1. Interviewed in the past—if it is yes, then say yes, and you are continuing to pursue a position with the company because you learned more about the company when you interviewed before, the mission of the company really resonates with you, and you really want to work there.

2. Long term goal is to advance in your area of interest in the company. This needs to be within the department you are applying to.

My last company got soooooo many people who would say they wanted to be a <>, which had nothing to do with the job they were applying for. No, this accounting job is not your stepping stone to become a millionaire rock star, goodbye.

Also, I’ve seen one of my former employers hire someone that wanted long term to do something else outside our industry. WTH. Our manager authorized all her classes too—she went to college at the company’s expense to get an unrelated degree and leave. Idiots. They could have hired so many good people that actually wanted to work for us long term!!

They want to know if you are going to stick around. Say so!!! Tell them you love the work the company does and you want to get involved and stay there long term! Perhaps in a supervisory capacity because you would love to mentor and develop employees.

On conflict—I agree with Seesaw. You want to talk it out in a non-confrontational way to work out the problem. You want to understand the other person’s point of view and repeat it back to them so they know they were heard. Then find some common ground.