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UNICEF Mock Interview

Question 3 of 35 for our UNICEF Mock Interview

UNICEF was updated by on January 27th, 2022. Learn more here.

Question 3 of 35

Have you ever had a conflict with a co-worker or manager? How did you resolve the conflict?

"Based on my reading of UNICEF's Competency Framework, Competency #5 stresses the importance of self-awareness at work. In my opinion, self-awareness plays a vital role in managing conflicts. When I first started my nonprofit career, I was very headstrong and stubborn in my belief that I knew the most efficient process for coordinating mass fundraising mailers. To me, this meant eliminating handwritten notes. One of my co-workers thought it was critical to personalize the letters by having our CEO sign each one; doing so had always boosted donation numbers in the past and had offset the time spent handwriting. This disagreement led to an individual meeting between the co-worker and myself. In that meeting, she shared reports from previous fundraisers detailing a direct correlation between personalization and increased donations. I became aware of my ignorance of the subject and learned to ground my desire to innovate in collaboration. I also learned how to show humility instead of stubbornness, which I believe is key to conflict resolution."

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How to Answer: Have you ever had a conflict with a co-worker or manager? How did you resolve the conflict?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an UNICEF job interview.

  • 3. Have you ever had a conflict with a co-worker or manager? How did you resolve the conflict?

      How to Answer

      It is important to be transparent about any conflicts you may have had in the past with co-workers or managers. Do not pretend that you have never encountered conflicts in the workplace. However, emphasize that you overcame the conflict with that specific individual and explain how it improved your professional relationship in future encounters.

      Written by Isaiah Swanson on January 27th, 2022

      Pro Tip

      This is another opportunity to emphasize your familiarity with UNICEF's Competency Framework, specifically the one regarding self-awareness. Show how you altered your behavior or realized your faults in the given situation. Do not be negative when describing your co-worker's or manager's behavior.

      Written by Isaiah Swanson on January 27th, 2022

      1st Answer Example

      "Based on my reading of UNICEF's Competency Framework, Competency #5 stresses the importance of self-awareness at work. In my opinion, self-awareness plays a vital role in managing conflicts. When I first started my nonprofit career, I was very headstrong and stubborn in my belief that I knew the most efficient process for coordinating mass fundraising mailers. To me, this meant eliminating handwritten notes. One of my co-workers thought it was critical to personalize the letters by having our CEO sign each one; doing so had always boosted donation numbers in the past and had offset the time spent handwriting. This disagreement led to an individual meeting between the co-worker and myself. In that meeting, she shared reports from previous fundraisers detailing a direct correlation between personalization and increased donations. I became aware of my ignorance of the subject and learned to ground my desire to innovate in collaboration. I also learned how to show humility instead of stubbornness, which I believe is key to conflict resolution."

      Written by Isaiah Swanson on January 27th, 2022

      2nd Answer Example

      "I believe conflicts are often the result of miscommunication; as such, conflicts can be overcome by clearly explaining your reasons for making a particular decision and actively listening to your co-workers as they explain theirs. This requires the ability to never take anything personally and be open to compromise. As my fundraising team planned a special event a few years ago, there were many conflicting ideas for its location. The team could not agree, and each member became frustrated when another shot down their idea. As the Fundraising Director, I gave each member of the team five minutes to explain the reason behind their location choice and asked the other members to listen carefully during their explanation. We then determined that the team had mutual concerns related to the distance and cost of the location. From there, we were able to compromise and find a location with a reasonable travel time to-and-from our service area for a cost within our budget."

      Written by Isaiah Swanson on January 27th, 2022

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "We had an annual leave plan for all staff at _____, which was managed by HR. One of my subordinates wishes to take an annual leave to prepare for his wedding party. When I approved his request because he was preparing for his wedding, my supervisor was not happy, and she said he should not take leave this week because we have a deadline for donor reports and he should contribute to the report. The staff member had already agreed that he would be in the city and available whenever the office needed him. My supervisor was not familiar with the context; she asked me to ask him to postpone his wedding for a week. Due to this, a conflict occurred between me and my supervisor. I discussed a lot with her; I explained that it was impossible to postpone his event, so I escalated the problem to HR and program managers, shared the leave plan, and the program manager convinced him to leave the staff for leave that he had planned a month earlier."

      Marcie's Feedback

      Wow! What an intense conflict! It sounds like you remained very level-headed, objective, and fair. You use the STAR method effectively here to clearly describe the situation, your task/actions, and the end result. It's also great that your actions resulted in the wedding not having to be postponed! To further strengthen your answer, consider ending it by reminding the interviewer that you're someone who handles conflict calmly and rationally. Great job!

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