How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions About Building Relationships with Key Stakeholders

Answering behavioral interview questions about building relationships with key stakeholders requires showcasing your ability to manage, develop, and maintain relationships in a professional setting. These types of questions are often designed to assess your interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking.

To answer these questions effectively, use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Here’s a breakdown of how you can structure your response:

1. Understand the Question

Behavioral questions often start with prompts like:

• “Tell me about a time when you had to build a relationship with a key stakeholder.”

• “Give an example of how you managed a difficult relationship with a key stakeholder.”

• “Describe a time when you had to gain the trust of a key stakeholder.”

These questions are asking you to provide concrete examples from your past experience that demonstrate your ability to build, nurture, and manage relationships with important individuals or groups that affect your work or business.

2. Use the STAR Method

• Situation: Set the scene by describing the context of the situation. Who were the stakeholders involved, and what was the importance of the relationship?

• Task: Explain your role in the situation and what was expected of you. What was the goal you were trying to achieve in terms of building a relationship?

• Action: Highlight the specific actions you took to build or strengthen the relationship. This could involve communication, collaboration, trust-building activities, or conflict resolution strategies.

• Result: Conclude with the outcome. What was the result of your actions? How did the relationship impact the project, team, or company? Provide measurable outcomes if possible (e.g., increased collaboration, improved performance, successful project completion).

3. Example Response Using STAR

Question: “Tell me about a time when you built a relationship with a key stakeholder in your organization.”

• Situation: “In my previous role as a project manager, I was tasked with leading a cross-departmental initiative to improve the company’s internal communication platform. One of the key stakeholders was the head of IT, who was initially resistant to change due to concerns about system compatibility and security risks.”

• Task: “My responsibility was to ensure the IT department’s buy-in for the project, as their cooperation was crucial for successful implementation. I needed to establish a collaborative relationship with the head of IT to address their concerns and keep the project on track.”

• Action: “I initiated a series of one-on-one meetings with the IT leader to listen to their concerns and understand their priorities. I made sure to address any technical issues directly, and I worked with the IT team to create a plan that balanced security needs with the goals of the project. I also involved them in the decision-making process at key stages, ensuring they felt valued and heard. Over time, I built trust by being transparent and keeping them updated on progress, addressing any issues that arose, and finding solutions together.”

• Result: “As a result, the head of IT became one of our strongest advocates for the project. The relationship we built allowed us to implement the new platform on schedule, and it led to a 30% increase in user adoption within the first three months. The IT department also took on a more active role in supporting future initiatives, fostering a more collaborative atmosphere between departments.”

4. Tips for a Strong Response

• Be specific: Don’t provide vague answers. Interviewers are looking for details about the steps you took, the challenges you faced, and the impact of your actions.

• Use positive language: Focus on how your actions led to success. Even if the relationship was difficult at first, emphasize how you overcame obstacles and turned things around.

• Show empathy and emotional intelligence: Building relationships with stakeholders is about understanding their needs and concerns. Highlight how you actively listened, acknowledged differing viewpoints, and found common ground.

• Focus on results: Employers want to know how your relationship-building efforts led to tangible outcomes. Whenever possible, quantify the impact of your actions.

5. Alternative Question Example and Response

Question: “Describe a time when you had to manage a challenging relationship with a key stakeholder.”

• Situation: “At my last job, I worked as a marketing coordinator. One of our most important stakeholders was a senior executive in the finance department. However, we often had differing priorities—while my team was focused on brand building, the finance executive was more concerned with cost savings and ROI.”

• Task: “I was tasked with finding a way to align our goals so that we could work together more effectively and get the resources needed to execute marketing campaigns.”

• Action: “To bridge the gap, I scheduled a meeting to better understand the finance executive’s concerns. I shared the long-term value of marketing initiatives and presented data showing how past campaigns had resulted in revenue growth. I also made sure to involve the finance department early in the planning process, allowing them to provide input and create a more balanced approach that addressed both financial and marketing goals.”

• Result: “This collaborative approach led to stronger alignment between departments. We successfully launched a marketing campaign that resulted in a 15% increase in sales, and the finance department became more supportive of future projects. Our relationship improved, and we started working together more efficiently on cross-functional initiatives.”

By following these steps and focusing on your specific actions and results, you’ll be able to demonstrate your ability to build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders.