Conflict Resolution Interview Questions And Answers
How to Answer Conflict Resolution Questions
- ST – Situation/Task
- A – Approach/Action
- R – Resolution/Results
situationapproachresolutionSample Answer – “Tell me about a time you had a conflict with your boss”S/T Example Situation/TaskA Example ApproachR Example ResultsOther Conflict Resolution Tips and Examples1. How do you cope with conflict in the workplace?2. Are there any times where you had a conflict with a superior? If yes, how did you handle it and resolve it?3. Give an instance where you had to settle a conflict between two individuals.
Explain The Actions You Took
Now it’s time to describe your actions to address the conflict. Emphasize your conflict resolution skills and calm personality:
“I sat down with both parties separately to understand their needs. It turned out that the person wanting to use Vue was really excited about Vue 3 and wanted to learn how to use it in a production environment while the person advocating for React wanted to use it because the company had used before.While the React advocate was right, we had used it before, the Vue advocate was really excited and I didn’t want to discourage him as he was a key contributor and a great person. So I told him to spend two weeks spiking a potential use of Vue while the team continued to use React.”
Tell Me About A Time You Had A Conflict At Work
This is one of the most common behavioural interview questions about conflict resolution. Interviewers ask behavioural questions to assess what you did in the past, as it often predicts future behaviour. A hiring manager asks this question to evaluate several skills based on your experience. Your response tells them about your ability to work with others effectively, your communication and problem-solving skills, and your proficiency to resolve a dispute independently.
To answer this question, use the STAR method to develop your response. Using the STAR method provides a framework to answer experience and behavioural interview questions in an organized and effective way. The STAR method is an acronym for a four-step system that includes describing:
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The situation, explaining the conflict or challenge
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The task or your role in the conflict
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The action, providing detailed information on the steps you used to resolve the conflict
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The results of your actions
Example:”In my previous position, while working on a project team, a colleague would continuously put down the suggestions of both myself and my other coworkers during project meetings. The individual would also constantly interrupt the speaker and interject their thoughts. I found it extremely disruptive. I would become impatient with them during project meetings because of my frustration.
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How To Answer Conflict Resolution Interview Questions
Conflict happens in all areas of life, and when you’re applying for a position, the company wants to understand your conflict resolution skills. Confidently answering interview questions about conflict resolution can show your ability to work with others, handle stress, and problem-solve effectively. In this article, we discuss the definition of conflict resolution, why interviewers ask questions about your ability to handle conflict in the workplace, and the most common conflict resolution interview questions with sample responses and tips for handling conflict in a work environment.
Question : Tell Me About A Time You Had To Respond To An Unhappy Customer Or Client
When you’re interviewing for a client- or customer-facing position, youre applying to be an ambassador for the company and that type of role carries a lot of responsibility.
Especially in the age of the internet, how you respond to conflicts with a customer is a public matter. Losing a major client or customer can cost the company a lot of money. Show that you’re willing to go the extra mile to make customers or clients happy. This demonstrates that you understand the value of customer service.
As with other behavioral interview questions, your anecdote should focus on the positive outcome: “Here was how I de-escalated the situation and kept the client happy going forward.”
Show hiring managers that you arent nursing an overblown ego and are eager to embrace a peacekeeping process. Not only can this type of attitude serve you well in the workplace, but it can also improve non-working relationships as well.
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How To Handle The Conflict Question In Job Interviews
Posted on November 12th, 2018 | Category: 2018, Liam Horan, Career Advice
How do you deal with conflict? This is a question that comes up regularly in job interviews for teachers, assistant principals, deputy principals and principals. It can really throw a candidate so it is important to be prepared beforehand.
By Patricia Maloney, Sli Nua Careers
Patricia Maloney heads the Galway office of career training company Sli Nua Careers.Pic: Martina Regan
Based on my experience interviewing and managing numerous teachers as a school principal, and as a career coach with Sli Nua Careers, your answer should show you to be mature and reflective, and eminently capable of defusing conflict situations before they get out of hand. It should also demonstrate that you have a structured approach to dealing with conflict, whether with students, parents or colleagues.
Conflict Resolution Example : Tell Me About A Time You Had To Resolve A Conflict Between Two Colleagues
I was tasked with resolving a conflict between two of my team members. There was an issue that caused a situation where they could no longer work effectively in the same team. As the conflict escalated, it started to affect the productivity of the other team members but other employees on the floor as well. I asked them both if I could talk to them privately to calm the situation. During that conversation, I invited them to talk together to calm the tension and resolve the conflict. I took the position of the mediator to make sure emotions would not get the better of them during the conversation, which often happens during conflict situations.
At the start of our conversation, I told them that a compromise needed to be reached. My main objective was to get an understanding of each persons position, without siding with one of them. I gave them both a chance to tell why they felt a certain way while asking them to respect the perspective of the other as well. I emphasized that a solution needed to be reached to create a workable situation, not only for them but also for other colleagues.
Why is this a strong answer?
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Behavioral Conflict Interview Questions
Most job interviews include behavioral questions .
With behavioral questions, interviewers seek examples of how youve handled specific situations in the past. In this case, how you handle conflict in the workplace. The idea is that past job performance will say a lot about how you would handle yourself if hired for the job at hand.
We have written extensively about behavioral interview questions and how to answer them on our blog, covering all of the major competencies such as Leadership, Communication, and Teamwork.
Learn more about behavioral interview questions and some general advice on preparing for and answering them.
Example For A Finance Professional
Question: Tell me about a time you disagreed with your boss.
Answer: While working on a financial audit for the company last year, my manager pointed out an anomaly in a report on marketing spend.
I was pretty sure that the anomaly couldnt be there, but I knew that refuting his argument right then would have been rash. So, I asked him to give me some time to run the analytics again.
After I went through the data anew, I found out that there was no anomaly and my manager was probably just double checking my work. He was also impressed with the way I rechecked the report and made sure everything was accurate.
Top Tip: A lot of people have a negative experience with the personality traits of a manager or their management style. It would be best if you avoid personality differences and stick to the facts.
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Sample Answers For This Behavioral Interview Question Regarding Conflict
These 10 sample behavioral questions and potential answers can help you prepare for your next interview with prospective employers. Each effective answer breaks down the STAR approach elements to help you craft your perfect response in a positive way.
1. Tell me about a time you faced a conflict at work.
S: At my last job, our weekly supply order was late, and I had to face angry clients and co-workers.T: I was in charge of ordering supplies each week, and they did not arrive on time.A: Although I placed the order before the deadline, the third-party supplier had delivery problems getting our stock to us.R: I took extra time to inform my colleagues and our impatient clients of delivery issues. After consulting with management and receiving approval, I extended one-time discounts to our clients who were left waiting an extra two days to aid in maintaining a professional relationship.
2. Describe a situation where you resolved an issue with a co-worker.
3. Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with your manager.
4. Tell me about a time you had a problem with your colleague.
5. How do you handle conflict in the workplace?
6. How do you deal with different opinions and diversity as part of a team in the workplace?
7. Tell me about a time when there was a rule, policy, or procedure at work that you disagreed on, and what you did.
8. Describe a time when you resolved an issue with an unhappy customer.
9. Tell me about how you deal with difficult team members at work.
Explain A Situation Where You Handled Disagreements When Working As Part Of A Team
Conflict can arise when working with different people in a team. Every team member brings their own working styles to the project, which may differ considerably from yours, resulting in conflict. Answer this question by explaining how you work with different people to accomplish team goals amidst arguments and disagreements. You can also use the STAR method to break down the resolution step by step.
Example:’I remember an experience I had when working with a group to prepare a leadership presentation. We were responsible for conceptualising the presentation and developing action plans to implement it.
Two team members suggested that we hold daily meetings to discuss the program and monitor progress during the project. But the other team members and I didn’t think it necessary since we already had a log to report and track task progress and completion. We felt that since every team member understood their own contribution, it would be more effective to spend time completing the project than attending unnecessary meetings. After much deliberation, we decided to hold the daily meetings, but limit them to fifteen minutes. ‘
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Have You Ever Handled Conflict At Work Provide An Example
Your employers may want to hear about an experience you had resolving conflict at work. The question allows you to explain how you utilised your conflict resolution skills and helps employers assess the steps you take when resolving conflict at work and your teamwork skills. You can answer this question by providing an example of a conflict between you and your teammate. You can consider using the situation, task, action and result method to answer this question:
Situation: Here, you describe the conflict or challenge.
Task: Explain your role in the issue.
Action: Discuss the contributions you made to resolve the conflict.
Result: Describe the outcome of your contributions.
Example:’During collaborative work on a team project, I noticed that one of the team members had a habit of challenging every solution I presented concerning the project. He also interrupted other members while they spoke and would only express his own ideas without appreciating the input of others. We ended up arguing because I wasn’t pleased with the way he interrupted others. Our respective managers had to intervene and counselled us on our behaviour. As a result, I resolved to change the way I handled this kind of situation.
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Example For A Leadership Role
Question: How do you handle conflict?
Answer: I see every conflict or crisis as a learning opportunity. A conflict is a problem, and every problem has its inherent solutions. Finding those solutions is a challenge that can result in knowledge, experience, and wisdom.
So, whenever I am faced with a conflict in the workplace, I put on my challenge-accepted hat, and start brainstorming for possible solutions.
I deeply analyze the situation, consult with responsible parties if needed, and then start to implement the solutions one by one.
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How Not To Answer How Do You Handle Stress And Pressure
Here are the big no-nos when it comes to answering how do you handle stress and pressure?
- Of course, dont say that you cannot handle stress and pressure. Youve basically taken yourself out of the game if you do this.
- Dont mention that the stressful situation made you stressed. Instead, talk about being in that energy of pressure and stress, and how youre able to remain unaffected.
- Be careful how you respond in terms of the particular role it is. If its a multi-tasking role, and you share that you have trouble juggling many tasks and that makes you stressed, youll not be seen as a fit candidate for the role.
Measures Of Handling Workplace Conflict
Relationship in this context does not necessarily mean closeness or friendship, but instead, a sense of mutual understanding in which team members agree on specific roles and boundaries in the workplace. This should be done systematically to prevent misunderstanding and undue isolation.
Conflicts normally take place due to poor communication. So it is expected that you voice your opinion immediately there is a disagreement, rather than allowing resentments and anger to result in full-blown conflict. Workplace communication should equally be done in a mature and civil way so as not to cause disaccord.
It is common for individuals to act in an emotional and subjective way you should strive to be as forthright as possible at the workplace. Try to focus on a coworkers attitude, as opposed to concentrating on aspects of their personality.
In a situation where particular kinds of conflict keep reoccurring, take cogent steps to permanently solve the matter in an effective way. The best way to deal with such a situation is to identify the exact point of contention and calmly discuss possible resolutions.
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Answering Tell Me About A Time You Had A Conflict At Work
Conflicts between colleagues and coworkers often occur at work. This makes organizations interested in assessing how you might handle conflicts at the workplace before hiring you. Understanding how to demonstrate that you can handle workplace conflict in an interview is likely to impress the hiring manager. In this article, we discuss how to answer “tell me about a time you had a conflict at work,” provide answers to other questions about conflict at work, and share tips for dealing with conflict in the workplace.
Q4 How Do You Deal With Differences In Opinion When Working As A Large Team
When working as a team, it is pretty natural for differences of opinion to emerge. Recruiters often ask this question to see how you collaborate and take other peopleâs opinions into perspective while making a decision. Letâs take a look at the sample answer to this conflict resolution interview question.
When we were working on a challenging project in my previous company, a lot of my coworkers had different opinions on how we should proceed. This could lead to differences among members of the team. It is, however, important not to ignore the contributions of team members. The responsibility of resolving a conflict in a situation like this rests upon every team member.
My supervisor took the lead on this and brought everybody together to speak it out and resolve the conflict. This helped a great deal and cleared the air. I also actively participated in the dialogue, stating that everybodyâs contributions and efforts have to be valued if we should respect each other and make great decisions as a team.
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Example For A Project Manager
Question: Tell me about a time you had to deal with a conflict on your team.
Answer: Last year, I was tasked with a new website development project for a product and was handed over to teams of developers and designers.
As the work progressed, I noticed that the speed was not enough to meet the project timeline. I started to discuss the issue with the team leads, but soon found out that each team was blaming the delays on the other.
The situation was getting out of hand, so I took the responsibility of auditing their working processes and tried to determine the bottlenecks. Then, I redesigned the workflow that would result in faster collaboration. As a result, the project was completed in time.
How Do You Deal With Conflict With A Coworker
A hiring manager asks this question during an interview to understand how you work with others within a team environment and your ability to handle conflict with a peer. Through your response, they are evaluating your ability to communicate, problem-solve, and your ability to deal with difficult situations respectively and collaboratively. Conflict isn’t an easy experience to navigate for everyone, so if you struggle with conflict, be honest with the interviewer and include how you are working on the skill.
Example:”In most cases, I handle conflict positively and constructively. I would rather come to a mutual agreement than continue to work in an uncomfortable environment. That said, if my coworker has a strong personality, I occasionally can become passive and allow them to take charge. I’m aware of this pattern and am working on being assertive in these situations to ensure I express my thoughts and ideas.”
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