When you’re preparing for a behavioral interview, one of the key areas you may be asked about is how you’ve handled challenging situations in the past. Specifically, questions about working with difficult stakeholders are common, especially for roles that require you to collaborate with others, manage projects, or navigate complex relationships.
Behavioral interview questions are designed to assess how you’ve acted in situations that may arise in the future. These questions are often framed around the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Here’s a guide to help you tackle these types of questions effectively:
1. Understand What “Difficult Stakeholders” Means
Before jumping into examples, it’s essential to know what interviewers mean by “difficult stakeholders.” In the context of these questions, a stakeholder is anyone involved in or impacted by a project. A difficult stakeholder could be:
-
Someone with conflicting goals or priorities
-
A person who is hard to communicate with or unresponsive
-
A stakeholder who doesn’t understand your point of view or the challenges you’re facing
-
A person who is resistant to change or new ideas
-
Someone who constantly changes their mind or provides unclear expectations
By identifying the key characteristics of a difficult stakeholder, you can better tailor your examples and answers.
2. Use the STAR Method to Structure Your Response
To make sure you answer behavioral questions effectively, it’s helpful to use the STAR method. This structure allows you to showcase how you handled situations in the past, emphasizing your skills and problem-solving abilities. Here’s a breakdown of the STAR method:
-
Situation: Set the stage by describing the context of the situation.
-
Task: Explain the challenge or responsibility you had in that situation.
-
Action: Detail the steps you took to address the challenge.
-
Result: Highlight the outcome of your actions and the impact it had on the project or team.
Let’s break this down with an example.
3. Crafting Your Response: Example
Let’s say you’re asked the question, “Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult stakeholder.”
Here’s how you might structure your response:
Situation:
“In my previous role as a project manager, I was tasked with overseeing the development of a new software system. One of the stakeholders, a senior executive, had very specific and high-level expectations about the project but was often unavailable for regular meetings or feedback sessions. This made it difficult to align the project’s direction with their expectations.”
Task:
“My responsibility was to ensure that the project stayed on track and met the needs of all stakeholders, including this senior executive. However, I needed to find a way to engage with them effectively, given their limited availability.”
Action:
“I recognized that waiting for a traditional meeting schedule wasn’t going to work, so I adapted my approach. I reached out to the executive and suggested we hold brief, but more frequent check-ins via email, where I could provide updates and ask targeted questions. Additionally, I created a concise project summary document that outlined the milestones and key decisions, which I sent in advance of every meeting. This allowed the executive to provide feedback asynchronously and stay informed without requiring a large time commitment.”
Result:
“As a result, the executive was able to stay more engaged and informed about the project, and I was able to adjust the project’s direction based on their feedback in a timely manner. The project was completed on schedule and met all critical requirements, which ultimately contributed to a successful product launch.”
4. Focus on Key Skills
When talking about working with difficult stakeholders, you should emphasize the following skills:
-
Communication: You’ll need to showcase how you were able to clearly communicate, whether it was about expectations, timelines, or changes.
-
Adaptability: Being able to change your approach based on the stakeholder’s needs shows flexibility and creativity.
-
Problem-solving: Show how you found a solution that worked for both you and the stakeholder, balancing their needs with the project’s requirements.
-
Conflict resolution: If there was a conflict with the stakeholder, explain how you handled it and worked toward a resolution.
-
Patience and empathy: Working with difficult people often requires patience, understanding, and the ability to remain calm under pressure.
5. Anticipate Common Follow-Up Questions
Interviewers often ask follow-up questions to dig deeper into your experience. Some examples include:
-
“What was the biggest challenge you faced during that situation?”
-
“How did you handle disagreements or differing opinions?”
-
“Could you have done anything differently to improve the relationship?”
-
“What was the feedback from the stakeholder after the project?”
Prepare to answer these follow-ups by thinking about the nuances of your example, the lessons learned, and any areas where you could have taken a different approach.
6. Be Honest About the Outcome
If the situation didn’t end perfectly, that’s okay! Interviewers appreciate honesty and the ability to reflect on what went wrong and how you would handle it differently in the future. For example, you might say:
“The project ultimately delivered, but there were some challenges in managing the stakeholder’s expectations around certain features. In hindsight, I realize that setting clearer expectations earlier on and identifying key milestones for review might have helped avoid some of those challenges.”
7. Practice with a Range of Scenarios
Sometimes, preparing for a specific behavioral question like “working with difficult stakeholders” means thinking about a variety of situations where you’ve had to navigate different types of difficult personalities. Practice different scenarios where you had to manage conflicts, align expectations, or communicate complex ideas. This preparation will help you feel confident in responding to any variation of the question.
8. Demonstrate Professionalism and Positivity
Even if your experience with a difficult stakeholder wasn’t entirely positive, it’s important to demonstrate professionalism and a positive attitude in your response. Focus on how you took ownership of the situation and worked toward a constructive resolution. Avoid blaming the stakeholder or complaining about the situation. Instead, show that you can maintain a professional demeanor no matter how challenging the circumstances may be.
Conclusion
Behavioral interview questions about working with difficult stakeholders give you a chance to showcase your communication, conflict-resolution, and adaptability skills. By using the STAR method to structure your answers, focusing on key competencies, and being honest about the outcomes, you can effectively demonstrate your ability to navigate challenging situations. Remember, the goal is not only to show that you’ve worked through difficult scenarios in the past but that you can apply those lessons to future challenges in your new role.