The Best Way to Answer 'Tell Me About a Mistake You Made' During an Interview
lifehacker.com
5 ideas
·528 reads
6
Learn more about career with this collection
Conducting effective interviews
Identifying the right candidates for the job
Creating a positive candidate experience
How To Answer Questions About Mistakes
Most of us have had to face the dreaded, “Tell me about a time you made a mistake” question while interviewing for a new job.
And while the whole point of an interview is to put your best foot forward—and nobody relishes disclosing past work failures—with a little advanced preparation, your response can actually work in your favour. (The thing you don’t want to do is wing it.) So what’s the best way to answer this question in a way that can enhance your desirability as a candidate?
20
124 reads
Why Is This Question Asked
Understand what the interviewer is really getting at, so you can best tailor your response. What they really want to know is how you approach challenges, what you learned from the experience, and how you constructively applied that knowledge to other situations. In addition to gleaning a sense of your weaknesses, they’re trying to assess your problem-solving skills and potential for growth. (They also want to see if you’re honest.)
20
110 reads
How To Answer
- Pick a specific example of a true work experience (not personal).
- Make sure the mistake was minor, and something you successfully fixed.
- Keep it brief, but be prepared to provide more details.
- Take full responsibility for your mistake.
- Describe how you solved it, and a positive result.
- Emphasize what you learned from it and how you applied that knowledge to avoid future mistakes.
19
105 reads
Stuff To Avoid
- Do not discuss mistakes that reveal moral failings or character flaws (such as lying or fighting).
- Don’t pass the blame onto others.
- Don’t pick a mistake you were not able to fix.
- Don’t make jokes or disparage your former employer.
18
98 reads
The Famous STAR Technique
Keep in mind the “STAR Technique”:
S: Situation – describe the situation you were in when that past work-related mistake happened.
T: Task – explain what you were supposed to do.
A: Action – tell them what happened. Describe what you did wrong and how you handled the negative situation.
R: Result – show the positive results and the lessons you learned from the experience.
19
91 reads
CURATED BY
Spending a large amount of time with someone literally causes you to pick up their habits. Choose your friends wisely.
More like this
Explore the World’s
Best Ideas
200,000+ ideas on pretty much any topic. Created by the smartest people around & well-organized so you can explore at will.
An Idea for Everything
Explore the biggest library of insights. And we've infused it with powerful filtering tools so you can easily find what you need.
Knowledge Library
Powerful Saving & Organizational Tools
Save ideas for later reading, for personalized stashes, or for remembering it later.
Start
31 ideas
Start
44 ideas
# Personal Growth
Take Your Ideas
Anywhere
Organize your ideas & listen on the go. And with Pro, there are no limits.
Listen on the go
Just press play and we take care of the words.
Never worry about spotty connections
No Internet access? No problem. Within the mobile app, all your ideas are available, even when offline.
Get Organized with Stashes
Ideas for your next work project? Quotes that inspire you? Put them in the right place so you never lose them.
Start
47 ideas
Start
75 ideas
My Stashes
Join
2 Million Stashers
4.8
5,740 Reviews
App Store
4.7
72,690 Reviews
Google Play
samz905
Don’t look further if you love learning new things. A refreshing concept that provides quick ideas for busy thought leaders.
“
Shankul Varada
Best app ever! You heard it right. This app has helped me get back on my quest to get things done while equipping myself with knowledge everyday.
“
Sean Green
Great interesting short snippets of informative articles. Highly recommended to anyone who loves information and lacks patience.
“
Ashley Anthony
This app is LOADED with RELEVANT, HELPFUL, AND EDUCATIONAL material. It is creatively intellectual, yet minimal enough to not overstimulate and create a learning block. I am exceptionally impressed with this app!
“
Jamyson Haug
Great for quick bits of information and interesting ideas around whatever topics you are interested in. Visually, it looks great as well.
“
Giovanna Scalzone
Brilliant. It feels fresh and encouraging. So many interesting pieces of information that are just enough to absorb and apply. So happy I found this.
“
Laetitia Berton
I have only been using it for a few days now, but I have found answers to questions I had never consciously formulated, or to problems I face everyday at work or at home. I wish I had found this earlier, highly recommended!
“
Ghazala Begum
Even five minutes a day will improve your thinking. I've come across new ideas and learnt to improve existing ways to become more motivated, confident and happier.
“
Read & Learn
20x Faster
without
deepstash
with
deepstash
with
deepstash
Access to 200,000+ ideas
—
Access to the mobile app
—
Unlimited idea saving & library
—
—
Unlimited history
—
—
Unlimited listening to ideas
—
—
Downloading & offline access
—
—
Personalized recommendations
—
—
Supercharge your mind with one idea per day
Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.
I agree to receive email updates