How do you handle a dispute with a coworker or supervisor?

Focus on giving a detailed explanation of how you handled a past disagreement with a supervisor or coworker. You do not necessarily need to describe the reason for the dispute, just how you dealt with it. The interviewer wants to hear that you dealt with the conflict privately, calmly, and maturely and that there was a resolution.

You do not want to say that you avoid or ignore disagreements or get angry when a dispute arises in the workplace. The interviewer does not want to hear that you lack conflict resolution and communication skills. You also want to avoid speaking poorly of the person you had the dispute with or placing the blame solely on the other individual. You need to be responsible and recognize your part in the conflict.

"Fortunately, I have only had one dispute in my career with a coworker. There was a misunderstanding in our respective job duties, and my coworker thought I was trying to undermine his position. I handled it by recognizing we had an issue and asked my coworker to speak in private. I calmly asked him why he thought we had a conflict and what we could do to resolve the issue. Once we cleared up who was responsible for each job responsibility, we never had an issue again."

"Luckily, I have had good coworkers and supervisors in the past with minimal conflict. If there is an issue with a colleague, I like to nip it in the bud. I ask them to speak in private, address the issue, and come up with a resolution that makes us both happy."

"Over the years, I have found all conflicts can be fixed with honest, open communication. When both parties can explain why they are bothered by something and decide how to handle the situation maturely, it seems less conflict will happen in the future. Most conflicts are simply a misunderstanding or lack of communication."