Working Together at interview: questions, follow-ups and answers

At interview, Working Together is probed live: panels test whether your statement was really you, and whether you can handle the behaviour's hardest parts aloud. Here are the questions to expect, the follow-ups that catch people out, and how to structure your answers.

How panels test this behaviour

Panels usually ask one behaviour question per behaviour being assessed, scored against the same descriptors as the sift. For Working Together, the question almost always invites a story about people: building a relationship, working across a boundary or handling a disagreement. Some panels explore the example from your written statement; others ask for a new one, so arrive with at least two stories ready.

Panels also watch how you tell the story. Someone who describes colleagues warmly and shares credit naturally is demonstrating the behaviour in the room, not just reporting it. Blame language, eye-rolling at 'difficult' stakeholders or claiming all the credit will be noticed.

Likely questions

• Tell us about a time you built an effective working relationship with someone whose background or perspective was very different from yours.
• Give an example of when you worked with another team or organisation to achieve a shared goal.
• Describe a time you had to resolve a disagreement or conflict with a colleague.
• Tell us about a time you had to win support from people you had no authority over.
• Give an example of when you made sure everyone's voice was heard in a group decision.
• Tell us about a time a working relationship broke down and what you did about it.

Map your stories to these before the interview. Your cross-boundary story covers the second and fourth questions; your conflict story covers the third and sixth. Knowing which story fits which question stops you freezing when the wording is unfamiliar.

Follow-ups that catch people out

The follow-up is where scripted answers collapse. Common probes for this behaviour include:

• What exactly did you say when you raised the disagreement?
• What did the other person think of your approach at the time?
• What would you do differently if the situation happened again?
• How did you make sure the quieter voices were included?
• What happened to the relationship afterwards — is it still working now?

Structure your answer with STAR

Use the same STAR shape as the written statement, compressed for speech: two sentences of Situation, one of Task, most of the time on Action, and a Result with a number. Two to three minutes is the right length for the main answer; leave space for follow-ups rather than pre-empting every possible one.

For example, asked about working across teams, open with the stakes — 'both queues were about to lose their shared staff over the bank holiday' — then walk through what you did in order: the separate meetings, the data, the joint session, the rota you rebuilt.

If you blank, buy time honestly: 'That is a good question — let me think of the strongest example.' Panels prefer a ten-second pause to a rambling non-answer.

If you are asked to give a presentation

Some interviews, especially at SEO and above, include a presentation. Working Together is rarely the stated topic, but it is often what the panel is watching: do you acknowledge contributors, credit partners and answer challenge gracefully? Build one slide of thanks or shared credit into the deck where it is genuine, and treat hostile questions as collaboration practice — hear the concern, acknowledge it, then answer.

At senior grades, expect a question about collaboration at system level: partnerships, arm's-length bodies, other departments or administrations. Have a story that shows influence without authority and something that outlasted you.