Tell me about a disagreement you had with your manager
Firms expect a junior to say what they think when they disagree, then to fall in line once the decision is made. The right answer shows both: you voiced your disagreement with facts, at the right time and in private, and you then carried out what was decided loyally, whether or not you won the argument.
What the interviewer is assessing
- Your courage to speak. A junior who sees an error in the analysis and stays silent out of deference is a danger to the team. The interviewer wants to know you will raise your hand.
- How you go about it. With facts rather than opinion, one to one rather than in front of the client, and proposing a solution rather than pointing at a problem.
- How you react to the decision. If the manager holds their position, do you drag your feet, or do your best to make their choice succeed?
How to build your answer
- 1
Pick a disagreement of substance
A method of analysis, a priority, a conclusion to present. Disagreements about hours or workload are best avoided, because they are about your comfort and not about the quality of the work. - 2
Explain your manager's reasoning
They had their reasons, and sometimes information you lacked. Presenting those honestly shows you do not confuse disagreement with superiority. - 3
Tell how you voiced your view
The moment you chose, the material you had prepared, how you phrased it. This is the part the interviewer wants in detail. - 4
Say how it ended, on both sides
The decision taken, what you did next, and what you learned, including if your manager turned out to be right.
How a good answer starts
"During my internship at an investment fund, my manager asked me to build a market estimate from an industry study she had been using for a long time. Cross-checking against more recent public data, I found a large gap, and I thought the study overstated the market. She replied, a little sharply, that we had no time to redo the work.
I did not push in the moment. That evening I prepared one page with the two estimates side by side, the source of the gap and what it changed for the conclusion of the file, and asked her for ten minutes the next morning. I told her I might be wrong, but that I would rather she saw it before the committee than after..."
This example is made up: it shows the tone and the construction, not a script to memorise. Your answer has to come from your own experience or from the data the interviewer gives you.
Common mistakes
- Telling that you were right and your manager was wrong, full stop. Even if true, the story casts you poorly if it shows no respect for the other person.
- Saying you have never disagreed with a manager. It means either that you do not think about what you are asked, or that you dare not speak.
- Having worked around the decision, or gone to your manager's boss. Unless ethics were at stake, that is a breach of loyalty.
- Letting resentment show. The tone in which you talk about that former manager is heard as much as the facts.
Follow-ups to expect
"What if your manager had held firm while you were sure of yourself?"
Explain that you would have applied the decision after stating the risk clearly, unless the issue touched the integrity of the work delivered to the client.
"What feedback did they give you afterwards?"
Report what they said, including on your manner if you were clumsy.
Frequently asked questions
Can I pick a disagreement where the manager was right in the end?
Yes, and it is often an excellent story. It shows that you dare to speak, that you can listen and that you admit when you are wrong, three things firms look for.
What if I have only done one internship?
A disagreement with a thesis supervisor, the head of a student society or a student project lead works. What matters is the relationship of authority, not the employment contract.