“Tell me about a time you made a mistake” is one of the most asked behavioural interview questions.
Although common, it remains tricky to answer.
It goes against every one of our intuitive thoughts!
Our aim in an interview is to present the most impressive, professional, and commercial version of ourselves as possible. To offer out our failings – even when we’re asked – feels risky.
However, being able to admit we’ve made a mistake and talk about the learnings is a crucial part of our suitability for a new job.
The reality is we make lots of mistakes, so choosing the “right” mistake to talk about is a balance between honesty and positivity.
Here is our advice on how to answer, “Tell me about a time you’ve made a mistake”.
Why do interviewers ask about our mistakes?
Your interviewer knows that making mistakes is inevitable. The good news is that they aren’t interested in the mistake itself, per se. What they are interested in is how you responded to “failure”, how resilient you are, and what steps you’ve proactively taken to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Your answer to this question gives them insights into your character and your suitability for their job. For example, did you take accountability, or did you point fingers at your colleagues? They are looking to see how you rectified your mistake, what you’ve learned from the error, and what you’ve done to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
How do you choose the “right” mistake to talk about?
When you’re preparing for your interview, you should take some time to think about the mistake you may like to talk about. The mistake you choose should allow you to demonstrate your problem-solving skills and show what you’ve learned from these experiences to avoid future mistakes.
This means that you should choose an example relating to minor work-related errors that don’t reflect poorly on you as a person or your work ethic.
You may like to choose
- Communication Errors
- Non-crucial missed deadlines
- Poor presentations
- Knowledge gaps
Don’t choose
- Any mistake that involves skills crucial for your target job
- Controversial or emotive workplace issues
- Personal character flaws
- Anything monetary or where you have “lost” the company money.
Remember, you’re aim is to be made an offer. Present yourself as insightful, adaptable, and willing to learn. Don’t present yourself as a cultural or financial liability.
How to answer, “tell me about a time you’ve made a mistake”.
When prepping your answer, think about the following.
Set the scene.
Giving context to the situation is important. It helps the interviewer to understand how you came to make the mistake.
Here are some tips.
- Use the facts – clearly set out what your responsibilities were.
- Briefly explain what the mistake was, and the events that led up to it.
- Don’t place blame. Take accountability for your part in the mistake.
Describe how you rectified the mistake.
- Your interviewer is interested in how you reacted once you noticed the mistake.
- Describe how you handled the problem and outline the steps you took to put it right.
- Use fact not emotion. Make sure to stick to what you did rather than how it made you feel.
- Your interviewer is looking for a proactive spirit and a determination to take corrective action.
Focus on positivity.
- One of the most attractive character traits in a candidate is positivity and the ability to overcome challenges.
- To acknowledge your mistakes is important, and so is your ability to learn and to come away stronger. For example, you may like to think about how the mistake has improved your professional growth.
- Keep your focus on the positive aspects of the circumstances and reiterate how your actions after the mistake helped everything to turn out fine in the end.
What did you learn?
When talking about your past mistakes, focus on how you were able to learn from the experience and avoid making the same mistake again.
To communicate your learnings, try brainstorming the following questions…
- How has this mistake improved your professional journey?
- How did the mistake affect the way you approach similar tasks in the future?
Be honest.
Transparency in an employee is important, and honesty is always the best policy. Trying to cover up the facts will only work against you. You will show integrity by demonstrating that you’re reliable and willing to take responsibility for your actions.
Takeaways.
- Don’t be afraid. The point of the question is not to evaluate the mistake itself.
- Your interviewer is not looking to trip you up. You are there because you’re a viable candidate. They want to be able to offer you the job!
- Use the opportunity to demonstrate your resilience, desire to learn and how you approach problems.
- Be honest
- Focus on the positives
- Choose the “right” mistake. Don’t select a mistake that involves the skills of your target job or one that defames your character.
- Take accountability and don’t blame others.
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Head to the Employee Advice section of our blog and take the first steps on the ladder to earning your dream job!