Erin McGoff Urges STAR Method for 1 Tough Interview Question as AI Elevates Soft Skills
Updated
Updated · CNBC · May 13
Erin McGoff Urges STAR Method for 1 Tough Interview Question as AI Elevates Soft Skills
2 articles · Updated · CNBC · May 13
Erin McGoff says candidates should answer the common disagreement question by showing they can handle workplace conflict calmly and professionally, not by recounting personal clashes with a boss or coworker.
Her top advice is to keep the story business-focused and frame it as a difference in opinion, because hiring teams are using behavioral questions to judge attitude, collaboration and culture fit.
McGoff recommends structuring the response with the 4-part STAR method—situation, task, action and result—using a concrete example of advocating an alternative approach, discussing it one-on-one and reaching a constructive outcome.
The anecdote should end with a positive result and a lesson learned, she says, because the goal is to demonstrate 'healthy conflict' skills that employers increasingly value as AI takes over more technical tasks.
How do you prove your human skills are irreplaceable as AI takes over technical tasks?
Is the corporate push for 'value alignment' a new, more sophisticated form of hiring bias?
If human skills are today's currency, what happens when AI learns to master them too?