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Do you require conflict resolution skills to function well in your job role? This article provides a guide on how you can develop the skills and include them on your resume.

 

What Are Conflict Resolution Skills?

The ability to end a problem promptly, gently, and forcefully is known as conflict resolution ability. In addition to conflict resolution techniques, other crucial abilities including assertiveness, active listening, problem-solving, empathy, and effective communication are also used.

When settling a dispute, someone who is forceful and initiates contact with the opposing side by respectfully and sympathetically articulating their opinion and perspective may pave the way for fruitful and productive discourse. Assertiveness supports objectivity while yet standing up for the individual’s demands. Another ability that is crucial to developing conflict resolution abilities is active listening. When someone is actively listening, they pay attention to the person they are speaking to and repeat back to them what they have heard about that person’s perspective or position to make sure they have understood that person completely. When two or more parties are dedicated to active listening, they listen to comprehend the opposing viewpoints rather than hear to speak out for or defend their own. Because the purpose of conflict resolution is to address the issue, problem-solving is a crucial ability. Problem-solving experts can swiftly come up with solutions that are advantageous to all parties involved when they use conflict resolution techniques. Conflict resolution relies heavily on empathy, or the capacity to accurately envision what the other person is feeling or going through. All sides may analyze how their involvement in the disagreement affected others while maintaining objectivity thanks to empathy. The capacity to listen to people, take in what they have to say, and reply politely in return is crucial for developing successful dispute-resolution techniques.

 

 Examples of Conflict Resolution Skills

• Assertiveness by a supervisor who convenes a meeting between two workers who have participated in a public disagreement.
• Interviewing and active listening abilities are applied by a human resources representative to establish the nature of a problem between a supervisor and a subordinate.
• A supervisor fosters empathy by asking opposing workers to express how the other would feel in conflict situations.
• Managers of opposing departments organize a brainstorming session with their personnel to seek solutions to continuing sources of dispute.
• Mediation skills by a supervisor who encourages competitive subordinates to discover mutually agreed on modifications in conduct.
• A co-worker searching for a competitor said that she would want to find a way to co-exist more harmoniously.
• Creativity and problem-solving by a supervisor who redefines the duties of two conflict-prone personnel to minimize causes of tension.

 

Importance of Conflict Resolution Skills

Conflicts at work are inescapable, and thus, understanding conflict management skills are very crucial to navigating the professional world. Undergoing conflict resolution training and applying conflict management tactics both make you a more open and collaborative employee or manager. Demonstrating effective communication skills during a dispute settlement can assist develop trust and respect in the workplace. A few other reasons why conflict resolution skills are important:

• Building Relationships: Personal and professional relationships may frequently suffer from unresolved conflicts. If two or more parties fail to settle their issue, these sentiments may escalate to explosive actions and animosity later on. Communication, emotional awareness, and empathy are key factors of conflict resolution that may lead to high-functioning and more happy relationships in many facets of life. Rather than just rejecting a connection after a tough patch or dispute, conflict resolution skills may help you develop these relationships and avoid similar problems in the future.
• Goal Achievement: Ongoing conflict situations may stand in the way of fulfilling objectives, especially in commercial partnerships. When conflicts erupt in the office, productivity often drops. It might be difficult to concentrate or work together on a project when underlying tension is present. Resolving these difficulties at the source may lead to increased efficiency and goal attainment.

To pass personal and professional milestones, it’s necessary to apply conflict resolution skills, specifically the capacity to compromise, negotiate and move ahead after a dispute.

• Enhancing Commitment: Conflict resolution may help bring individuals together after an issue is put to rest. One of the most crucial factors in conflict resolution is deciding to confront issues as a team, rather than attacking each other. This strategy is a good way to improve each party’s commitment to the process and prevent increasing sentiments of defensiveness.

While disagreement may be harmful, it can also be a sign of great devotion and emotional connection. By dealing with these sentiments, each partner may get a deeper understanding of one other’s aims which leads to stronger devotion and loyalty going ahead.

• Generating New Insight: Resolution is crucial, but so is conflict in itself. When individuals have various viewpoints, this might open the door to fresh ideas, inventions, and approaches to tackle an issue.

Proper conflict resolution skills are aimed at avoiding conflicts from growing while continuing to explore each point of view and finally achieving a collaborative conclusion. By practicing conflict resolution skills, you’ll be more positioned to learn from and educate others in both professional and personal spheres.

 

Jobs that Require Conflict Resolution Skills

• Arbitrator: Arbitrators hear arguments and provide decisions based on the evidence presented by the parties. They often have backgrounds in law but prefer to work in relaxed settings like boardrooms. Arbitrators prepare statements and present arguments on behalf of their clients, much as lawyers do. Arbitrators sometimes have the opportunity to serve on a panel alongside other experts in conflict resolution.
• Mediator: Mediators aid disputing parties in reaching a compromise by using their interpersonal and negotiation abilities. The parties may move to court if mediation does not result in a settlement. Mediators are not permitted to provide binding judgments, unlike arbitrators. Their responsibility is to assist the opposing parties in communicating by assisting them in reaching their conclusions.
• Conciliator: Mediators and conciliators have similarities. Conciliators, however, meet with disputing parties individually before suggesting solutions, while mediators engage with both sides at the same time. Before meeting with the conciliator, each party will often determine whether or not to accept their advice.
• Contract Negotiation Manager: To advance toward a formal agreement, a contract negotiation manager negotiates, bargains, and selects concessions. Contract negotiation managers may review bids and contract drafts before any agreement is made to spot dangers and potential advantages for their customers. They may also examine and amend current contracts.
• In 2019, there were 526,200 buying managers, buyers, and agents working in the US, according to the BLS. These dispute specialists might be used by businesses that handle large-scale contracts to handle only the contractual side of the purchase. the
• Ombudsmen: When complaints are made against a business or group, the ombudsman conducts an unbiased investigation into the disagreement and makes suggestions on how to settle it. Ombudsmen operate in a variety of contexts, including nonprofit organizations, businesses, and governmental institutions.
• Examiners, Claims Adjusters, Appraisers, and Investigators: It is up to appraisers, examiners, claims adjusters, and investigators to assess insurance claims once they are submitted. In this area, experts determine whether and how much of a claim an insurance company must pay. To assess if a policy covers the damage claimed, they look at the insurance conditions. They then calculate how much the firm should be required to pay.
• Settlements may be negotiated by appraisers, examiners, claims adjusters, and investigators. Additionally, they look into dubious claims to assist in defending businesses against fraud.

 

How to Improve your Conflict Resolution Skills

• Develop your communication and active listening skills: Practice not interrupting while you’re listening to the other person. Make sure you comprehend what the other person is saying. Communication gives people a chance to express their ideas, difficulties, and the causes of their disputes. Because it allows for an interactive exchange of information, face-to-face communication is more effective than other modalities. Additionally, it enables you to take note of crucial nonverbal indications given by the other person. To ensure that each side is aware of what the other is thinking and feeling, utilize open-ended questions. This encourages individuals to investigate the issue further and identify the source of the disagreement.
• Remain composed and acknowledge the conflict: Conflict resolution requires you to be composed and conscious of your emotions. Successful problem-solving depends on recognizing the validity of competing demands and examining them in a setting of empathy and compassion. To examine the issue and prepare your approach, including what you want to say, use critical thinking skills. Then, put your plan in writing and practice. If required, write out your essential talking points on a note card.
• Keep a good outlook and work on controlling your emotions: You can fix the first part of the issue by having an optimistic outlook. Most choices are influenced more by emotions than they are by logic, therefore being aware of and understanding your feelings can help you manage them. It is simple for anybody to become upset, but it takes skill and effort to get angry at the right person, in the right amount, at the right time, with the right motives, and in the right style.

 

How to include Conflict Resolution Skills on your Resume

• Look at the job description to obtain a sense of the kinds of conflict you’ll probably encounter in the new position. Working with at-risk adolescents will demand quite different conflict management skills than, say, a board position where two members often have divergent interests.
• Make a list of all the occasions you’ve encountered conflict of the same kind. This should ideally come from your professional experience, but if required, you may also include volunteer work and extracurricular interests.
• Consider now how you handled those issues. What abilities did you apply? What happened as a result?
• Start with an action verb that defines what you did and conclude with measurements that show how well it worked to turn that response into a bullet point that will look good on a resume.
• Get feedback on your bullet points from a resume scanner powered by artificial intelligence (AI), which can check for crucial keywords and provide extra suggestions to help you get an interview.

Here’s an example of how to include conflict resolution skills  on a resume for an Assistant in social work;

• Facilitated quick one-on-one and group discussions to address young people’s worries and provide a secure atmosphere.
• Assisted 50+ youths and their families in comprehending and adjusting to the youth’s duty to the center.

As you can see, your resume’s bullet points are the finest location to include conflict resolution abilities. By including them here, you can demonstrate your conflict resolution abilities in the area that recruiters are most interested in.

 

How to Demonstrate Conflict Resolution Skills in an Interview

You can adopt the STAR approach when creating your example of a disagreement to present in an interview. STAR is short for:

S/T: Situation/Task

A: Approach/Action

R – Results/Resolution

• Give a brief account of the fighting that took place.
• Mention your part in the circumstance.
• Describe your strategy for solving the issue and any steps you took.
• Share data that demonstrates the success of the outcome.

First, pinpoint the issue and provide a succinct description of the circumstance. then talk about the strategy you used to deal with it. Finally, talk about the successful outcome you were able to attain.

By building conflict resolution examples using the STAR method, you may transform an unpleasant and unfavorable situation into an outstanding illustration of your conflict management skills.

You may use the example given below to better understand how you can use the STAR format to communicate your own conflict experience.

 

S/T (Situation/Task)

This is where you aid the interviewer in comprehending the conflict as well as its setting. It’s crucial to provide a strong background for the conflict, but keep it succinct.

Task or Situation Example

My supervisor, a division manager at Walmart, gave me the task of creating a marketing strategy to boost online sales for certain product lines. The corporate Internet marketing department was to work with the team to establish the strategy. The creation of the strategy had a two-week window. I recognized a two-week timetable was not going to be feasible after meeting with the internet marketing team. I told my supervisor that a two-week timetable was not feasible in light of my interaction with the Walmart online marketing team. He expressed his understanding and requested that I deliver it to him as soon as I could. My boss wrote me an urgent note exactly two weeks later asking for the plan so he could present it at a board meeting the following day. He blew out at me and claimed he had no memory of extending the deadline when I informed him that he had done so during our prior chat.

 

An (Approach)

The main steps you take to handle the problem should be included in your strategy. Make sure the key point of your strategy is the actions you made to ameliorate the unfortunate circumstance.

Example Approach

His abrupt reply caught me off guard for a split second, but I managed to remain composed. Instead of fighting with him about the deadline, I shifted the subject of our talk to the plan we had developed to help each of the product lines he had previously picked see a significant rise in online sales. He became a bit more at ease after going through the plan in great detail. I assured him that I could have a thorough summary of each internet product line’s marketing plan on his desk the very next morning in time for his appointment.

 

R (Results)

An effective conflict-resolution example has a positive conclusion. Describe the advantages brought about by your activities. Provide quantitative outcomes whenever possible. If you are unable to quantify the outcomes, provide anecdotal proof that they were successful.

Example outcomes

I was able to give my employer what he needed something solid to deliver at his board meeting by being solution-focused with him. He then apologized for his outburst and said that the plans I had come up with were brilliant. A handful of the tactics I came up with were adopted by the division. The particular outcomes of the plan execution were never given to me, but by 2020, my boss had been promoted to regional manager, and I had been promoted to division manager.

 

Examples of Conflict Resolution Skills Interview Questions

• How do you resolve disputes?
• Give an example of a time when you managed a disagreement at work.
• How do you resolve conflicts while working as a team? Give an instance.
• Describe a time you argued with your supervisor and how you handled the matter.
• Describe a time when you disagreed with a regulation or policy and what you did to manage the issue.

Resume Skills