How to Answer ‘Describe a Challenge or Conflict You Overcame’ Interview Question

“Describe a challenge or conflict you overcame?” OR “Tell me about a team project when you had to work with someone difficult.” OR “How do you handle conflict?” OR “Tell me about a challenge you had to overcome in the workplace?

There is a great deal of variations on the theme of conflict resolution in the workplace that may come up in a job interview. Before we share tips on how to answer conflict interview questions like a pro, here’s a refresher on the importance of behavioral questions during an interview.

When employers ask this question what they want to determine is your aptitude and resilience when facing challenges. It helps them get an idea of how well you manage stress, as well as your ability to glide professionally through conflict in the workplace.

Preparing for this particular set of behavioral questions could be a big task, but it’s worth it in the end. You can land your dream job by doing your research, preparing your answers to similar expected questions beforehand, and staying confident.

Crafting the best response to behavior interview questions using STAR method will help you put your best foot forward in front of the interviewers.

If you are ever asked to give a “Tell me about a challenge you overcame” answer, we’re certain it may seem like a tough question. We are here to break it to you — it’s not. In fact, it’s the best time to highlight your biggest challenges at work and how you used your problem-solving skills to overcome them.

In this article, we’ll explain what the question means, what you should and shouldn’t say, some tips for discussing your workplace challenges and how you overcame them, and some “describe a challenge and how you overcame it” examples.

What Type Of Question Is This — “Describe a challenge and how you overcame it”?

This question is basically asked to determine your problem-solving and interpersonal skills. The question helps you as a job seeker to briefly describe in detail how you came across a workplace challenge, what role you played in it, the approach you took to handle it, and what the results were.

A. What The Interviewer Wants To Know

A hiring manager will ask you to describe a challenge and how you overcame it with examples because they want to know if you can actually solve problems and thrive in a team. We can’t dispute the fact that the workplace faces different challenges from time to time. These challenges could be amongst employees, with an approach, or furthermore a customer or a company’s client.

We face challenges in our everyday lives, but the hiring manager wants to know how you overcome challenges in the workplace. You will need to cite a very good experience you had when it comes to workplace challenges. Then, you’ll discuss what the challenge was and the role you played in it. The good part of this is that you get to tell them the result of the approach you took, which gives them a very good reason to hire you.

B. What Not To Answer With

Many job seekers jump into this pool of discussing their workplace challenges without realizing that their answer could affect the entire hiring process. That’s why preparing ahead helps you stand out from the crowd. When giving a “tell me about a challenge you overcame” answer, there are certain things you shouldn’t say.

Firstly, avoid talking about the person or people involved and how they performed poorly or mistreated you. Your prospective employer doesn’t want to know all that and saying it only paints a terrible picture of you to them. Next, avoid being boastful about your biggest challenges at work and how you overcame them. Instead, be humble and honest with your answer.

How to Answer “Describe A Challenge You Overcame” (Samples)

There are so many “describe a challenge you faced and how you overcame it” examples to look out for. However, we will give you some answers that may help you craft the perfect response.

Example #1
“How I overcame the challenge of ageism at work”

“In my previous role, I worked with a team of engineers just like myself. We were to handle a road construction project in the area. I was put in charge of the project as the project manager, although I was new as I had recently been hired as at that point.

The challenge I faced was that most of my colleagues were older than I was, and taking orders from me seemed very impossible. However, it was necessary for the project to start and finish well.

I had to think of a way to get the work done while still respecting everyone’s opinions. I talked one-on-one with my colleagues to discuss how they would prefer we handle the work and build cooperation. My approach made me realize that all my colleagues would love to take my orders as long as everyone’s opinion was respected. We then sought to start our project in peace and successfully built a road on which so many vehicles use today.”

Example #2
“How I reskilled myself for better results”

“In my current role as a copywriter, I was to send out emails to prospective clients for my boss. At the first instant, I was doing very well and the results were good. The results began to decline which made my boss worried. I was on the verge of losing my job.

I knew this wasn’t a joke, and the faster I got a solution, the better for me. I knew I had to reach out to other copywriters like myself and seek their advice. They helped me out with tips and provided some tutorials and resources. I noticed that I was using a different approach that was preventing me from retaining clients for my employer.

Once I used the new approach handed to me by my fellow copywriters, the results increased by over 20%.”

Take time to practice your responses before you appear for the job interview. Crafting the best response to behavioral interview questions using STAR method will help you put your best foot forward in front of the interviewers. STAR stands for: situation, task, action, and result. The opening to STAR interview questions is easy to recognize. They often begin with: Describe a situation where… Tell me about a time when… Have you ever… Give me an example of… What do you do when…

Conflict resolution questions are becoming increasingly common during interviews these days. A good response will help you land the job! Who wouldn’t want to hire a person who remains rational during conflicts at work?

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