Tough Interview Questions: How to Talk About Past Mistakes
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that any interview isn’t going to be filled with easy questions. Any interviewer is going to ask you a tough question or two.
These questions are challenging for a reason. They usually ask you to highlight something or some event in your career where you maybe didn’t perform at your best. A common prompt along these lines is this: Tell me about a time where you made a mistake at work?
Yikes. How do your answer such a question in a positive way? Jane Burnett has a few pointers in her article here that we also recommend.
- Pick the right mistake: Try not to pick an anecdote that was a total disaster. As a rule of thumb, you want to pick something that wasn’t so bad.Conversely, don’t pick something so tiny that the interviewer thinks you’re over confident.
“She says to talk about one that is ‘big enough to show you’ve got the bumps and bruises of real experience, but small enough to convey you are generally highly competent.’”
- Avoid mistakes that call the job you’re up for into question: Try to stay away from mistakes that involve actions central to the job you’re interviewing for. For example if you’re up for a job as a Copywriter, don’t mention the mistake where you missed a huge typo in a company-wide email
- Don’t blame others: One of the worst things you can do is place the blame on your coworkers, or worse, your boss. Whether it’s true or not, it never looks good to throw others under the bus while taking the blame off of yourself.
Photo by Jeremy Beadle on Unsplash
Recent Posts
Feel Good Friday: Balance
Happy Friday! We’re excited to close out the week with a consideration of the various ways in which you can strive to find balance in order to contribute to a greater sense of equilibrium both in your professional environment and beyond. As it’s Friday, you might be...
Finding Your Own Best Work-Life Balance
As the end of the work week draws near, today we’re continuing our theme of the week, Balance, by exploring even more approaches to establishing and maintaining the right work-life balance for you. Just as each person has their own unique set of professional...
Wednesday Wellness: Balance
Happy Hump Day! You’ve made it to the week’s midpoint--aka a perfect time to consider ways to best achieve a professional sense of balance. Achieving that balance is something that takes practice rather than occurring overnight. If you find yourself stumbling along...
Achieving Your Best Work Life Balance
Continuing this week’s focus on balance, today we’re looking at ways to best achieve a healthy work life balance. This tips tackle approaches that address both the “work” and “life” components of this concept, helping you to find your footing both in the workplace and...
Monday Mood Booster: Balance
Welcome back! This week we’re focusing on maintaining balance in your workplace and beyond, bringing the sense of rest and the recharging you did over the weekend into your professional environment and spreading that sense of balance out all the way through the rest...
Feel Good Friday: Pause
Happy Friday! You’ve made it to the end of the week again and can soon lean into the peaceful pause the weekend offers. Let yourself enjoy it! While we’ve reached the week’s end, we’re also at the month’s mid-point--and there’s no better time to press pause and...
Helping Yourself and Others During Downtime
It can be easy to feel down and disconnected during this time of uncertainty. And especially during this week of April showers! While there’s still a light at the end of the tunnel shining, we know that you may be feeling like you’ve had to put your life on hold. But...
Wednesday Wellness: Pause
You’re halfway through the workweek. What better time is there than to pause and think about both where you’re going and where you’ve been? There will inevitably be lulls during your workday--take these as opportunities to breathe before plunging back into your tasks....
Making the Most of Slower Times at Work
Continuing our theme this week of making sure to implement variety in your professional routine by hitting the pause button from time to time instead of always proceeding full steam ahead, today we’ll be examining ways to make the most out of slower times in your...
Monday Mood Booster: Pause
Welcome back! We hope you had a wonderful and restorative weekend. Our focus lately has been on ways to keep moving forward. And while you’ll want to make sure you’re maintaining a positive trajectory, it’s also important to take time to slow down: to hit the pause...
Feel Good Friday: Weathering the Storm
Congratulations! You’ve pushed through the maelstrom of everything your professional environment may have thrown your way and made it to the end of the week. And that is truly something to celebrate! We’re excited to see you back here. And want to give you one last...
Boost Your Workplace Energy Through Movement
Today we’re continuing our focus on developing holistic ways to keep going in any professional environment, no matter the figurative or literal weather conditions you encounter along the way. Both your mind and your body are part of the workplace equation! And it’s...
Wednesday Wellness: Weathering the Storm
Happy Wednesday! You’ve made it the midpoint of the week--the eye of the storm, to continue our metaphor. Take today to remember and appreciate the calm you can find in the world, to steady yourself and get ready for the rest of the week’s figurative strong winds. No...
Give Yourself Energy Boosts in Any Professional Environment
As we continue to navigate storms both literal and figurative, it’s important to keep your body and mind in tip-top shape, whether you’re working from home or onsite. Taking this holistic approach will help you persevere through any circumstances you encounter in any...