What is the hiring manager looking for?

Hiring managers want to see that you have the emotional intelligence and conflict resolution skills necessary to be a productive and positive team member. They want to know that you are confident in resolving conflicts and that you have a proven track record of doing so effectively.

How to structure your answer

The STAR method is an effective way to structure your answer.
* Situation: Describe the situation in which the conflict occurred.
* Task: Explain the task or goal that the team was working on.
* Action: Describe the steps you took to resolve the conflict.
* Result: Explain the outcome of your actions.

Tips to answer this interview question

Tips:
* Stay calm and professional throughout the interview.
* Be honest about your role in the conflict, and take responsibility for any mistakes you made.
* Focus on the positive steps you took to resolve the conflict.
* Provide specific examples of the outcomes of your actions.

Avoid:
* Blaming others or making excuses for your behavior.
* Getting defensive or emotional.
* Rambling on or providing irrelevant information.

Example interview answers to this question

Sample Answers:

Answer 1:

“In my previous role, I was working on a project with a team of five other people. We had a tight deadline, and everyone was feeling stressed. One day, two of my teammates got into an argument about who was responsible for a particular task. The argument quickly escalated, and the rest of the team was starting to get involved.

I knew that I needed to step in and resolve the conflict before it got worse. I called a team meeting and asked everyone to calm down. Then, I asked each person to explain their side of the story. Once I had a better understanding of the situation, I was able to help the two teammates find common ground. I also helped them to develop a plan for completing the task that they were arguing about.

In the end, the conflict was resolved, and the team was able to complete the project on time. This experience taught me that it is important to be able to stay calm and professional under pressure. It also taught me that it is important to be able to listen to all sides of a conflict before making a judgment.”

Why this answer is strong:

This answer is strong because it follows the STAR method and provides a specific example of how the candidate successfully resolved a conflict between team members. The candidate also demonstrated their ability to stay calm and professional under pressure, and their ability to listen to all sides of a conflict before making a judgment.

Answer 2:

“In my current role, I am responsible for managing a team of 10 software engineers. One day, I noticed that two of my team members were not collaborating effectively. They were constantly arguing about who was responsible for what, and they were not meeting their deadlines.

I met with each team member individually to get their perspectives on the situation. I also observed them working together on a few projects. After I had a better understanding of the situation, I realized that the conflict was due to a lack of communication and clear expectations.

I worked with the team members to develop a communication plan and to clarify their roles and responsibilities. I also provided them with some training on how to resolve conflict effectively.

After implementing these changes, the conflict between the two team members was resolved. They were able to collaborate effectively and meet their deadlines. This experience taught me that it is important to be able to identify the root cause of a conflict before developing a solution.”

Why this answer is strong:

This answer is strong because it provides a detailed example of how the candidate successfully resolved a conflict between team members. The candidate also demonstrated their ability to identify the root cause of a conflict and to develop a solution that was effective.