It’s impossible to overstate the importance of communication within the business world. If you needed to boil down the secret to success into a single concept, it would be communication: The ability to explain your perspective and accept someone else’s. As a result, anyone hoping to interview for a job should know how to communicate their skill at the concept of communication itself – whether that’s with coworkers, bosses, or those working under them.
This guide is aimed at people looking for tips on how to come across well in an interview. However, it should be helpful for those who are on the other side of the negotiation table as well, since it digs into the logic that both the employer and the would-be employee should be keeping in mind.
Here’s what job interviewers will ask you about communication, and how best to answer them.
Communication Interview Questions: Overview
Communication is a broad concept. So, we’ll have to start by breaking it down into a few categories that will make it easier to handle.
- Coworkers: Interacting with your peers is likely the most common form of workplace communication.
- Your boss: Weekly 1-to-1 meetings with your manager are practically a guarantee, and they’ll be interviewing you for the position as well.
- Your direct reports: Not every employee will have reports, but if you do, knowing how to properly communicate is incredibly important.
- Software skills: CRM software, Slack, and Google Meet are among the stables of white-collar work these days, and effective communicators must know how to navigate them.
More widely, good communication stems from a strong understanding of the workplace environment and your place within it. Having a plan, managing your time, and being able to look ahead: These skills will all bolster your ability to communicate well, even though they aren’t communication skills themselves.
How You Talk to Coworkers
Navigating workplace communication is all about balance. For example, you’ll need compassion, but can’t be a doormat. And that balancing act will be even tougher if you’re a woman, with workplace misogyny on the rise this year. Here are the common questions you’ll need to field.
“How would you define your type of communication style?”
You’ll have to figure out an answer that’s authentic to you – just make sure you focus on your most positive traits. For some, that’s an emphasis on clarity and straightforwardness, while others are best at empathy and catching non-verbal cues.
“How do you go about building rapport with co-workers?”
Think about any anecdotes about fun coworker interactions that you can have in the back of your mind. Perhaps you came up with a great idea for a new marketing tactic while hanging out at the water cooler, or maybe you picked up an idea for a Secret Santa gift because you knew a coworker’s favorite hobby.
These sorts of anecdotes are easy to forget because they’re so low-stakes, but that’s just what makes them such good examples of how you can serve as the glue that keeps your team acting like a team.
“Describe a situation where you dealt with a conflict at work.”
It can’t all be sharing fun weekend plans: Sometimes you’ll clash with your coworkers over the proper course of action. Comb your brain for any anecdotes you might have of a genuine disagreement that you were able to resolve by taking a moment to see it from your coworkers’ perspective.
Perhaps they came around to your view, but you’ll actually come across as more thoughtful in the interview if you can cite a time when you changed your own mind. Whichever path you choose, ensure that your answer ends with a positive resolution or impact. “After that, we never spoke again” won’t endear you to your prospective employer!
“Can you give me an example of when you persuaded others?”
This answer can be just like your response to the “dealt with a conflict” question, but with a focus on how you were able to win over your teammates. Don’t forget to explain why your argument won the day, though. Maybe you justified a policy change with fresh data, or perhaps you polled the team to find out which date would work for the holiday party.
How You Talk to Your Boss
You’ll talk to coworkers more often, but your weekly conversations with your direct manager are even more relevant to your job interview, which will almost certainly include at least a round or two with your manager.
“What’s the biggest conflict you had with your manager, and how did you resolve it?”
Keep your answer to this question positive while you think of how you were able to get past a real problem at work. Perhaps you missed too many deadlines in a row and needed to manage your time better, or maybe you misinterpreted the role of your job in some way.
You’ll likely want to pick a problem that you faced with your favorite manager, not your least favorite one. Everyone has a different managerial approach, and it takes a little time for even the best manager to figure out what clicks.
“Tell me about a time when you had to explain complicated material. How did you clarify if the other person understood your explanation?”
Breaking down a complicated process or explanation always involves some core functions: Keep your language simple, provide the context surrounding the process, and include real-world applications (and sometimes analogies). To answer this question, try to think of an example of a lengthy process that you were able to break down into a simple, replicable system – and maybe dig into how tools like spreadsheets helped to streamline communication.
Consider combing through your LinkedIn page or your CV for examples of these processes.
“What do you do to ensure that you communicate effectively at work?”
Sometimes the simplest questions are best. This is just about the most straightforward way that an interviewer will ask you about your communication approach. It’s a great jumping-off point for any anecdote or explanation that you have prepared and need to roll out.
How You Talk to Your Direct Reports
Managers are the final boss of communication: They need to figure out all the key stakeholders within a situation and know how to address conflicting interests or priorities. If you’re applying to a management position, you’ll need to emphasize your ability to do just that.
“Can you describe a time when you led a team through a difficult situation?”
This question aims to assess a job candidate’s leadership and problem-solving abilities in challenging situations. To answer it, focus on a specific problem and walk through the steps you took to keep you on track. Explain how you ensured clear and consistent communication, and how you figured out what motivators worked best.
“Give me an example of how you have used active listening to help a situation.”
Proactively paying attention becomes even more important when you’re in a management position over others at your job, given your higher level of responsibility. Explain how you follow up on a problem without needing to be asked about it.
One example of how you identified a blocker and removed it in order to help an employee get back on track should do the trick.
“Tell me about the most challenging person you have ever interacted with.”
Much like the common “What’s your biggest flaw?” question, this one can easily feel like a catch-22: You don’t want to dodge the question, but you also don’t want to actually complain about how annoying your old coworkers were – this always comes across as an immature, sour-grapes reaction, even if your dislike may have been justified.
Instead, respond by starting with your coworker’s perspective. Perhaps they took an analytical approach, when you would have preferred more empathy. Explain how you were able to navigate your differences to remain productive.
How You Handle Communication Software
Communication includes more than just interpersonal water cooler discussions. You’ll also need to know how to communicate through writing, through video call meetings, and – depending on the demands of your position – with email blasts to clients or customers.
“What business software do you have experience with?”
You’ll likely get a version of this question that’s tailored to the tools and software that your potential role will require. If so, you should get a heads-up from the job application, which will list the platforms and tools that they expect you to use.
Prepare ahead of time, so you’ll have a response: Hopefully, you have a little or a lot of experience with all the tools, but at the very least, try to come up with something to say about your knowledge with the general type of tool. If you haven’t used Hubspot, perhaps you have experience with another popular CRM, such as Salesforce or Zoho.
“Can you work in the office? Can you work remotely?”
Return-to-office mandates are popular right now, but your potential next workplace might operate on anything from hybrid to fully remote. Whatever the case, they’ll need to know you’re on board with it.
You’ll want to come across as the team player you are in your response: Let them know that you can mute yourself on Zoom like the best of them, or explain how you thrive in a frenetic office environment.
“Tell me about a time in which you had to use your written communication skills in order to get across an important point.”
Some people write paragraphs on Slack, while others stick with single-word responses. What’s your approach? Have you ever needed to write an email to diffuse a situation, or to tactfully press a point? Any skills that you can show off are great for your answer, as long as they’re professional and put you in a good light.
Final Job Interviewing Tips
Communication might be key, but it won’t be the only focus of your interview – check out our full guide to the top 39 most common interview questions to prepare for anything that you’re likely to be hit with.
Finally, don’t forget to roll your shoulders and take five deep, slow breaths once in a while. You can memorize all the anecdotes you want, but during the actual interview, you’ll want to let your brain go a little blank and project some confidence. If you’ve done the prep work beforehand, the answers should come to you.
