3 Approaches to Addressing Conflict-Related Interview Questions

“Describe a moment when you had to resolve a disagreement with a coworker.”

It may cause anxiety to answer this question. Yet, many recruiters may ask questions designed to gauge how you react in stressful situations. In particular, how you handle situations where you and your employer have differing opinions or where you have to deal with a difficult coworker or customer.

A successful response to this question demonstrates to hiring managers that you can work well with people, even when you have to agree to disagree.

In the following paragraphs, we will discuss the reasons for these questions, the most frequent ones, and the best ways to respond to them when interviewing for a job.

Why Potential Employers Probe for Details on Your Conflict Resolution Skills

Interview questions like these are designed to gauge how you would respond in the event of a disagreement with a client, a superior, or a teammate. When working together, even in a close-knit group, disagreements are inevitable. A potential employer will want assurance that you can keep your cool and act professionally even when dealing with an unreasonable or challenging coworker.

Conflict Resolution: Frequently Asked Questions From Employers

There is a wide range of possible questions that the hiring committee could ask to learn more about how you would react in stressful professional scenarios. Most interviews will ask you one or more of the following questions to gauge your comfort with and approach to resolving differences of opinion:

• Tell me about a time you disagreed with your manager.
• Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer. How did you handle it?
• How do you handle conflict at work?
• Give me an example of a time you had to work with a difficult colleague.

Techniques for Addressing Disagreement and Conflict in an Interview

The STAR technique is what you should utilise to answer this question (situation, task, action, results). Here are a few key points to keep in mind as you formulate your reply.

1. Remain Calm

As a general rule, businesses avoid hiring people who have a tendency to lose their cool. Keep your cool and keep your mind on finding a solution, even if it seems like the other person is actively trying to aggravate you.

Here’s an example:

As the referral coordinator at ABC Healthcare, I once received a call from an irate patient whose doctor had referred him to our cardiologist but who had not heard back from us. I composed myself, apologised for the trouble, and told him that we had not received a referral in our system. When he offered his number, I explained that I’d get in touch with them to arrange for a referral and call him back.

2. Get Your Point Across

Effective communication is crucial to the smooth operation of any business. This is also important for settling any disputes that may arise.

What that might sound like in your reply is as follows:

When I was working in the physics department, my boss once asked me out of the blue to take charge of a research study. Within a short time, I got a message from a coworker who was upset that I was using her study without asking. I hoped to convince her of my sympathy for her position. I told her that I had no idea that her old study had been given to me and that it had never been my intention to do so. She must have been frustrated, so I suggested we talk to our supervisor to make sure it wasn’t a mistake and figure out a solution.

3. Put Your Knowledge to the Test

Rehearse your answer, emphasising the lessons you’ve learned as you go. Just what did you learn from this?

Below is an example of what this could look like:

As an intern at our local paper, I once submitted several crucial articles late because I was in a hurry. The editor came up to me, clearly annoyed that I hadn’t followed our editorial style guidelines and that the pieces were riddled with mistakes. I expressed regret and said I could see why she was so concerned about upholding the newspaper’s standard of excellence. To get my writing up to our publication standards, I had to learn to take my time editing and proofreading.

How to Feel at Ease When Answering Difficult Interview Questions

In a high-stakes situation like a job interview, discussing past conflicts and disagreements may not be the best idea. However, you can give an answer that impresses the hiring managers if you know what they are looking for and practise coming up with a thoughtful response.