Behavioral Personal Conflict Interview Preparation Guide

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IF I WOULD SELECTED I WILL GIVE SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THIS COMPANY BECAUSE I HAVE COME FROM OVER SEAS, I WOULD WORK HARD, EXTANT AND CONTRIBUTE MY EXPERIENCE TO THIS COMPANY

When resolving a problem between employees, I serve as a neutral third party. When needed, I establish rules of conduct. For an organization to operate efficiently, employees must be on the same page. At most organizations, bad feelings may exist among some employees, so a manager is responsible for ensuring that employees are placed in situations where they're comfortable to focus on their job responsibilities. In other words, employees must be situated around others they can work with so productivity is not affected.

A good conflict resolution example has a happy ending. Describe the positive outcomes resulting from your actions. When possible provide quantifiable results. If you're unable to measure the results, provide anecdotal evidence that positive outcomes were achieved.

Review in your mind both the effective and ineffective strategies you used in each instance. Although you will not share all of your failures during an interview, understanding how you have grown in addressing conflict is useful as a self-awareness exercise. You also will be prepared should the interviewer ask you to describe the lessons you have learned in regards to dealing with conflict.

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 conflict 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 conflict.

Candidate should appear to know how to convince others that their point is right. Sees conflict as natural. Never personalizes it, but explains the issues involved forcefully; stands up for what he believes is best for the business in a logical and reasonable manner.

Answer given should show you that the candidate can stick with it and work through negativity quickly.

Job seeker should appear to know how to resolve issues and uses it as an opportunity to reinforce interpersonal relationships; concentrates on the issues and never personalizes things.

You basically want to hear that they do not like to point fingers at others; that they try to stop the mistake from happening again by making his/her colleague aware of their error in a non blame educational manner.

Candidate should show that they are helpful in resolving conflicts by understanding each co-workers view of the situation.

Job seeker should explain that they put the team first; should not appear easily intimidated; seeks to resolve differences; does not personalize conflicts.

Job seeker should explain that seeking clarification is alright; that they try to clarify things to make sure the job is done right; should see conflict as natural and not a personal attack.

Disagreeing with a supervisor or professor does not make you unemployable. The interviewer wants to know how you expressed your disagreement and whether the conflict caused an impasse or a disruption in the work environment.

Ask for clarification about the context of the interview question when necessary. In being asked to describe your usual response to conflict, you may be wondering if the interviewer wants to hear an example from any aspect of your life or strictly in the work environment. Whenever possible, avoid examples about your personal life and focus on work-related instances.

Consider situations in past jobs that involved arguments or disagreements. A miscommunication with a coworker may have angered you because it led to a negative review from your supervisor. A supervisor's unwillingness to give you time off may have caused you to miss your friend's wedding. Scan your work history for such examples.

First of all, when responding to conflict resolution questions, answer with confidence. You're likely being considered for a management or supervisory position where you will frequently be required to work in teams, delegate responsibilities, and handle difficult problems (and employees). Only confident candidates need apply.

At a previous job, I was responsible for resolving a conflict between two team members who could no longer work effectively together. Their relationship began affecting the productivity of other employees, as well as their team. The first thing I did was separate them to calm the situation. I then proceeded to meet together with both parties to discuss the problem in a calm and controlled setting. I assumed control of the discussion since emotions frequently trump reason during disputes between two people and made it clear that a compromise must be reached. One of my main objectives during the meeting was to understand the perspectives of both parties without siding with either one. At first, this was difficult since each party presented their arguments without considering other perspectives. To counter this, I made it clear to each party that changes must be made since the status quo was unworkable. Shortly thereafter, we agreed to a workable solution. Before concluding the meeting, I emphasized that during future disagreements each party must act considerately and professionally, and avoid getting emotional. After our meeting, work resumed as normal and the overall work atmosphere became more pleasant.

I'm proactive. In other words, I monitor situations closely to prevent minor problems from escalating into major ones. In most cases, minor problems can be resolved by simply meeting individually with affected parties. It's not a good idea to ignore a problem in hopes that it will resolve itself. Some managers avoid confrontation, which often results in bigger problems that are more difficult to handle. Effective leaders are aware of many factors, including jealously, individual differences, and other issues that create conflicts among employees. Therefore, effective managers must meet individually with feuding employees and suggest workable solutions.

I have had differences of opinion with previous managers. Our disagreements were not significant, but some had to be confronted and resolved. I have learned that two parties typically quarrel when each one refuses to consider the other's perspective. Therefore, I asked the manager I disagreed with to explain his or her perspective, and then to consider my point of view. This way, we were able to take into account each other's perspective and come to an agreeable compromise. When a compromise could not be reached, I accepted my manager's decision. Regardless of individual perspectives, managers are responsible for setting policy, and subordinates are responsible for executing it.