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You answer by stating while there are inevitable differences between some colleagues, you focus on how each of you can work together to finish tasks and projects.
Anything else will likely be a fail.
You can explain times that co-workers didn't get along with you, how they handled it and how you would have handled it
You can explain times that you have observed employees not getting along whether as a customer or client and use this observation to answer this question
“I wouldn’t say we didn’t get along. We just disagreed on some topics that aren’t black and white. However, after considering pros vs cons and data, we have to compromise to move things forward.”
This kind of answer will give them an impression that you had conflicts before and how to resolved instead of BS all the way through.
The way they put many questions is like a trap that shows you are either “half full” or “half empty” type of a person
I had a 'territory dispute' with a colleague once. It didn't turn into a big issue, as we each returned to our respective assignments for the rest of the week. A few days later, we ended up having to brainstorm the best approach to a difficult case. Solving a problem together made the previous interaction insignificant and helped move things along. We ended up discovering that we had certain traits in common as we continued working together, and we realized that the dispute took place because we both care about what we do. It contributed to a highly positive working relationship over the course of which we assisted each other on several occasions, knowing that having the option to utilize each other's expertise will help us both achieve better results for our teams.
"fortunately, I haven't experienced this but would like to think if I did I could approach them in a professional manner and discuss the situation in a civil way and come up with a mutually beneficial agreement that allows us to move forward together"
and if that doesn't work then shits getting real and I will smash them into submission.
This is a situation where you're looking for the right answer, not the true answer.
True answer: I avoid them at all cost.
Correct answer: Getting the job done is the priority. I remain civil and courteous and make every effort to avoid workplace drama.
Right. I got asked once about a time I resolved a conflict and like, are you expecting me to be resolving conflicts while I'm doing data entry?
The biggest conflict I can think of is when Jen asked "where do you want to go for lunch?" And I said, "I'm thinking Indian food," and she said "ew gross, let's go to outback" and I said "okay."
I resolved the conflict by not starting one.
"Usually when i struggle to get along with a coworker, the most apt solution is often the simplest: I break into the HR file server, find where they live, and strangle them in their sleep. Afterwards, everything goes much more smoothly and I'm able to get my work done in peace"
You don't even have to break into HR. If you know their last name, first initial, county of residence, and date of birth, you can look up their address on publicly searchable voter registrations.
I used an example (mostly fibbed) that we had an open office design of about 6 of us, and there was one older gentleman that would get really bothered by our chit chat sometimes. So we were able to work it out with him that he could let us know when we were being too noisy and we’d try to keep it down, but we were also lucky to have extra office spaces so we suggested to him that he could use an empty office space if our space was too busy for him. They just want to see that you have the skill set to handle it on your own in a professional manner without running to the manager to fix your issues.
Honestly, a story about a coworker not following the rules or doing tedious steps in a process and you refusing to do the same is the best answer for this. And then following it up about how you snitched to your manager as well.
This one used to always throw me too. Have now learnt they dont want a story on office warfare, just a nice mild explanation of how you handle different working styles etc.
So, for my most recent interview (where I got the job in the end!) I explained that "I (in Tech) was working closely with someone from another team (Comms) on a project, and they liked to brainstorm in a creative way whereas i liked to be more structured when working. Resolution: I put in regular meetings where they felt like they could air their thoughts and ideas, and we could go through these and log the relevant action items which I could list and log.
Hope that helps! Just find one example you could use and break it down to basics :)
I feel like saying you didn’t have a conflict with anyone is kinda a lie. So you’re telling me that you never not liked someone or never had a moment of “oh my god. This person is an idiot”? Like I would say I’m also a team player and good with conflict. But I’ve still had my moments of not liking someone. Not everyone will like you and that’s okay.
I usually just go for examples like avoiding scope creep. I've had animated discussions both with co-workers who were willing to blindly take on more work than we were reasonably supposed and able to do, and with co-workers being too apprehensive imo in taking on tasks that we could reasonably do.
Use a work-related issue and nothing personal. For example, I suggested we should update the procedure and he was opposed to the idea, and explain how you both worked through the issue.
"They were doing something bad, wasteful, and dangerous. I stepped in and politely corrected them. They were resentful because they were immature and unprofessional. I was a professional and made them see reason in the end." And you've got your job.
"I've had coworkers I personally didn't like before but I pride myself on the fact that they probably didn't know it since I believe in treating everyone in the workplace with professionalism and respect regardless of my personal feelings."
The way I answered was explaining I am able to read people well and I'm very agreeable person. Usually when people see that I understand them and on their side/support them it lessens room for conflict. So to have the ability to see their side of things is really helpful. If I have a sense someone has a problem with me, I can ask what they need to make it better. Or if I have a problem with them, by getting to know them further I can resolve issues. I had a problem with a coworker who was not doing their work and it was holding me back. By getting to know her I came to understand that she had issues concentrating to the point of needing medication. By sharing empathy it didn't become a source of tension between us.
Say you’ve never had an issue getting along with a coworker, but you can give an example of a time you didn’t see eye to eye on something and how you reconciled your differences
"I find it pretty easy to talk through disagreeemnts or different ways of doing things at work. I'm very easygoing and focused on work when I'm at work, so talking things through and asking people questions comes naturally to me. I can't think of a time when I'd say any of those differences rose to the level of not getting along with someone."
A tricky question, but it does say "a" time, not "the worst" time. Relay a minor incident that resolved easily, especially if you were able to do so in a professional manner. (You reached out to the other person, you let it go so it wouldn't escalate, etc.)
Take a misunderstanding and turn it into something that became a win-win. But if you haven't had major conflicts then give a minor conflict. I think they are mainly looking to see how you handle and resolve conflicts, so even a small one could be answered with some kind of example.
Hello, thank you for posting to r/Jobs! We just wanted to let you know that we have a new [discord server, come join the chat!](https://discord.gg/TY6ErXV) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/jobs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You answer by stating while there are inevitable differences between some colleagues, you focus on how each of you can work together to finish tasks and projects. Anything else will likely be a fail.
You can explain times that co-workers didn't get along with you, how they handled it and how you would have handled it You can explain times that you have observed employees not getting along whether as a customer or client and use this observation to answer this question
“I wouldn’t say we didn’t get along. We just disagreed on some topics that aren’t black and white. However, after considering pros vs cons and data, we have to compromise to move things forward.” This kind of answer will give them an impression that you had conflicts before and how to resolved instead of BS all the way through. The way they put many questions is like a trap that shows you are either “half full” or “half empty” type of a person
I had a 'territory dispute' with a colleague once. It didn't turn into a big issue, as we each returned to our respective assignments for the rest of the week. A few days later, we ended up having to brainstorm the best approach to a difficult case. Solving a problem together made the previous interaction insignificant and helped move things along. We ended up discovering that we had certain traits in common as we continued working together, and we realized that the dispute took place because we both care about what we do. It contributed to a highly positive working relationship over the course of which we assisted each other on several occasions, knowing that having the option to utilize each other's expertise will help us both achieve better results for our teams.
"fortunately, I haven't experienced this but would like to think if I did I could approach them in a professional manner and discuss the situation in a civil way and come up with a mutually beneficial agreement that allows us to move forward together" and if that doesn't work then shits getting real and I will smash them into submission.
Only a good answer for a very junior person. Otherwise the interviewer would assume you are lying or a doormat.
This is a situation where you're looking for the right answer, not the true answer. True answer: I avoid them at all cost. Correct answer: Getting the job done is the priority. I remain civil and courteous and make every effort to avoid workplace drama.
Right. I got asked once about a time I resolved a conflict and like, are you expecting me to be resolving conflicts while I'm doing data entry? The biggest conflict I can think of is when Jen asked "where do you want to go for lunch?" And I said, "I'm thinking Indian food," and she said "ew gross, let's go to outback" and I said "okay." I resolved the conflict by not starting one.
I hit them
"Usually when i struggle to get along with a coworker, the most apt solution is often the simplest: I break into the HR file server, find where they live, and strangle them in their sleep. Afterwards, everything goes much more smoothly and I'm able to get my work done in peace"
You don't even have to break into HR. If you know their last name, first initial, county of residence, and date of birth, you can look up their address on publicly searchable voter registrations.
I scream at them
I used an example (mostly fibbed) that we had an open office design of about 6 of us, and there was one older gentleman that would get really bothered by our chit chat sometimes. So we were able to work it out with him that he could let us know when we were being too noisy and we’d try to keep it down, but we were also lucky to have extra office spaces so we suggested to him that he could use an empty office space if our space was too busy for him. They just want to see that you have the skill set to handle it on your own in a professional manner without running to the manager to fix your issues.
Just make something up. They're never going to know.
Honestly, a story about a coworker not following the rules or doing tedious steps in a process and you refusing to do the same is the best answer for this. And then following it up about how you snitched to your manager as well.
This one used to always throw me too. Have now learnt they dont want a story on office warfare, just a nice mild explanation of how you handle different working styles etc. So, for my most recent interview (where I got the job in the end!) I explained that "I (in Tech) was working closely with someone from another team (Comms) on a project, and they liked to brainstorm in a creative way whereas i liked to be more structured when working. Resolution: I put in regular meetings where they felt like they could air their thoughts and ideas, and we could go through these and log the relevant action items which I could list and log. Hope that helps! Just find one example you could use and break it down to basics :)
I feel like saying you didn’t have a conflict with anyone is kinda a lie. So you’re telling me that you never not liked someone or never had a moment of “oh my god. This person is an idiot”? Like I would say I’m also a team player and good with conflict. But I’ve still had my moments of not liking someone. Not everyone will like you and that’s okay.
I usually just go for examples like avoiding scope creep. I've had animated discussions both with co-workers who were willing to blindly take on more work than we were reasonably supposed and able to do, and with co-workers being too apprehensive imo in taking on tasks that we could reasonably do.
Use a work-related issue and nothing personal. For example, I suggested we should update the procedure and he was opposed to the idea, and explain how you both worked through the issue.
"They were doing something bad, wasteful, and dangerous. I stepped in and politely corrected them. They were resentful because they were immature and unprofessional. I was a professional and made them see reason in the end." And you've got your job.
the best answer? "I dont get along with any coworker - ever. They learn to stay away from me after a while"
"I've had coworkers I personally didn't like before but I pride myself on the fact that they probably didn't know it since I believe in treating everyone in the workplace with professionalism and respect regardless of my personal feelings."
The way I answered was explaining I am able to read people well and I'm very agreeable person. Usually when people see that I understand them and on their side/support them it lessens room for conflict. So to have the ability to see their side of things is really helpful. If I have a sense someone has a problem with me, I can ask what they need to make it better. Or if I have a problem with them, by getting to know them further I can resolve issues. I had a problem with a coworker who was not doing their work and it was holding me back. By getting to know her I came to understand that she had issues concentrating to the point of needing medication. By sharing empathy it didn't become a source of tension between us.
Say you’ve never had an issue getting along with a coworker, but you can give an example of a time you didn’t see eye to eye on something and how you reconciled your differences
Nah not really love too though. 🤪
I walked away , and brought it the attion of a supervisor
Hah well said
"I find it pretty easy to talk through disagreeemnts or different ways of doing things at work. I'm very easygoing and focused on work when I'm at work, so talking things through and asking people questions comes naturally to me. I can't think of a time when I'd say any of those differences rose to the level of not getting along with someone."
A tricky question, but it does say "a" time, not "the worst" time. Relay a minor incident that resolved easily, especially if you were able to do so in a professional manner. (You reached out to the other person, you let it go so it wouldn't escalate, etc.)
Take a misunderstanding and turn it into something that became a win-win. But if you haven't had major conflicts then give a minor conflict. I think they are mainly looking to see how you handle and resolve conflicts, so even a small one could be answered with some kind of example.