Answering the job interview question: “Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.”

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Every relationship, both personal and professional, encounters some sort of conflict. This is why disagreements at work, especially with your manager, are bound to happen. When the person who might end up being your boss asks you how you have dealt with managerial conflict in the past, it might cause a little bit of anxiety. The good news is that there is a great formula for answering this interview question and we are excited to share it with you.

Variations of this question

“Tell me about a time you experienced conflict at work.” · “Tell me about a time when you had an issue with a co-worker.” · “How would you handle a conflict at work?.”

What the hiring manager is looking for

Hiring managers ask about you disagreeing with your previous manager to get a sense of how you might disagree with them once you are hired. They are curious about the respect you show to a higher authority while having the courage enough to stand up for what you believe in. Hiring managers want someone who can tell them they are wrong in a way that builds a relationship.

What your goal should be

Your goal is to share a story where you disagreed with your manager and you were right about the disagreement. The reason you want to be right is that your story should ideally show how competent you are at your work, which will give the hiring manager confidence in hiring you. This answer can also display other great skills such as negotiating, selling an idea, and inspiring others.

Preparing for this question

Start by thinking of stories when you disagreed with your manager. Your story should have the following qualities:

• It should align well with the position you are applying for.
• It should have ended well and perhaps even helped your relationship or conflict resolution process improve.
• Ideally, your story should be one where you were in the right. This will allow you to show your ability to perform a job responsibility well.
• It should also show great conflict resolution tactics such as showing respect, prioritizing facts and evidence over opinion, and listening/acknowledging each other’s points of view.

Answer Structure

Your answer should be no longer than 3 minutes and should contain the following elements:

1. Start by showing a positive attitude about your manager, your relationship, and the importance of disagreeing. This should take 10 seconds.
   
   Example: “My manager and I have a really great relationship, but just as expected, we do disagree on some things occasionally. We have found disagreeing, however, to be a positive thing, which helps us both do our jobs better.”
2. Then, tell the story using the S-T-A-R interview response method, by explaining the Situation, Task, Action and Result of your story. This step should take no longer than 2 minutes.
   
   Example:
   Situation- “In an effort to try and convert more people to sign up to our website, my manager felt we needed to copy a competitor’s marketing banner almost exactly.” (~15 seconds)
   Task- “From speaking with our customers on a regular basis, I did not think that a banner would win over our customers nor that it was good user experience. However, after discussing the situation for a while it became apparent that we didn’t have the right data to help us make an educated decision so I suggested that I would do some more research and report back in a few days.” (~15 seconds)
   Action- “Working together with a researcher, we interviewed a few of our customers in a specific target market and found out the real problem they were having. Then, working with a graphic designer, we came up with some new marketing elements that might work better to solve the customer’s problem. We then did a basic and small a/b test with a few of our users to see which marketing elements they preferred. Though we only interviewed about 25 people, it was enough to give us a much better direction and learn that the marketing banner my manager was asking for was not the best solution. I presented my research to my manager and after my presentation, he was quite convinced and impressed. He encouraged us to proceed with our new direction.” (~60–90 seconds)
   Result- “After we implemented the proposed marketing features, we saw a 10% increase in sign-up conversion, which was more than we had expected. We also saw a small increase in our NPS score! The funny thing was that a few weeks after we implemented our solution, our competitor ended up getting rid of the marketing banner my manager wanted to copy.” (~30 seconds)

Extra tips

• Don’t say you never disagree with your manager. Even if you and your manager make a great team and see things eye to eye, the reality is that all relationships will encounter conflicts at some point or another. Dig deep and find a conflict that you can share.
• Don’t say you always disagreed with your manager. This will definitely set off a red flag. A hiring manager wants a healthy amount of disagreement but a constant struggle is time-consuming and draining.
• Don’t talk bad about your boss or another employee. Hiring managers want people who can be professional, respectful, proactive and in control, not a gossiper who is constantly making excuses for not getting their work done.
• Check out our related articles: Using the S-T-A-R Interview Response Method and Answering the Job Interview Question: “Tell me about a time you made a mistake.”

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