Why interviewers ask this

This question, common in cross-functional and senior individual-contributor roles, assesses whether you can genuinely persuade and align people who do not report to you, since much real organisational work depends on this kind of influence rather than formal hierarchy alone. Interviewers want a specific example of real persuasion, not simply asking politely and being agreed with immediately.

Choosing the right example

Pick a genuine example where you needed buy-in from a peer, another team, or someone senior to you, and where there was real, initial resistance or disagreement you had to work through, rather than an example where everyone was already aligned from the start.

How to structure your answer

Briefly explain what you needed the other person or team to do and why, describe the specific approach you used to build genuine understanding and buy-in (data, relationship-building, addressing their concerns directly), and close with the outcome and what it taught you about influencing effectively.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this question only relevant for senior or leadership roles?
No, informal influence is relevant across most collaborative roles, including individual contributor positions that regularly depend on cross-functional cooperation, so a genuine example from any level of experience can work well here.
What if my attempt to influence someone ultimately did not succeed?
This can still make a genuine, honest answer, particularly if you can speak clearly to what you learned about your approach and how you would handle a similar situation differently in future.

Before your next interview, it helps to have the fundamentals down. Our complete guide to preparing for a job interview covers the basics, and the STAR method is a reliable way to structure almost any answer under pressure.

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