How Do You Answer Interview Questions About Mistakes That You've Made in the Past?
Rafael Maga?a
Senior Director Of Development - Corporate Partnerships, Major Gifts, & Planned Giving
Hiring managers often ask job applicants questions about mistakes they've made in the past, and what they've learned from them. It's a topic that's bound to make anyone uncomfortable. Yet, you do need to answer well to get to the next round of the hiring process.
What is the interviewer really looking for?
An interviewer may ask about the mistakes that you've made in the past to find out where your weaknesses and strengths lie, and to gain insight into the way you handle challenges. You need to be honest, but you should focus on using the opportunity to show the interviewer how the experience helped you become a better job candidate.
How do you answer the question?
Talking about a specific instance is the best way to offer an interviewer the information that they look for. Explain in brief what was expected of you, what you got wrong, and what you learned. Talk about the steps that you took to ensure that the mistake didn't happen again, and, if possible, think of an example of how your experience helped you perform well in a similar situation at a later date.
It may be useful to explain that while the mistake came from an area that you used to be weak at, you consider the same area to be one of your strengths at this point.
In general, while you do want to be honest, you don't want to offer an example of a mistake in an area that would be critical to the job that you're currently interviewing for. It would be a good idea to pick a mistake that doesn't directly relate to your potential success at the new job.
It would also be a good idea to avoid using an example that might draw attention to a character flaw that you may have. For example, if you tend to have trouble with your temper sometimes, and once got into trouble for having an angry and unproductive argument at work because of it, it would be best to not go there.
Examples of mistakes made by a team that you were a part of, tend to work well. When it's a mistake that an entire team must take responsibility for, you are only partially to blame. It can help you come out looking better.
Examples of good answers
Example: You may talk about how a team that you were a part of, once failed to land a deal. You may say that you learned how ineffective visuals contributed to the failure. Then, you may talk about how you invested time in learning your way around software used to create high-quality visual presentations, and have since earned applause for the quality of your slide deck.
Such an answer works because it makes it clear that the team was to blame, but it also shows how you took initiative and tackled the problem in a positive way.
Example: You may bring up how reluctance to ask for help got you into trouble in the past, and led to avoidable mistakes. You can say that you realize that the company that you're interviewing for emphasizes teamwork, and your willingness now to ask for help early would make you a good fit.
This would be a good answer because it shows that you've done your homework and learned about how teamwork is an important quality at this job that you're interviewing for. It also makes clear that you've understood how important it is to ask for help when you need it.
Interview questions about past mistakes are common. It would be a good idea, then, to head in, prepared. You should think about the mistakes that you've made, pick a couple that you effectively learned from, and practice how to present them. When you talk about them at the interview, you need to make sure that you keep the tone positive, and avoid placing blame on anyone else.
Questions about mistakes are a clever interview technique that help hiring managers see deeper into your resume than your success stories alone are able to communicate. It's up to you to take advantage of the opportunity to show how your mistakes have made you the effective employee that you are today.
___________
Join 7,000+ leaders who have already subscribed to the Latino Professionals Newsletter. Join and?subscribe here.
Live in Los Angeles, California? Want to join the largest Latino Professionals group in Los Angeles on Meetup with over 1,660+ members? Join the waitlist?here.
___________
Related articles
领英推荐
________________
Copyright January 15, 2022 by Rafael Maga?a. Contact for usage license.
Rafael Maga?a helps organizations grow. Helps leaders accelerate strategy implementation in their organizations. Specializes in donor-centered Philanthropy. Major Gift & Planned Giving Officer - Veritus Scholar. Rafael is a Board of Trustees at the?Hollywood Schoolhouse, Development Chair, and has been a member of the Board of Directors with the?Navy League of The United States, Beverly Hills Council since 2006. Enjoys writing about leadership, management and careers.?Founder of?Latino Professionals,?Latina Professionals, &?Latinx Professionals. He resides in California.?
Disclaimer:?Opinions expressed are solely my own.
Also, If you enjoyed this article I'd be honored if you would follow and connect with me. My goal on LinkedIn is to share ideas that inspire leaders, managers, entrepreneurs and careers. Over the last six years, I've written over 299 LinkedIn articles and I would like to invite you personally to join my groups?Latino Professionals?(70,000+ members),?Latina Professionals?(64,500+ members),?Latinx Professionals?(30,500+ members)?and?District Manager Networking in the United States?(4,600+ members). Follow Rafael on?LinkedIn?(21,000+ connections).
You can also find my articles and tools that might be helpful to you below.
Select your learning interests below?
Read my latest Hispanic Executive Magazine articles?here.
Enjoy my work? Want to work together? Would you like to feature or publish one of my articles in your publication? Let's talk!
Share & comment below and I'll?connect with you to further the conversation.
Appreciate the constant feedback throughout the time I have know you. Really have looked forward to your articles each and every time.
E.I.T. | HSF Scholar
3 年Well written, Rafael! I will definitely pass this along to my peers.
Education & Training Program Manager for Air Force Personnel Center|USAF Veteran|HR Consultant|Veteran Advocate
3 年Thank you for this! I recently had an interview and this question was asked. I immediately got nervous because that is a tough question. But I took it as a chance to say I’m human & still adding tools to my kit daily. We make mistakes, we acknowledge them & move forward. The only mistake is not learning from the past ones.