Describe a time when two team members had a conflict. How did you resolve it?
Why This Is Asked
Interviewers want to see that you can mediate interpersonal conflict constructively. They're assessing your ability to listen to both sides, identify root causes, facilitate resolution (not impose it), and preserve the working relationship—without taking sides or avoiding the issue.
Key Points to Cover
- Addressing the conflict early rather than hoping it resolves itself
- Listening to both parties separately and together to understand perspectives
- Finding common ground or a path forward that both can accept
- Following up to ensure the resolution holds and relationships improve
STAR Method Answer Template
Describe the context - what was happening, what team/company, what was at stake
What was your specific responsibility or challenge?
What specific steps did you take? Be detailed about YOUR actions
What was the outcome? Use metrics where possible. What did you learn?
💡 Tips
- Focus on a conflict you helped resolve, not one you caused
- Emphasize objectivity—you didn't favor one person based on seniority or friendship
- Show that you separated the person from the problem and focused on behavior, not character
✍️ Example Response
STAR formatSituation: Two senior engineers on my team had a conflict. One felt the other was dismissive in code reviews—"condescending comments." The other felt the first was defensive and didn't accept feedback. They'd stopped collaborating. It was affecting the whole team; people were choosing sides.
Task: I needed to mediate, understand both perspectives, and restore a working relationship.
Action: I met with each person separately first. I asked them to describe what happened from their perspective and what they needed to move forward. I didn't take sides or assign blame. I then brought them together. I set ground rules: we're here to fix the working relationship, not to rehash the past. I reflected back what I'd heard: "It sounds like you both care about code quality but experience the feedback differently." I asked each to state one thing they could do differently. The "dismissive" one agreed to frame feedback as questions. The "defensive" one agreed to assume good intent. I set a 30-day check-in. I also addressed the team: "We've worked through this. Please treat it as resolved."
Result: Within a month, they were collaborating again. One later told me the conversation was hard but necessary. I learned that conflict resolution requires listening first, focusing on behavior not character, and giving both parties agency in the solution.
🏢 Companies Known to Ask This
| Company | Variation / Focus |
|---|---|
| Amazon | Earn Trust — "Tell me about resolving conflict between team members" |
| Googleyness, collaboration | |
| Meta | Cross-functional alignment, hard calls |
| Microsoft | Growth mindset, collaboration |
| Netflix | Candor, direct feedback |
| Professional growth, difficult conversations |