12 Questions to Ask a Peer and Sample Answers
To get ready for a peer interview, you should think about the kinds of questions the interviewer might ask you about how you communicate and how you act at work. By taking the time to think about your answers, you can show your potential coworkers that you are a great professional to work with. Ask a Peer and Sample Answers
In this article, we explain what a “peer interview question” is and give you 12 possible questions and sample answers to help you come up with your own answers.
What are the questions for a peer interview?
Peer interview questions are those that your potential coworkers or colleagues, not hiring managers or employers, ask you during an interview. Companies use these kinds of interviews to find people who not only meet the job requirements but also get along well with the people they might work with.
12 examples of questions and answers for a peer interview
Here are 12 examples of peer interview questions, with explanations and sample answers for you to look over:
1.How would you deal with a disagreement with a coworker without going to your boss?
An interviewer might ask you this to see how you deal with problems and to see how well you can communicate. Your answer should show that you can solve problems without involving people in power.
Example: “I would talk to them face-to-face in a private place and tell them if I had done something wrong. I would also ask them how I could avoid conflict in the future, and I would make it clear that I wanted to work through it with them.”
2. What do you look for in a co-worker?
This question is asked by the interviewer to find out what you would expect from them in a business relationship. You should list the qualities of your ideal coworker and explain why they are important.
“My ideal traits for a coworker are empathy, communication, and optimism, because a business runs smoothly when coworkers are kind to each other, talk to each other directly, and spread positive attitudes throughout the office.”
3.How would you describe the perfect employee?
Your interviewer wants to know what your professional values are, so they ask you this question. Your answer should include things that are good about employees at work.
“I would use the words honest, reliable, self-motivated, and compassionate because you need to know that your employees will show up on time, do work without being asked, help others, and take responsibility for their actions.”
4. How well do you work with other people?
Interviewers may ask you this question to find out how well you work in a group. Your answer should stress how important teamwork is and how much you want to work in a team setting.
Example: “I would say that my teamwork skills are very strong, especially when it comes to listening, being reliable, and talking to people. I think I could get better at making decisions because I don’t like to argue with other people about their ideas.”
5. How would you describe the role you play on a team?
Your interviewer is trying to figure out how you would act in a group setting by asking you this question. Do you lead, help, mediate, or make people think? Your answer should be backed up by a specific example.
Example: “I would say that I usually play a role like a mediator on a team because I like to keep the peace. At my last job, I was part of a team that worked on a marketing campaign. Two people on my team didn’t agree on something, so I helped them both say what they thought and come up with a solution.”
6. What are the most important parts of communication, in your opinion?
This question is asked by the interviewer to find out what you think is important about communication and how you would communicate at work. Your answer should explain why you chose the things you did.
Example: “I think that active listening, being clear, and getting feedback are the most important parts of communication. Active listening is a key part of making sure that the person speaking feels heard and valued. Clarification encourages direct and clear communication, both verbally and in writing, while feedback gives people a chance to improve and praise, which encourages them to do better.”
7. What have you noticed about the way we do things at work? How would you keep our values alive?
When an interviewer asks you this, they want to know how you feel about the company from the short time you’ve spent there. This question also shows if you’ve looked into the company’s mission and values or not.
Example: “I really like how your company cares about being environmentally friendly. That was one of the things that made me want to work there. I would try to help the company improve its sustainability projects, and I would love to start a recycling incentive as a way to promote our company’s mission outside of the office.”
8. Can you think of a time when a coworker asked you to help them while you were busy? What did you answer?
This question is asked to see how well you can put the needs of others before your own. Your answer should show that you want to help your coworker before going back to your own job.
Example: “I think it’s very important to support your coworkers and their jobs as much as you support your own. After all, your job could depend on how well they do theirs, and more importantly, on how well the company as a whole does. I would help them finish their work until they were happy with how it turned out.”
9. What would you do if you ran into a problem that you couldn’t solve on your own?
Your interviewer wants to know if you depend on other people to solve problems or if you try to solve problems on your own. Your answer should show that you are willing to ask for help to make sure you don’t make any mistakes.
Example: “Sometimes getting a new point of view can really help, so when I can’t figure something out, I talk to my coworkers about it. Most of the time, they can help me figure out what went wrong and how to fix it, which saves me a lot of time and effort.”
10. How do you deal with change on the job? How about an example?
Your interviewer might ask you this question to see how well you deal with changes in management or in how things are done. In your answer, you should give an example from your own life.
Example: “Change is always difficult but I try my best to embrace it. For example, at my last job, my boss left, and we hired someone from outside the company. I didn’t know them, so I made sure to introduce myself, take them out for coffee, and slowly build up a professional relationship with them that was similar to the one I had with my previous boss.”
11. What do you do during the workday to stay on task?
When an interviewer asks you this question, they want to learn more about how productive and self-disciplined you are. Your answer should talk about how you keep yourself on task.
Example: “I like to break up my day into 90-minute chunks and take 10-minute breaks to move around or get a drink. When I work for too long, I find that the quality of my work goes down and it’s harder for me to concentrate.”
12. What would you do if you saw that a coworker was upset?
Your interviewer asks you this question to find out how well you can show empathy at work. Your answer should show how you have this quality and explain what you would do.
Example: “I would ask them if they wanted to get coffee before or after work. I wouldn’t force them to talk about anything, but I would show my support and help them out if I could.”
