Talk about a time you faced a conflict in the workplace and reacted constructively.
It can be very challenging to face a conflict and react calmly and professionally. Fight or flight; 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. The interviewer would like evidence that you are a professional who can face conflict in the workplace and maintain a level of professionalism, allowing you to find a solution without worsening or ignoring the situation.
Behavioral-based interview questions that begin with 'Talk me about a time...' are best answered using the STAR method. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Organizing your response using this framework will ensure that you provide the interviewer with the right amount of information and detail to form a compelling answer.
Avoid examples where you were the one that 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.
"(Situation & Task) While working for Restaurant Franchise XYZ, 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 wasn't expecting that she would continually postpone our shoot days due to other projects running behind. (Action) 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. (Result) 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 said thank you for the second chance. I learned from the situation 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 would have forced me to find someone new, costing me added time and costing the company extra resources."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I was trying to get some of my product ideas added to the roadmap, but the product manager felt threatened by them, especially as she had her own ideas of what to put into the roadmap. I could see that her ideas were good too. It was a matter of opinions, not of fact, which should get priority. I could also see that she hadn’t understood what I was proposing. So I chose to agree that her product ideas should get the immediate go-ahead. Meanwhile, I built prototypes of my ideas and evangelized them. My ideas didn’t get immediate priority, but they eventually garnered support to be added to the next release.
Marcie's Feedback
Nice. Holding back so that you could build prototypes and evangelize was smart. Be careful saying that she felt threatened because it comes off like you know how she was feeling (when maybe you did, maybe you didn't). You could say instead that the product manager didn't want to add your ideas because she was focused on her own agenda. Otherwise, though, this is a good response and it sounds like you handled the conflict well (biding your time and garnering more support for your ideas). Great job!! :)
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