Tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker.

This is an opportunity to reveal how skilled you are at non-defensive communication in difficult situations and how you approach conflict resolution. Explain the steps you took to work through a conflict. Taking a thoughtful approach by listening to the opinions of others first is always a good place to start. Focus on empathy, tolerance, understanding, and exceptional communication skills when delivering your examples. Show that you took the initiative and stayed calm throughout the situation. Avoid speaking negatively about the person you choose as the subject of your example. Avoid talking about situations lacking a positive resolution.

"There was a coworker who was clocking in late to work. The staff gave them cross looks when they snuck in. I'd given them a heads-up a few times, trying to be helpful. I even offered some tips and tricks to manage their time to avoid arriving at work late, but they kept reiterating that it wasn't their fault that the bus rolled by their stop early two weeks in a row. The next time they were late, they were written up the next day. They were pretty upset and blamed me for 'ratting them out.' I did nothing of the sort. But I let them accuse me and when they were done, I responded by asking them why they thought I told on them. I objectified the situation and asked them several questions without proclaiming my innocence. I then mirrored their statements and asked in a clarifying way that the reasons they listed were what led them to believe I brought their attendance issues to management. I then said that's an interesting conclusion to come up with based on that evidence, and I left it at that. Later, they came up and apologized and asked me again for those suggestions to help them manage their time. As good of an ending as I could hope for, I guess."