Employers look for a lot in a potential employee because they are out to employ one of the best and valuable hands to join in making the company grow. No matter what the position is, every employer wants someone who is quite competent, and with regards to today’s new and tough employment market, that means getting a bit more thorough and setting a slightly higher criteria to guide them in the hiring process.
Besides a well-written C.V and cover letter, employers look for more than technical or specific job-related skills when hiring new employees. This includes looking for characteristics which will help in developing an effective team in the company. Knowing these characteristics and finding them in yourself, will enhance your success at interviews and increase your chances of getting the job you desire.
The characteristics employers look for, include:
• Excellent listening skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Problem-solving skills
• Proven ability to get along well with co-workers
• Dedication and reliability.
For an employer (interviewer) to identify your strengths in these areas, they will need to ask you behaviour-based or situational questions, one of which is: ‘Have you ever had a conflict with a co-worker or even a boss, and how did you resolve it?.’ This kind of question has started becoming very common.
If you are lucky, after giving an answer such as: ‘No, I have never had a conflict…’ to this kind of open-ended question, the interviewer may leave it as that, but on the other hand, such an answer may make the interviewer continue drilling you deeper to find a conflict. The better way is to give a reply which is focused on the behavioural process for resolving conflicts and working collaboratively (i.e., as a team)—-this is what they are actually asking you for.
So, if you’ve had a misunderstanding before, you may want to try answering in a similar manner as this: ‘Yes, I have had conflicts in the past. Never great ones, but little disagreements that needed to be resolved and I have found that when conflicts occur, it is better to fully understand the other person’s perspective, so I take time to listen to their point of view then I seek to work out a collaborative solution……’ If there is still time, briefly cite an instance when it happened.
You may easily see that the answer above embraces 4 out of the 5 characteristics listed, in that it shows: you do listen to others, you can communicate, you rather be the problem-solver and you have a clue on how to get along with co-workers.
The key here is giving honest answers. Pick out your best qualities, find a way of fitting them into the answer, then see how it plays out.
Good luck.
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