Behavioral interview question · conflict
How have you managed a consistently underperforming team member?
What interviewers listen for
Describe the performance gap and how it was impacting the team (Situation/Task), your approach to feedback, coaching, and setting expectations (Action), and the resolution — improvement or escalation (Result).
Likely follow-up questions
- How did you document and communicate the performance issues?
- What support did you offer before escalating?
- What was the final outcome for the team member?
Practice this question out loud with an AI coach that asks the follow-ups, scores the answer against the STAR method and tells you what to tighten.