Questions in the conflict interview (with examples) | Big interview (2023)

Updated for 2022:Conflicting interview questions are among the most common interview behavior questions asked by hiring managers.

The aim is to find out how you can deal with conflicts, be it with colleagues or bosses, and how to manage and maintain interpersonal relationships in the workplace.

What is a conflict?

A conflict is a clash of interests, ideas, perceptions, or feelings that can create a great deal of disharmony and hard feelings.

In the workplace, as in other areas of life, it is difficult to deal with conflict; it can cause a lot of tension, distrust and disruption.

Some sort of conflict is inevitable when there is more than one person in the same room, especially when they share a common goal. Some of your coworkers, bosses, and/or clients will prove to be... well, difficult to work with. Differences of opinion are inevitable.

It is important to know how to solve conflicts professionally, peacefully and constructively. This is particularly true in certain professions (project management, customer service, law) and in certain corporate cultures.

Therefore, conflict interview questions are asked to review your experience andhow to deal with difficult situations.

Frequently asked questions in conflict interviews

• Tell me about a team project where you had to work with a difficult person.
• Tell me about a time when you had a conflict at work.
• Give an example of how you had to react to an unhappy person
  supervisor/customer/colleague.
• Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a rule or approach.
• Describe a situation in which you disagreed with the manager.
• How do you deal with conflicts? Give me an example.
• Tell me about a challenge or conflict you faced at work and how you dealt with it.

Notice how each question begins with "Tell me about...'',"Give me an example of a time..."or"Describe a situation in which..."? That means that's allbehavioral questions about conflicts.

behavioral issuesInquirespecial situationsin which you were showna specific ability or behaviorthat is relevant to the position you are applying for. In this case it is conflict management.

I recently conducted an interview skills workshop for managers in a large company. The issue of conflict behavior questions came up (this large multinational mainly uses behavior questions when interviewing candidates).

A manager shared a memorable response"How would you handle a conflict at work?"A new candidate replied:"I would invite this person to meet me in the parking lot after work and work this out man-to-man."

Guess what? He didn't get the job. But here's how he could have responded instead.

How to answer questions in conflict interviews

Questions about conflict may surprise you because no one likes to talk about conflict at work. Also, you'd probably prefer to pretend you're an absolute pleasure to work with and that no one has ever said an unkind word about you.

But you have a less than happy situation to talk about. It can be difficult to come up with a good example on the fly—and even harder to describe a conflict concisely and in a way that puts you in a favorable light.

For this reason, it is important to prepare a sample in STAR format in advance.

STERNstands forSituation,task,Plot, andResults. It tells a story from start to finish and showcases your skills.

ImSituationpart, you want to set the context, which in this case is a conflict that involves you and other people.taskis there to communicate what you needed to do - find a way to successfully resolve the conflict.Plotdescribes how exactly you did it, andResults, well ... it is clear. Pro tip: Make the action part 60-80% of the answer. This is because recruiters want to know every detail about how you did your job, how you communicated, what strategies you used, and the like.

Also, for a detailed answer and strong storytelling, we recommend writing down the key points and then practicing.

In our softwareBig interviewwe have developed a tool specifically for creating your STAR interview responses. We call it theResponse Generator.

Once you've logged into your Big Interview Dashboard, you'll be able to navigate"exercise"Area and choose from four different exercise options:Practice interviews, interview roulette, question library and answer generator.

After selecting the Answer Builder, you will be taken to a screen that allows you to step through itSTERNFormat step by step and carefully present your answer.

You can choose which competency area to create responses for, name your STAR stories, and receive guidance in creating your responses.

Remember that the goal is not to formulate an answer word for word. The STAR format allows you to structure the general form of your answer by noting bullet points for each of the key aspects of the story.

When you feel confident with your STAR answers, it's time to start practicing!

Return to the dashboard and navigate back to"exercise"Tab Select“Practice Talks”.

From here you can choose what type of interview you want to practice. Because we are discussing behavioral interview questions that demonstrate competencies, we choose “CCompetence/Competence"to practice our STAR answers.

Now you can choose which skill you want to practice.

After you have selected your competency question set, you will be taken to the exercise area. A pre-recorded interviewer will ask you a series of questions related to your chosen competency. You have the opportunity to practice your answers using your STAR bullet points as notes.

Keep practicing until you can seamlessly give a full answer without referencing your notes.

Once you've mastered your answers, navigate to"My videos"Tab where you will find all your recordings.

From here you can send your video to trusted friends and mentors for review.Get AI feedback, or simply review and rate yourself.

Why we like it

These bullet points provide good context - it was an important and complex project with a tight deadline. The designer not only missed a deadline, but threw a fit when asked to do so. This is a real conflict with a colleague that, if handled poorly, could have led to disaster.

Tip:Don't get bogged down in unnecessary details. The interviewer doesn't need to know anything about the brochure's color scheme, the history of the show, or the designer's odd wardrobe choices.

Why we like it

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

Tip:Again, stick to the actions that are most relevant and demonstrate your conflict management skills.

Why we like it

That's a nice, concise happy ending. The candidate describes the resolution of the conflict, the positive impact on the relationship with the designer and the bottom line.

Tip:The end results ($$$) make it even more impressive. This is not possible with every conflict resolution story, but you should always choose the example with the most significant results.

Conflict Example Answer #2

Why we like it

The bullet points provide enough context without going into too much detail. There is no need to talk about what exactly the projects involved and such.

Why we like it

Notice that the "Action" section is longer than the "Situation/Task" section? That's because recruiters are more interested in learning details about how the conflict was resolved. Feel free to go into more detail in this section and keep the others shorter.

Why we like it

A triple happy ending. The conflict has been resolved, a new strategy put in place so everyone can be successful in their roles, and an important lesson learned about clear communication.

1. Choose good conflict examples:

• Choose an example that shows how you actively approach the resolution of an important conflict, e.g. B. a real conflict with a colleague or a conflict with a manager.
• Be precise. Don't give a generic answer like, "I deal with conflict all the time and I've learned to keep calm and that communication is key." It's boring and doesn't answer the question.
• Do not choose a minor disagreement (“He didn't want Italian for lunch’) or a conflict that was resolved by someone else or just disappeared without direct action. The idea here is to show off your interpersonal skills andproblem solving ability.
• Avoid examples that might make you look bad. For example, don't share a time when your mistake or miscommunication CAUSED a conflict.

2. Get specific information about your conflict resolution measures

• The most memorable and compelling stories contain enough detail to paint a picture. Show why this conflict was important and that you managed it competently.
• However, you have to try to keep the story short. It's very easy to get carried away on tangents (especially if you haven't prepared in advance). Stay focused.
• Stick to bullet points. Don't try to memorize a script.

3. Practice

• Take the time to practice telling your story. This is especially important when telling a story about conflict.
• Conflict often leads to arguments, problems, and damaged or broken professional relationships. You want to feel confident discussing the sensitive details in a way that gets your points across.
• To feel 100% ready and confident when submitting your answer, we recommendpractice before, as much as you can.

Your future awaits you, good luck!

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