your unique answers. For additional inspiration, our new guide includes five sample responses to this question and over 100 answers to all of the most common interview queries.

Check out “INTERVIEW SUCCESS: How to answer 20 of the Most Popular Interview Questions (with over 100 sample answers

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