Tell me about a time you had to work with a difficult coworker.

How to answer this behavioral interview question: a complete STAR example, the mistakes interviewers watch for, and the follow-ups you should expect.

A strong STAR example answer

A year ago I was assigned to co-lead a client reporting overhaul with a colleague who had a reputation for being difficult. He interrupted people in meetings, dismissed proposals in the first sentence, and two analysts had already asked off his projects.

My job was to deliver the overhaul in eight weeks, and half the timeline depended on his subject-matter knowledge. Avoiding him was not an option.

First, I observed how he worked for a week instead of judging from reputation. I noticed his sharpest pushback came when ideas were presented verbally without numbers, and he was far more constructive in writing than in meetings. So I adapted: I sent written proposals with data the day before our working sessions and invited his critique asynchronously. I also asked him directly, in our first one-on-one, how he preferred to receive pushback. He said, "Challenge me with evidence, not enthusiasm," so I did exactly that.

The overhaul shipped on schedule, client-facing reporting errors dropped by about 40 percent, and our working sessions became the fastest part of the project. He later requested me as a collaborator on his next initiative. A year on, he is still the person I call first when a project needs honest pushback — and he calls me for the same reason.

How to structure your own answer

• Situation: Describe the coworker's behavior factually, without name-calling.
• Task: Explain why working with them was unavoidable and what you had to deliver.
• Action: Show how you adapted your approach instead of complaining or escalating.
• Result: Give the outcome and what the experience taught you about people.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Labeling the coworker with character judgments instead of describing observable behavior.
• Choosing a story where the real solution was escalating to HR or a manager.
• Claiming you changed the other person rather than adapted how you worked with them.
• Ending with lingering bitterness, which tells the interviewer the conflict is unresolved.

Follow-up questions to prepare for

Interviewers use follow-ups to verify your story is real. If you use this question in a real interview, expect probes like:

• What would you have done if adapting your style had not worked?
• Did you ever give this coworker direct feedback about his behavior?
• How do you decide when to adapt and when to escalate?

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