How to Answer: Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a team member. How did you handle it?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Veterinary Technician job interview.
28. Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a team member. How did you handle it?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
The interviewer wants to know that you are faced with a conflict with a member of your team, that you will handle it professionally. The interviewer wants to hear any problem-solving skills that you utilize.
Written by Lindsay Williams Ortega on March 7th, 2022
What You Should Say
Think about a time that you had a conflict with one of your teammates in a previous position. Talk about the actions that you took to resolve the conflict. If you have had any prior problem resolution or conflict resolution training, provide an overview of those pieces of training now and discuss how you utilize those training techniques when a conflict arises with a coworker.
Written by Lindsay Williams Ortega on March 7th, 2022
Answer Example
"In my previous role, I had a coworker who started working after me and would frequently talk about how the clinic was doing things incorrectly and then talk about how her previous employer did things in their clinic. It felt like she was constantly bashing our employer. Eventually, I spoke up and just told her that my previous employer also did things differently but that I felt that it was beneficial to learn things in different ways and that it was nice to know multiple ways to complete a task. After that, she seemed to keep her negative comments to a minimum and it was nicer to work with her."
Written by Lindsay Williams Ortega on March 7th, 2022
Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback
Anonymous Answer
The action I took was
1. I spoke to him privately
2. Had an open communication
3. Give some examples of when it was happening
After speaking, he was shocked and apologized straightaway. From that day forward, he involved me more in the group meeting and considered my ideas more. We also had good friends in school and outside of work.
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