Behavioral Question: "How do you handle conflict with your boss?"
When an interviewer asks a question like, "If you have an issue with a supervisor and the issue continues, what would you do and how would you resolve the issue?", they're looking to see how you handle the situation when there's a conflict with your superior.
This type of question is considered a behavioral or situational interview question and is best answered using the STAR method. Using the STAR approach to answering behavioral questions, is the perfect way to ensure you are answering their question fully and succinctly.
Use as many quantifiable metrics and specifics as you can - to prove that you had an impact. Percentages, before and after comparisons, even client feedback, are all helpful to prove the value of your work.
By using these four components to shape your anecdote, it’s much easier to share a focused answer, providing the interviewer with a digestible but compelling narrative of what a candidate did. The interviewer can follow along, but also determine based on your answer how well you might fit with the job.
The STAR method is meant to be simple. Sometimes people provide too much detail and their answers are too long. Focus on just one or two sentences for each letter of the acronym.
Example:
In my job as a finance assistant, I was in charge of putting together reports for potential company investments. It was important to get the details and numbers right so that leaders had the best information to make a decision.
One time, my boss asked me to generate a new report on a Wednesday morning and wanted it done by Thursday at 5 PM. Due to the level of work involved, and wanting the report to be accurate, I knew there’d be no way I could finish the report on time. Because I’m committed to high-quality work and I wasn’t sure my boss fully understood what goes into each report, I knew I needed to speak up. I decided to approach my boss about the impossible timeline.
At her next available opening, I sat down with my boss and explained my concerns. She was firm that the report would be completed by Thursday at 5 PM. Since I wasn’t willing to sacrifice the quality of the report, I said that it wouldn’t be possible, even if I stayed late that night. My boss insisted that the deadline was non-negotiable. So I decided to ask my boss if there was anyone who could help me with the report. After thinking about it, my boss found another assistant who could put in a few hours. While I still had to work long hours, I knew that the investment committee was meeting on Friday, so I understood the pressure my boss was under. I agreed to partner with the other assistant to get the report done on time to the high standard I always deliver.
While it was a tight timeline, we got the report done, and the committee was really pleased to review it at the meeting. My boss was happy we got it done and appreciated my extra efforts to make it happen. I felt good that I hadn’t let the quality of the report slip. It was a good experience of being a team player but also knowing when and how to ask for help. And once I explained how much time and work goes into each report, my boss was careful to assign them further in advance after this.
What if you’ve never had a conflict with your boss?
Depending on where you are in your career or your past work environments, you may have never actually had a disagreement with your boss. If this is the case, don’t just say “That’s never happened to me!” and end your answer there. Instead, provide your interviewer with a hypothetical situation and walk through how you would respond to the conflict just as you would for a real past experience.