In today’s job market, having a positive, collaborative attitude is just as important as having a polished resume, says career expert Erin McGough.
According to McGough, author of The Secret Language of Work: Hyper-Helpful Scripts for Every Meaning, soft skills are a “top priority” for hiring teams. That’s why people with the authority to hire you often ask behavioral questions, such as “Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with your boss or a colleague,” to learn more about how you react to different situations.
“As we move into an era where AI can acquire more technical skills, interpersonal skills will become irreplaceable,” McGough said. “Companies are really prioritizing attitude, personality and cultural fit, because everything else can be taught.”
Your goal, McGough says, is to demonstrate your ability to maturely navigate workplace conflicts. She recommends ways to approach this question.
Focus on professional conflicts rather than personal conflicts
McGough’s No. 1 tip for answering this question, she says, is to “remain professional.” “You want[your answers]to be business-oriented, rather than talking about personal differences,” she says. That is “adult behavior”.
For example, don’t spend the entire conversation complaining about a past boss who denied your request for paid time off, McGough says.
She also recommends framing the scenario as a disagreement rather than an argument or argument.
McGough said candidates can begin their answers with words like: “I’ve worked with many great bosses, so I haven’t had many personal disagreements, but there have certainly been instances where I’ve had to advocate for different perspectives and ideas professionally.”
Demonstrate conflict resolution skills
Your answer should focus on specific examples of when you resolved a disagreement at work calmly and constructively. McGoff recommends using the STAR format for situation, task, action, and result to structure the rest of your answer.
To describe the situation and task, or specific responsibilities in that situation, candidates can say: “In my previous role, I had a scenario where I was working on a project for a client. The project was going in a certain direction, but I had specific insights that led me to believe that a different direction would be more advantageous for this client.”
Give your opinion and highlight the actions you took to work towards a solution. “I asked for a one-on-one discussion with my boss, told them about this alternative, and argued why I thought it would be better for the client.”
Finally, share how you solved the problem and highlight the positive results. “We decided to compromise on our approach and move forward. The client was very happy with the results and the project was a huge success.” You can also share what you learned from your experience and how you adapted your approach and workflow to avoid similar problems in the future.
The point of your anecdote is that you can include more specificity to explain your skills without sharing confidential company information, but not to show that you proved your boss wrong. Rather, it’s an opportunity to prove your ability to handle “healthy conflict,” McGough said.
“Healthy conflict is how we get work done,” she says. “If you don’t learn how to disagree with people professionally, you’ll never advance in your career.”
Do you want to get your dream job? Learn what hiring managers really want, body language techniques, what to say and what not to say, and the best ways to talk about salary with CNBC’s online course How to Ace Your Job Interview, featuring experts Erin McGoff, Benjamin Granger, and Jermaine L. Murray.
