Fearless InterviewingANSWERA: I would tell my coworker that it’s illegal to steal from
the company.
ANSWERB: I would immediately tell my supervisor.
ANSWERC: I would probably tell my coworker that I had suspi-
cions about his or her stealing and that I hoped he
or she would return what was stolen. If I noticed that
the stealing continued, I would have to bring it up
with my supervisor.
Answers A and B both make sense. They are not necessarily the
“wrong” answers. Answer C, however, is the most appropriate
one because it shows that the interviewee would first attempt to
solve the problem with the other employee on his or her own and
then get management involved only if those strategies didn’t
work.
Companies generally prefer that employees try to work out
their problems themselves. It shows good interpersonal skills to
be able to bring up something negative with a coworker. Of
course, if the problem can’t be solved, it shows good judgment
and loyalty to the company to broach the subject with a manager
or supervisor.
You might expect to receive several questions in the what-if
category. Usually what-ifs are hypothetical questions involving
morality, ethics, and interpersonal relations. The interviewer is
not looking for an exact answer as much as he or she is evaluat-
ing your judgment as good or poor. Consider the following hypo-
thetical situations, and imagine how you might handle them,
should the interviewer bring them up:
QUESTION: What if you noticed a team member really slacking off? He
is coming in late, taking long lunches, leaving early, or
chatting on the phone when he is supposed to be helping the
team meet its deadline?
ANSWER:Well, I might say, “Hey, Harry, we really need your
help here. This is an important project, and all of us
need to work together to see it through. You’ve got
the talents to help us make the deadline. I really rely
on you as part of the team, and I think your involve-
ment would help out everyone. I have a lot of