11/24/2019 Answering Behavioral Interview Questions: Handling Conflict

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Answering Behavioral Interview Questions:

Handling Con ict
by Pamela Skillings | Behavioral Interviews, Interviews 101, Job Interviews

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Part of our ongoing series to help you answer common behavioral interview questions.

Hiring managers love to ask behavioral questions — and one of their favorite subjects is con ict.
Here are a few examples of con ict-related behavioral questions:

Tell me about a team project when you had to work with someone dif cult.

Tell me about a time you had a con ict at work.

Give an example of a time you had to respond to an unhappy

manager/customer/colleague.

Tell me about a time that you disagreed with a rule or approach.

There are many other variations on this theme and it is a very common interview topic. From the
interviewer’s perspective, the idea is to nd out about the candidate’s con ict management
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ability and general interpersonal skills.

Recently, I was conducting an interview skills workshop for managers at a large corporation. The
a
subject of “con ict” behavioral questions came up (this big multinational company uses primarily
behavioral questions when interviewing candidates).

One manager shared a memorable answer to “How would you handle a con ict at work?” A
recent candidate responded: “I’d invite that person to meet me in the parking lot after work and
sort it out man-to-man.”

Guess what? He didn’t get the job.

Before we tell you how to answer the question like a champ, here’s a little refresher on
answering behavioral interview questions in general.

NOTE: This is Lesson 10 from the Big Interview interview training system. Take a quick look
here if you want to learn more about it.

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Behavioral Interviewing Refresher a

Most job interviews include behavioral questions (those questions that typically start with “Tell
me about a time…” or “Give me an example of…” or similar).

With behavioral questions, interviewers seek examples of how you’ve handled speci c situations
in the past. The idea is that past job performance will say a lot about how you would handle
yourself if hired for the job at hand.

Learn more about behavioral interview questions and some general advice on preparing for and
answering them.

Why Interviewers Ask About Con ict

Most jobs require you to get along with different types of people. Some of your coworkers,
managers, and/or clients will turn out to be idiots, slackers, and/or weirdos. Disagreements are
bound to arise.

To succeed at work, you must be able to deal with con ict professionally. This is particularly true
in certain jobs (project management, customer service, law) and in certain company cultures.

Your interviewer wants to get a sense of how you will respond to con ict. Anyone can seem nice
and pleasant in a job interview, but what will happen if you’re hired and Gladys in Compliance
starts getting in your face?

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Con ict questions are common because everybody wants to hire a good “team player.” (It is
probably the most common behavioral question subject) Interviewers often ask about your team a
experiences and they like to ask speci cally about one that involved a con ict or “dif cult
person.”

Inside Big Interview

Our complete training system for job interviews gives you video lessons, sample
answers, and an interactive practice tool for all of the different versions of con ict
interview questions.

Get Started

How to Answer Behavioral Questions About Con ict

This type of question can catch you off-guard. After all, you’ve probably been focusing on how to
talk about all of the positive and wonderful bullet points on your resume.

Nobody likes to talk about con ict at work. Most work con icts are boring. Plus, you’d probably
prefer to pretend that you are an absolute delight to work with and that nobody has ever had an
unkind word to say about you.

A behavioral question about con ict forces you to talk about a less-than-delightful situation. It
can be dif cult to come up with a good example on the y — and even more dif cult to describe
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in concisely in a way that presents you in a favorable light.

This is why it’s important to prepare an example in advance using the S.T.A.R format.
a
The goal is not to script out an answer word-for-word. The STAR format allows you to structure
the general shape of your response by jotting down bullets for each of the key aspects of the
story. Check out Big Interview for more guidance on structuring great STAR stories — and an
Answer Builder tool that you can use to make the process much easier.

Sample Answer — “Tell Me About a Time You Had a Con ict on a Team
Project.”
Here’s an overview of how to use the STAR format speci cally to present a con ict experience:

S/T (Situation/Task)
Brie y describe the context for the con ict that arose. Provide just enough
background information for context.

Example Situation/Task Bullets

I was managing the creation of our new corporate brochure and we

were on a very tight deadline because we had to have brochures
printed in time for a big upcoming trade show.

I was in charge of delivering on time and I had to manage team

members from Marketing, Sales, Graphic Design, and Product
Management.

The designer that was assigned to the project was very talented, but
unfortunately missed a deadline that I assigned. When I approached
him about it, he blew up at me.

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Why We Like Them

These bullets provide good context — it was an important and complex project with a tight a
deadline. The designer not only missed a deadline but threw a t when called on it. This is a real
con ict that could have led to disaster if handled poorly.

Tip: Don’t get too caught up in unnecessary details. The interviewer doesn’t need to
know about the color scheme of the brochure, the history of the trade show, or the
designer’s weird wardrobe choices.

A (Approach)
Talk about the key actions that you took. In the case of a con ict story, the
focus should be on how to resolved the disagreement in a professional and
productive way.

Example Approach Bullets

I was taken aback by his response, but I remained calm. I

acknowledged that the deadlines were tight and explained again the
reasoning and the importance of having the brochure ready for the
trade show.

He relaxed a little when he saw that I wasn’t attacking him. He told

me about all of his other competing projects and how overwhelmed
he was. I asked him if there was any way that I could help him come
up with a solution.

Eventually, we agreed that it would help if his manager had a better

understanding of how important and time-consuming this project
was. We decided we would speak with her together.

She ended up assigning some of his other projects to another

designer, which took some of the pressure off of him.

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Why We Like Them

This candidate walks through the actions taken and why. He shows that he stayed calm under
pressure, tackled the issue head-on, and was able to persuade others (the designer and his
manager) to his point of view.

Tip: Again, stick to the actions that are most relevant and that show your con ict-
management prowess.

R (Results)
Every good interview story includes a happy ending. End your response
with a description of the positive outcome(s) of your action. These results
can be quanti able (increased sales 20%, saved the company $25K) or
anecdotal (The client was thrilled and sent my manager an email, my
manager loved my approach and gave me a promotion).

Example Results Bullets

As a result, the designer was able to focus on the brochure and meet
the deadlines.

He apologized for his blow-up and thanked me for my help.

We successfully completed the brochure in time for the trade show

and received numerous compliments from both our own sales reps
and potential customers.

Our trade show presence led to $300,000 in new sales leads and I
believe the new brochure played a key role in that.

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Why We Like Them

This is a nice, concise happy ending. The candidate describes the resolution of the con ict, the
positive effect on the relationship with the designer, and the business outcome.

Tip: The bottom-line results ($$$) make it even more impressive. This is not possible with
every con ict-resolution story, but you should always pick the example with the most
signi cant results.

Watch this brief video to learn a little more about Big Interview, and then take a quick look at the
step-by-step system we’ve developed to get you ready for your interview.

More Tips for

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Handling Behavioral Questions About Work Con ictsa

1. Pick a Good Example:

Choose an example that shows you taking an active approach to resolving an important
con ict.

Be speci c. Don’t give a general answer like, “I deal with con icts all the time and have
learned to stay calm and that communication is key.” It’s boring and it doesn’t answer the
question.

Don’t choose a minor disagreement (“He didn’t want Italian for lunch”) or a con ict that
was resolved by someone else or just went away without direct action. The idea here is to
show off your interpersonal skills and problem-solving ability.

Avoid examples that could make you look bad. For example, don’t share a time when your
mistake or miscommunication CAUSED a con ict.

2. Get Speci c About Your Actions

The most memorable and compelling stories include enough detail to paint a picture.
Show why this con ict was important and that you handled it capably.

However, you must make an effort to keep the story concise. It’s very easy to go off on
tangents (especially if you haven’t prepared in advance). Keep it focused.

Stick to bullet points. Don’t try to memorize a script.

3. Practice

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Take the time to practice telling your story. This is especially important when telling a story
about con ict. a
Con icts often lead to arguments, problems, and damaged/broken professional relationships.
You want to feel con dent discussing the sensitive details in a way that gets your points across.

Funny example of Adam Sandler NOT handling con ict well.

Pamela Skillings
Chief Interview Coach

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11/24/2019 Answering Behavioral Interview Questions: Handling Conflict

Pamela Skillings is co-founder of Big Interview. As one of the country's top interview
coaches, she has helped her clients land dream jobs at companies including Google, a
Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan Chase.

She also has more than 15 years of experience training and advising managers at
organizations from American Express to the City of New York.

She is an adjunct professor at New York University and an instructor at the American
Management Association.

 

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