Chances are you’ve seen a job description or two in your life. Chances are you’ve also seen some very common qualities that are included in just about all of them. One of the very big ones is probably conflict resolution. It’s a nebulous term that probably doesn’t mean very much to most people unless they are a negotiator, an HR person, or a manager.
Be the chill pill.
Unfortunately, it’s a very important skill to have and to communicate to your interviewer and on your resume. So let’s go through the top four things that a job interviewer is looking for when it comes to this skill.
Number One: Get Along With Coworkers
Duh, right? Your ability to be a great individual contributor and a wonderful team player is huge. Sure, we all have our preferences on how we like to work and get stuff done, but we also have to cater to and work with the team.
Proving that you can get along with all levels and abilities, races, genders, ages, all of these things are proof positive that you are a person well versed in conflict resolution. Or at least have the basis for a great negotiation.
Number Two: Maintaining Composure
There are quite a few people that have a tendency to immediately react to things that they don’t agree to or don’t set well with them, and this is not something that’s useful in a workplace, in most cases. Communicate that you’re able to take in information, not take it personally, wait a while, and digest on it if you need to.
Consider possibly even remove yourself from the situation until you can get feedback from other coworkers or have greater opportunity to dive into the information. And you’ll prove that conflict resolution is something you understand quite well. Jumping into things and taking on everything someone says to you and about your work is not going to work for you, and no interviewer wants to see a stick of dynamite across the table from them.
Number Three: Getting A Response
If you’re the kind of person that talks until they’re blue in their face and never really achieves any type of results from most conversations you need to work on your skills. There is a fine art to getting information out of people in an ethical, professional, and let’s say, friendly manner that is an essential part of conflict resolution.
If you’re able to keep the other persons perspective in mind as well as keep your own goals in mind, it’s a partnership. It’s no longer an argument; it’s no longer a negotiation. It’s working together to come to a goal that works best for everyone. This is an essential part of the skill you need to communicate.
Number Four: Seeking Help
It’s also very important to prove that you’re not just going to keep banging your head across the wall without seeking help outside of the situation. You need to be able to humble yourself, and prove that yes, you can see those who are either removed enough to where they can see it from a non-emotional standpoint.
You’ll also need to show you can seek subject matter experts that have a greater understanding of what’s going on to give you ideas that will work. Pride is not useful in conflict resolution, but sometimes seeking help is.
Resolve This Conflict and Get Going
Job interviewers are looking for people that are well versed in conflict resolution. The four tips that you just went through about getting along with your coworkers, maintaining composure, being able to elicit a response and seeking help when necessary are the best ways to communicate that you are good at this skill.
If these aren’t already a part of your resume or your career hunt package, see how you can work them in and you’ll be very ready for the next interview and job position that has this as a required skill.
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