Interview questions. Scenario 5 of 11. Handling conflict

A difficult person

The interviewer asks: "Can you give me an example of a time you dealt with a difficult customer or colleague?"

You think of a customer who shouted at you about a late order, and a former colleague you really disliked.

Which answer works best?

Tell the story of the customer. What they were upset about, how you stayed calm and listened, what you did, and how it ended.

Good call

A specific story with an ending is what this question is for. They want to hear that you listen, stay polite under pressure and look for a fix. It does not need to have ended perfectly.

Describe your old colleague, and everything that was wrong with them.

Not the best call

However fair the complaints, the interviewer only hears you criticising someone who is not there to answer. They will wonder how you would describe them. Keep the focus on what you did.

Say you get on with everyone, so it has never really come up.

Not the best call

It sounds pleasant but gives them nothing. Everyone has met a difficult moment at work. Without an example, they cannot tell how you behave when it happens.

Say what you would do in general. "I always stay calm and listen."

Could be better

These are the right ideas, and it is better than no answer. But they asked for an example. A general statement is a claim. A story is evidence. Add one real situation and it becomes a strong answer.

The principle

"Give me an example" wants one true story: the situation, what you did, how it turned out. Describe the problem, never the person's character.