Then the interviewer looks for emotional maturity. You want to make sure that you treat the situation like an adult. You probably imagine yourself in the shoes of your former or current boss, and they want to count on you to handle this well if you ever disagree with them. You`ll want to hear that you`ve not only had a mature conversation with your boss about disagreements, but also that you had an alternative, better plan, to propose that you didn`t just disagree, not just agree. The decisive part of your answer is the end of your story. The ideal situation would be a positive outcome for all. The discussion of what came out of the conflict shows that you are a great person with whom you can work, even if there is a problem. Find out what you`ve learned, what your boss has learned and what to do in the future. The key to answering this is to keep it professional and make sure the story ends with you to solve the problem. This is not the time to list complaints about co-workers, your boss or your old workstation. You must remain calm and professional, so no personal complaints. Keeping away from personal matters is important because it sounds petty.
Focus on a work scenario and a time when you and your boss were not on an equal footing. Stay professional! You`re not going to put your old boss in your new job. You are in a professional environment, so don`t do it personally. This answer is exactly the kind of situation that can happen when there is more than one layer! However, note how it was created: the employee told us what was normally happening and what he was trying to do. He put expectations above time. In this case, he tried to ask for a day off, but did not receive a “yes” or “no.” Then he came to the friday night conflict, when the manager was angry. As an audience, we need to know the challenges of conflict, and this time it was a meaningless change. Then the employee tells us how the planning system has changed. While the informal in-person application worked for the day shift, it did not work for the night shift. Now that a new system has been put in place, it will not happen again. It`s a great way to talk about a time when you didn`t agree with your boss.
Sample response: “In most cases, I managed conflicts well. I appreciate diversity and I understand that different people have different opinions, which can lead to conflict. When I am faced with conflicts, I work with others to resolve this problem in a mutually beneficial way for all concerned. Sometimes I can be defensive when I try to express my opinion. I practice tactics to manage this behavior, such as stopping, to breathe deeply and think carefully about my words before answering them. “To resolve this conflict, I had to realize that I could neither change nor control his behaviour.