# How do you work with people from different backgrounds? Answers

Give one or two habits you actually use, like checking how people prefer to communicate, making space for quieter voices, or explaining jargon, then prove them with a specific example where you worked across cultures, generations or functions. Say what you adjusted and what the result was. Avoid stereotypes and generic lines like 'I treat everyone the same'.

By the Speaking Coach team at Sodhera Intelligence. Updated 2026-10-22. Source: https://www.orecci.com/speaking-coach/interview-questions/how-do-you-work-with-people-from-different-backgrounds/

## What the interviewer wants to hear

Versions of this question include "Tell me about a time you worked with someone very different from you" and "How do you contribute to an inclusive team?" Employers ask it because most teams mix nationalities, languages, ages, functions and working styles. They want to know:

- **Do you notice differences** that affect how people work, like language, time zones or how directly people give feedback?
- **Do you adjust**, rather than expecting everyone to work like you?
- **Do you make others feel included**, especially quieter or newer people?
- **Can you give a real example?**

"Background" is broad. Your example doesn't have to be about nationality. Working across generations, between engineering and sales, or with clients from another industry counts too.

## Habits that show inclusive collaboration

Pick one or two that are true for you and name them in your answer:

| Habit | What it looks like |
| --- | --- |
| Asking how people prefer to work | "I ask new teammates whether they'd rather get updates by message or a call." |
| Writing things down | "After calls with colleagues working in a second language, I send a short written summary so nothing is lost." |
| Making room for quieter voices | "In meetings I ask for input in a round, or let people add ideas in writing afterwards." |
| Explaining jargon | "When I work with finance, I avoid our product shorthand and define terms once." |
| Respecting time zones and holidays | "I rotate meeting times so the same people aren't always on at 10 p.m." |
| Checking assumptions | "If someone's quiet, I don't assume they agree. I ask directly, one to one." |
| Learning, not guessing | "When I didn't know how a colleague's culture approached feedback, I asked them." |

## A structure for your answer

1. **One line on your approach.** "I try to learn how people work best rather than assume they work like me."
2. **A specific example.** Who, what the difference was, and why it mattered for the work.
3. **What you adjusted.** The concrete change you made.
4. **The result.** For the work and the relationship.

Keep the example respectful. Describe differences in how people worked, not traits of a group.

## Example answers

These are examples with made-up details. Use a real situation from your own work or study.

### Example answer: across cultures and time zones

> "I try to understand how people like to work before deciding how we'll work together. In my last job, I coordinated a project with a team in Manila and a client in Germany. I noticed the Manila team rarely raised concerns in the big weekly call, but they had good points in one-to-one chats. So I started sending the agenda a day early and asking for comments in writing, and I'd open the call by reading out their comments. The number of issues caught before deadlines went up, and the team lead there told me it made the calls much more useful for them."

### Example answer: across generations

> "At the bank, I trained a colleague in his sixties on our new system. He knew far more about customers than I did, but the software was new to him. I asked how he liked to learn. He preferred a written step list over videos, so I made one. In return, he taught me how he handled difficult account conversations. He was using the system on his own within two weeks, and I still use his approach with upset customers."

### Example answer: across job functions

> "As a developer, I work closely with the sales team, who don't use our technical terms. Early on, I explained a delay in engineering language and could see I'd lost them. Since then I explain issues in terms of what the customer will notice and when. Our sales lead started inviting me to client calls because I could explain things simply."

### Example answer for a graduate

> "At university my project group had students from four countries, and our first draft was messy because we had different ideas of what 'finished' meant. I suggested we agree a simple checklist for each section. It removed a lot of friction, and we got the highest mark in our seminar group."

## Mistakes to avoid

| Mistake | Why it hurts | Try instead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| "I treat everyone exactly the same" | Suggests you don't notice differences | Show you adjust to how people work |
| Stereotypes about a group | Unfair and a serious red flag | Describe one person's or team's working style |
| "I've lived in five countries" with no example | Experience isn't the same as skill | Show what you did with it |
| A story where you were the only one who adapted | Can sound self-congratulatory | Show it went both ways |
| Avoiding the question with a generic team story | Misses what they asked | Make the difference clear |

## Practice it out loud

Practice this answer out loud to check your wording. It's easy to slip into a generalisation without meaning to. Listen for words like "they always" or "people from there" and replace them with what one person or team did. Speaking Coach's AI interviewer can follow up with "What did you change?" so you practise the specific part.

## Questions people ask

### What counts as a "different background"?

Culture, nationality, language, age, gender, education, job function, industry, or working style. Pick the example where the difference really affected the work.

### Should I mention my own background?

If it's relevant and you're comfortable, yes. It can be a strength, for example speaking a second language with customers. You don't have to share anything personal.

### What if I've only worked in a small, similar team?

Use clients, customers, suppliers, volunteers or classmates. Working across functions, like with finance or IT, also counts.

### Is it okay to say it was hard at first?

Yes. Saying you made a mistake early and then adjusted makes the story more believable.

### How long should my answer be?

About 60 to 90 seconds: one line on your approach, then one specific example.

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