At URC, we have a 'family-style' culture that values open communication. Describe a situation where you had to work with someone from a different group or department who was uncooperative. How did you handle it?
RoleManagement Trainee
DifficultyEasy
TopicCultural Fit
Asked at
Why This Is Asked
URC's 18-month program includes rotations across Sales, Marketing, Finance, or Manufacturing, requiring influence without authority. This question probes your ability to navigate interdependencies and maintain relationships, reflecting the family-style yet demanding culture.
General Approach
Pick a real group project or org scenario. Focus on the conversation: how you listened first, found common ground, and proposed a win-win. Avoid blaming the other party; frame it as a problem you solved together.
General Answer
First, reach out to the person directly and privately rather than escalating or venting to others; a short one-on-one conversation almost always surfaces more than assuming bad intent. Ask open questions about their workload or priorities so you understand what is actually driving the lack of cooperation, since it is often competing demands rather than personal unwillingness. Then reframe the ask around a shared outcome both teams care about, and offer something concrete in return, such as sharing your own data or covering a task for them, so it reads as a trade rather than a demand. Agree on a specific, small next step with a date attached, not a vague commitment. If the behavior continues after a genuine good-faith attempt, loop in your manager or theirs, framed around the project risk rather than the person's character. Throughout, keep the relationship intact since you will likely need this person's cooperation again in a future rotation.
PH Interview Gotcha
Common Filipino mistake: using indirect language like 'Baka naman pwedeng...' or over-explaining with 'Kasi po alam niyo naman...' which weakens a request. Another is passive-aggressive escalation: 'Sige, sa higher-ups ko na lang sasabihin.' Instead, show initiative to help solve their problem first.
Sample STAR Answer▾
S
Situation
As the PR head of our university's student council, I needed the Finance Committee's treasurer to release funds for a disaster relief drive. Despite two emails and a personal chat, she kept delaying, saying her own audit report was her priority.
T
Task
I needed the funds within three days to purchase relief goods before the scheduled transport to the affected province, but I had no authority over her.
A
Action
First, I asked her when she would be free for a five-minute milktea chat. Over milktea, I asked about her audit pressure and shared why the relief drive mattered to me; I had friends in the affected town. I offered to help her locate missing receipts for her report by asking batchmates via a single Facebook post. Then I proposed a compromise: she releases half the funds now so buying could start, and I provide post-Brigada Liquidation docs she could attach to her next report. I followed up the next day with a written request summarizing our agreement, copying only the council president for visibility, not to shame her.
R
Result
The treasurer released the first tranche the same afternoon. With that, we purchased essential goods on time and helped 50 families. The treasurer later messaged thanking me for the offer to help; she ended up finding the receipts on her own but appreciated the gesture.
Key Takeaway
Building a personal bridge first, understanding their pressure, turned a transactional deadlock into collaboration. Offering concrete help specific to their workload made my request feel like teamwork, not a demand.
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