How comfortable are you performing duties related to negotiation and conflict resolution? Give an example of a time when you resolved an issue in the workplace.
Much of your role as a healthcare PM will be to negotiate rates, timelines, project vision, and contracts. When deadlines and budgets are tight, with many opinions involved and many moving parts, conflict can arise. Show the interviewer that you are not one to back down from a critical negotiation or potentially damaging conflict. Use an example from your recent work history. If you are new to your career, you can discuss a time from your post-secondary experience.
"I have been involved in numerous negotiations and conflicts and am very comfortable in my skills within this area. I am sure to listen more than I talk and frame the conversation positively. One example of my resolution skills in action was when I came across a significant difference in project vision between the client and the engineering and architecture firm. Everyone was working towards the same goal of making the client happy; however, some of the clients' desires could not occur in a way that worked within their budget. I carefully communicated the disconnect between vision and budget, leading the client to increase their budget by 200K. In the end, we all landed on the same page, and we were able to deliver the clients' vision to a tee."
"I understand that a successful project comes from teamwork, clear communication, and a shared vision. For this reason, I need to be strong in conflict resolution and leading workable negotiations. In university, we had many successful group projects and the odd group project that was not as team-oriented as I would have liked. Our group didn't work efficiently during a health services marketing project due to personality differences. Some chose to be independent and not act as team players, which made the work a lot harder than it needed to be. Overall, this slowed down the flow of the project. I decided to address the communication problems and differences in personality. I stated that we needed to overcome our differences to benefit the project and our overall grade. Once I framed the situation in a way that benefitted everyone, they all agreed to set aside their differences, finishing the project faster and more efficiently than it started."
You want to avoid saying that you are uncomfortable negotiating or resolving conflict. Since a major role of your position is negotiations and conflict-resolution, the interviewer wants to hire a healthcare project manager who is comfortable in these situations and will be an excellent team member if hired.
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