Interviewer: When was a time that you had a disagreement with a co-worker?
Kevin: At my last job, a co-worker and I had a disagreement about who was in charge of a project. The project was unique because it required the marketing team and the finance team to work closely together. This caused some difficulties at first because the roles for each department and each individual were not clearly defined.
Interviewer: So, what did you do to solve this issue?
Kevin: Once I realized that it was a major problem, I asked the top members of the finance and marketing teams to have a meeting. I told them what would be discussed at the meeting beforehand so everyone could think about it and come to the meeting prepared. We discussed the project in detail at the meeting and decided on roles and responsibilities for each team. After that, the project went well.
Interviewer: That’s great to hear. Were there any difficulties assigning the tasks?
Kevin: There were only minor disagreements. But you know what they say, a good compromise is when both sides are unsatisfied.
Interviewer: That is very true.
Patterns and Examples
I disagreed with a co-worker at my last job because ____________________. I ____________________.
- I disagreed with a co-worker at my last job because this co-worker did not think that deadlines were important. I had to continuously urge this person to finish the work on time.
- I disagreed with a co-worker at my last job because he wanted to give a steep discount to his brother’s company who was doing business with our company. I thought that this was unethical and I had to persuade him not to do it.
One time, one of my co-workers thought we should ____________________, but I thought we should ____________________. I ____________________.
- One time, one of my co-workers thought we should change one of our most popular products, but I thought we should keep it the same. I gave them examples of companies that had changed their core products and did not have success, and in the end, they changed their minds.
- One time, one of my co-workers thought we should advertise in newspapers, but I thought we should advertise online. I gave a presentation on why doing online marketing was more effective, and they decided to follow my ideas.
A co-worker and I disagreed about ____________________. We ____________________. In the end, ____________________.
- A co-worker and I disagreed about an investment strategy. We spent a lot of time discussing and arguing about it. In the end, we came to an agreement and made a plan that was very profitable.
- A co-worker and I disagreed about how to improve the company’s website. We both had solutions, and we spent a lot of time discussing the issue. In the end, we decided to use my solution.
