Interpersonal Skills Job Interview Questions

These Queries Allow Employers to Assess Applicants Relational Ability

Hispanic woman with resume applying for job during interview meeting
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By
Susan M. Heathfield
Susan M. Heathfield

Susan Heathfield is an HR and management consultant with an MS degree. She has decades of experience writing about human resources.

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Updated on 12/04/20

The following sample job interview questions about interpersonal skills enable you to assess your candidate’s skills in interpersonal relationships. Literally, no job exists that does not require an individual to have some degree of communication skills.

Even jobs in which you might believe that employees work alone, such as computer programming, require a certain amount of professional interaction with a team so that all separate tasks meld together into a whole product upon completion. They take interpersonal interaction to plan, provide updates on progress, and to relook at a project to seek opportunities for continuous improvement.

Interview Questions About Interpersonal Skills

No interview should be conducted in which you don't seek to identify the degree of the candidate's ability to professionally interact with people. This is one skill set that is often displayed loudly and clearly during the interviews, unlike other skills such as conflict resolution which will rarely be noted.

In addition to what the interviewers notice about the candidate's skill, you will want to explore further by asking a segment of these questions. People are nervous and may not come across as their more informal daily selves when reacting to questions during an interview.

Sample Interview Questions

Feel free to use these job interview questions during your own candidate interviews. Or, alter them to suit your circumstances, as needed.

  • Tell me about a time when you had to work closely with a coworker whom you disliked or with whom you had trouble working. What did you do to make the relationship work so you could succeed for your company?
  • Tell me about a time when you disagreed with the actions or decisions of your manager or supervisor. How did you approach the situation? Was the situation resolved to your satisfaction or did nothing change?
  • Tell me about a time when you worked with a friend or a co-worker who became a friend. What did you do to ensure that the friendship bore positive results for your company?
  • Describe a conflict you were involved in at work. How did you resolve the conflict? What happened next with that coworker or team?
  • What are three examples of the kinds of behaviors, actions, or attitudes you are most likely to conflict with at work? Can you give me an example of a situation you addressed in the past? How was it resolved?
  • What are the three most important factors that make you an effective, valued coworker at your current job? What would your supervisor say are the three most important factors?
  • If you have reporting staff, how would these staff members describe your relationship with them?
  • During your work experiences while attending college, tell me about a time when you demonstrated that you have the ability and desire to work effectively with your coworkers.
  • When you have entered a new workplace in the past, describe how you have gone about meeting and developing relationships with your new coworkers, supervisors, and reporting staff.

Interpersonal Skills Job Interview Question Answers

What are you looking for in the candidate's responses to your interpersonal skills job interview questions? You are questioning to determine the interpersonal skills of your candidate. An effective coworker solves problems and conflicts with his or her peers. You are looking for responses that demonstrate the candidate has built effective relationships with managers, colleagues, and reporting staff. in past actions in employment settings.

You are observing the candidate's actions and interpersonal confidence as he or she interacts with the interviewers in addition to analyzing the responses they make to your questions. You are also noticing how the candidate interacts with the people they meet on the way to the interview, in the actual meeting, and then, noting how they continue to build the relationship with you as a potential employer following the interview. Every step in your recruitment process provides information about your job candidate's interpersonal and relationship-building skills.

Based on the candidate's answers, your observations, and the observations of other employees, you can judge what kind of person the candidate is in the context of others in the workplace. Hopefully, this will help you make a great hire.

Sample Job Interview Questions for Employers

Use these sample job interview questions when you interview potential employees.