"While working in the restaurant business, I was in charge of the marketing and launch of our new summer menu. I hired a freelance photographer to create images for our new menu launch. This photographer had experience with food staging and food photography. She came with strong references and had a stunning portfolio of work. She was a busy freelancer, but I didn't expect her to continually postpone our shoot days due to running behind in other projects. After the photographer postponed our shoot date for the third time, I directly addressed the situation with her. I let her know that I was disappointed in her lack of commitment to my project. If our project was too much, she should have declined the offer rather than agree to do the work. The photographer became defensive and explained that she was in high demand and did not deserve criticism. She said that her work was art and could not be delivered on-demand. I could see that this person was highly emotional and attached to her work, so I stepped back a bit to not worsen the situation. I suggested that we start fresh and write up a new contract with a new non-negotiable timeline. We scheduled regular project update meetings from that day, and she delivered the work on time. Once the project was complete, the photographer apologized for being unreliable initially and thanked me for the second chance. I learned that it's often better to be kind than to be right. I could have fired the freelancer. I also could have told her, unfiltered, how I felt about her professionalism. However, that would have just exacerbated the situation and forced me to find someone new, costing me added time and costing the company extra resources."

It can be challenging to react to a conflict calmly and professionally. It's human nature to become defensive in the face of conflict or to 'sweep it under the rug,' pretending the situation doesn't exist. Avoid discussing examples in which you caused the conflict. Focus the bulk of your response on how you approached a solution rather than dwelling on the problem. Assure the interviewer that you are a well-equipped professional to handle conflict and promptly problem-solve on the job at Cigna Corp.