Describe a time when you experienced a conflict in a team setting.

Describe a time when you took an active role in facilitating a solution to a team conflict. This question presents an opportunity to highlight your leadership or analytical skills in addition to your ability to handle the stress of team conflict.

The STAR (situation, task, action, result) method works well for questions like these. Briefly walk your interviewer through the background, describe what needed to be done, describe the specific actions you took, and end with a summary of the results of your actions.

"I lead a steering committee that reviews and approves the technology budgets for several large departments each year. Each group feels their own needs are more important than the others and there has been tension and conflict in the past. I represent the technology teams that will be working to fulfill the needs of the various departments, and it is my job to bring a holistic perspective to the group.

Last year I took over the group and offered a new approach to facilitating our meetings. First, I developed a set of ground rules to help keep everyone on track and reduce negativity. Next, I implemented a presentation process for each group that allowed them to share their needs in a fair way that would help everyone move to a more holistic perspective. Finally, I developed a scorecard to help us review the potential risks and value of each proposed project.

The group did an amazing job shifting from fighting for their funding to truly considering what was best for the company overall when deciding how to allocate the budget. The process helped us make data-driven and well-informed decisions with minimal political banter. We are planning to use a similar process to develop next year's budget."