How do you build relationships and trust with team members you rarely see in person?
Why This Is Asked
Interviewers want to see that you invest in relationships even when it's not convenient. Trust is harder to build remotely—they're assessing whether you have intentional practices for connection and whether you understand that rapport matters for collaboration and retention.
Key Points to Cover
- Dedicated 1:1 time for non-work conversation and personal connection
- Being present and attentive in video calls (camera on, minimal multitasking)
- Showing interest in people as individuals—remembering details, celebrating milestones
- Creating opportunities for informal interaction (virtual coffee, team socials)
- Consistency and follow-through—trust builds over time through reliability
STAR Method Answer Template
Describe the context - what was happening, what team/company, what was at stake
What was your specific responsibility or challenge?
What specific steps did you take? Be detailed about YOUR actions
What was the outcome? Use metrics where possible. What did you learn?
đź’ˇ Tips
- Give a specific example of building trust with someone you've never met in person
- Show that you don't treat 1:1s as purely transactional—relationship-building is part of the job
- Mention small gestures that matter: remembering a birthday, asking about a hobby, following up on something they shared
✍️ Example Response
STAR formatSituation: I managed a team where I'd never met half of them in person—they'd been hired during the pandemic and were spread across the US and Europe. One engineer, Maria, was based in Madrid. She was talented but quiet in group settings, and I sensed she didn't fully trust that I had her back. Building rapport over Zoom felt forced at first.
Task: I needed to build genuine relationships and trust with people I might not see in person for months. Trust is the foundation for feedback, delegation, and retention—I couldn't skip it.
Action: I made 1:1s non-negotiable and reserved the first 5–10 minutes for non-work conversation. I asked about her life: she'd mentioned training for a half-marathon, so I'd check in on that. When she shared that her dad was ill, I remembered and followed up the next week. I was fully present on video—camera on, no multitasking—and I took notes so I could reference what she'd said later. I also created informal touchpoints: we had a monthly "random coffee" where I was matched with a different report each time for 20 minutes of casual chat. I made sure to celebrate her wins publicly in team channels and in leadership updates. When she had a conflict with a peer, I had her back in the conversation and debriefed with her afterward. Over time, she started sharing more in 1:1s and taking on stretch assignments she'd previously declined.
Result: Maria became one of my strongest advocates and was promoted within 18 months. She told me in her exit 1:1 (when she moved to a new role) that the consistency of our 1:1s and feeling "seen" made the difference. Our team's retention improved, and I learned that trust remotely requires intentional investment—it doesn't happen by accident.
🏢 Companies Known to Ask This
| Company | Variation / Focus |
|---|---|
| Amazon | Hire & Develop the Best — "How do you build trust with your team?" |
| Psychological safety, team building | |
| Meta | Building high-performance culture |
| Microsoft | Inclusion, coaching |
| Salesforce | Ohana culture, trust |
| Airbnb | Belonging, building community |
| Lyft | Mission-driven, mentorship, team resilience |