Sample Interview Questions and Answers: What Would You Do – Don’s Answer

(Who is Don? Don – MBA and International Communications Manager seeking Manager of Corporate Communications role)

Terry: Let’s talk about a scenario.  You may not have had this experience yet, but what would you do if a senior leader was asking you to write a presentation based on information that you knew was actually false?

Don: First of all, what I would do in that situation is identify a few things that stand out to me as a possible very large red flag that I’ll need to be waving.  What I would do is try to give to this leader, first, time to say examples or things I have heard otherwise that this may not be completely accurate.

It also goes to that next level. Often I had the opportunity to provide what I’m writing to pass through the legal department.  And, more often than not, we will also red flag these and I allow them to work with this leader to make sure everything is above board and we’ll not be making, basically, false statements.

But, of course, it’s a situation where I’d keep a very tight paper trail of everything to say why, you know, these things should not be discussed or released within this context or manner.

Terry: So it sounds like you wouldn’t confront the senior leader directly on this.

Don: It depends on my relationship.  You know as I grow in a job and receive more trust from the influential people in the company I would gladly confront them directly, depending on the relationship.

But until I get to know them and develop their trust and the open dialogue that I would hope to have and I have enjoyed with the leaders I’ve worked with, I may take more of a structured level working with the legal department to make those changes.

Here’s how I would rate this answer . . .

Q8. What would you do if . . . – DON QUICK RATING – D

Not sure impression you give here is what you intend, also shifting from what you would do to “often what we and them did” is confusing. Are you also saying if asked to do something illegal you wouldn’t address unless they trusted you?  Be more direct with I would do this, this and this and involve the legal department in this way in this situation. Need to rework this example to be cleaner and show you taking charge. Or find another example.