I bet there are some questions you won’t prepare for while going for an interview and one of those questions is, how you handle conflict. Therefore, you must be strategic in answering this question, carefully think before you talk, and don’t be too hesitant to talk while you don’t have anything to say. How To Answer Conflict Questions During An Interview.
To answer conflict questions during an interview, you need to strategically think about what to say, don’t act nervous, be yourself, logically scrutinize the question, and pitch your answer wisely.
How To Answer Conflict Questions During An Interview
- Address the situation
- Mention your role in the conflict
- Explain how you critically address the situation
- And pitch the outcome of the conflict; did it turn out bad or worse.
Tips On How To Answer Conflict Questions
- Show that you can stay calm in a conflict situation.
- Provide a specific situation.
- Show that you’re not biased and you believe in individual differences.
- Show how you can pitch your opinion during a board meeting without quarreling over contrary opinions.
- Pitch your voice like your life depends on it, and deliver your answer in a strategic way that will wow the interviewer.
Show that you can stay calm in a conflict situation:
Explain how you can handle a conflict situation calmly, it is very important to take cognizance of your emotions because the interviewer can read through it.
Provide a specific situation:
Tell the interviewer about a time that you were In a conflict situation, and how you handled it.
Show that you’re not biased and that you believe in individual differences:
It is very important to let the interviewer know your mindset, your view of life, and how relate to people’s opinions even if you don’t subscribe to it.
Show how you can pitch your opinion during a board meeting without quarreling over contrary opinions:
It’s good to be expressive and let the world know what you think, your ideas, and your perspective but we live in a world where people have a different background. So, perspectives about life will be different. Express how you believe in individual differences
Pitch your voice like your life depends on it, and deliver your answer in a strategic way that will wow the interviewer:
When answering questions, pitch your voice, your disposition in a strategic way, don’t go overboard, keep your answers relevant and succinct
Why is the interviewer asking me how I handle conflicts?
Interviewers sometimes might be interested in the attitude and disposition of employees, the cognitive ability of a person is important but the behavioral ability is more important. So, the Interviewer might want to read through the eyes of the interviewee, the emotions while answering this question;
- Is he proud?
- Is he someone that gets angrily easily
- Does he have the patience to work with the team
- How is he going to handle contrary opinions?
These are the questions that’ll be running in the kind of the interviewer as you answer your questions
What Not To Say When You’re Asked How you Handle Conflicts
- I have never been in a conflict situation before
- I don’t fight with people, so I try to stay on my own
- I put people in their place when they get on my nerves.
Personality Traits To Show While Answering Conflict Questions
- Patience
- Problem-solving
- Team spirit
- Ability to reason with other people
Example Of Conflict Questions And How To Answer
Examples: can you tell me about a time you handled conflicts or disagreements over a matter?
That fateful Monday morning, the manager called a board meeting for all the digital marketing team and we were deliberating on meeting our target every month, and I pitched every ounce of my ideas like my life depends on it, trying to make the manager know that we should delegate responsibilities to each team members, and one of my colleagues flared up, saying my opinion is irrelevant and uselessly and I am only saying that because I feel I am the best among the team members
At first, I looked at him lifting to process what he just said, I kept my cool not to get upset but later, I realized it’s not easy on him, he has great ideas but he does not know how to express them.
Later, I went to him and asked why he acted that way, then, he said, he finds it hard to express himself in public, and I felt bad for him, then, I recommended books and audiobooks that can boost his self-esteem.
Question: Provide a situation when you had to deal with a grumpy customer?
I was an affiliate marketer with a company that sells phone accessories that year. This particular customer requested an iPhone 11 pro max pouch and an air pod as well as an eye watch, she chose pink for the pro max pouch and a pink eye watch as well as a white air pod. Everything was delivered to her and she was happy when she got the package. A month later, she called my number five times around 11 pm. I was fast asleep because I had a very rough day, and my phone was in silent mode, so I woke up to the missed calls the next morning. I called her back and I’ve not even talked. She started ranting, saying I am a bad person, I should have told her the pink gets dirty easily and I should have supplied her with a different shade of pink instead of baby pink. I was speechless, and all I could say was sorry, that, it was the exact color she picked on the site that was delivered to her but, I will send her a maintenance guideline during the day, which I sent her around 12 pm
In conclusion,
equip yourself before going for an interview, so you won’t say the wrong thing in the right place, be logical while expressing how you can handle conflicts, and show the interviewer you’re principled but you’re empathetic because you believe everybody has different opinions and perspective to life, so you can reason with people’s perspective, show your team spirit ability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How to answer conflict questions?
Address the situation, mention your role in the situation, and how you handled the situation.
Q2. What personality trait must I display while answering a conflict question?
You must pitch yourself as a patient person and someone that has a team spirit
Q3. What should I not say when I’m asked a conflict question during an interview?
Do not say you’ve never been in a conflict situation.
