"Tell me about a time you handled conflict (with a teammate or boss)."

What they're testing: maturity, professionalism, and whether you can disagree without being difficult — crucial in lean deal teams working long hours together.

Use STAR and choose a substantive but professional conflict (a disagreement over approach, an uneven workload, a clash of priorities) — not a personal/petty one. Emphasize: you understood the other side, communicated directly and respectfully, found common ground or escalated appropriately, and preserved the relationship and the outcome.

Example: 'A teammate and I disagreed on the analytical approach. I heard out his reasoning, laid out my concern with data, and we agreed to test both quickly; his was faster, mine was more robust, so we combined them. We delivered on time and the working relationship stayed strong.' Gotcha: avoid stories where you 'won' by steamrolling, and avoid conflicts that paint you as the unreasonable party. Show resolution, not just the fight.