Talk about a time you had a disagreement with a coworker. How did you handle the disagreement?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
What You Should Say
Answer Example
Community Answers

The interviewer wants to know that if you have a conflict in the workplace, you will handle yourself professionally. They want to hear you will speak up if you disagree but that you will handle yourself in a professional manner when doing so.

Think about a time you had a conflict with one of your coworkers. Discuss the steps you took to address the disagreement and how you went about resolving the conflict. If there is anything you would have done differently, talk about that at this time.

"In a previous role, I was working with a Veterinary Technician, and there was a dog presenting with persistent vomiting. The Tech wanted to automatically provide a probiotic for the pet and send it home on a bland diet. I recommended an overnight stay as the pet was very small and could quickly dehydrate. I explained to the owner that upon discharge we would take the route that the Tech recommended and provide the probiotic. Both the Tech and the owner agreed with the approach."

Anonymous Answer

"It was actually about a time I had a disagreement with one of my colleagues during our practice in the clinic. I was trying to talk to the owner and explain to them the diagnosis and further procedures in their pet's case and while I was doing that, she interrupted me and invalidated my explanations, and came up with her own theories. I tried not to let the owner lose their trust in our personnel, so I let her deal with the rest of the case. After presenting the situation to the veterinarian who looked over us, we discussed our theories related to the case. Both she and the lead veterinarian agreed that her way of dealing with the situation was unprofessional and she apologized to me. We both agreed to discuss these disagreements in private and not to ruin our clinic's image by providing a lack of professionalism."

Stephanie's Feedback

You were faced with a tough situation here, and it sounds like you navigated through it in the most graceful way possible! This response shows great problem-solving skills and strong interpersonal skills as well.