Giving Constructive Feedback

Show that you can tell a colleague something hard, in a way that is specific, kind and useful, and that you followed up.

Overview

Most people avoid giving hard feedback. They hope the problem goes away, or they hint at it so softly that nothing changes. Interviewers ask about feedback to find out whether you will speak up when a teammate's work is hurting the team, and whether you can do it without damaging the relationship.

They are not looking for bluntness. They want to hear that you picked a private moment, described what actually happened rather than judging the person, listened to their side, agreed on a next step and checked in later. Feedback that changes nothing is not a success story, so the result matters as much as the conversation.

The same skill applies upward and sideways: feedback to a manager, a peer or someone on another team. A strong candidate can also describe positive feedback they gave on purpose, not only criticism.

Courage — Raised it early, on their own — Waited until it blew up, or told the manager instead
Specificity — Describes an event and its effect — Talks about attitude or personality
Setting — Private and timely — In a meeting or weeks later
Two-way — Asked for the other person's view — Delivered a speech
Follow-through — Agreed on a next step, checked in, reports the outcome — Ends at 'I told them'

What you will be able to do

Structure feedback with Situation, Behavior, Impact, and then ask about intent.
Tell a feedback story in STAR form with a clear follow-up and result.
Adapt the approach for a peer, a report and your manager.
Answer the harder follow-up: 'What if they disagreed?'

Interview questions

Tell me about a time you gave difficult feedback.
What framework do you use for giving feedback?
What if the person disagreed with your feedback?
How do you give feedback to your manager?

Giving Constructive Feedback

Overview

What you will be able to do

Interview questions

More Behavioral topics