Interview Question: Tell me about a time you worked with a teammate who wasn't pulling their weight.
This is a delicate situation requiring empathy, directness, and professionalism. Interviewers want to see you can address performance issues constructively without immediately escalating to management.
What Interviewers Are Looking For
- Empathy: Did you try to understand what was happening?
- Directness: Did you address it or just complain?
- Support: Did you offer help?
- Judgment: Did you know when to escalate?
STAR Framework
S - Situation
What was happening? How was it affecting the team?
A - Action
- Have a private, empathetic conversation
- Try to understand root causes (personal issues? skill gaps? unclear expectations?)
- Offer concrete help and support
- Set clear expectations going forward
R - Result
Improvement (ideally) or appropriate escalation.
✓ Strong Answer
"A teammate was consistently missing deadlines and seemed disengaged. Instead of complaining to my manager, I asked them to coffee. They shared they were struggling with our new tech stack. I offered to pair program and connected them with better learning resources. Their productivity improved significantly within a month, and they thanked me for not making it a bigger deal."