This is a classic teamwork question designed to test your conflict resolution skills. A weak answer blames the other person. A strong answer shows maturity and a focus on professional resolution.

Question: “Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a coworker.”

STAR Method Breakdown:

• (S)ituation: “In my previous role as a project coordinator, a graphic designer and I had different visions for a key client presentation. He favored a very minimalist design, while I believed, based on past client feedback, that we needed more detailed infographics.”
• (T)ask: “My goal was to find a solution that would meet the client’s needs and that both of us could agree on before the deadline, which was just two days away.”
• (A)ction: “I scheduled a 30-minute meeting with the designer. I started by acknowledging the strengths of his minimalist approach. Then, I pulled up the feedback from the client’s previous projects and showed him the specific comments about their preference for data visualization. I proposed a compromise: we could use his clean, minimalist template as the foundation but integrate two key infographics to satisfy the client’s need for data.”
• (R)esult: “He agreed that this was a good compromise. We worked together to integrate the charts, and the final presentation was a success. The client praised the design for being both ‘clear and insightful.’ We ended up having a much stronger working relationship after that because we had a framework for navigating creative differences.”

For more answers like this, see our STAR Method Example: Teamwork.

This example supports the article Teamwork & Collaboration Behavioral Questions