Tough Interview Questions #4: Tell Me About a Mistake You Made

You know everyone makes mistakes. I make mistakes. You've made mistakes. Tell me about a (professional) mistake you've made and what you learned from it.

I put the word professional in parentheses because sometimes the question is asked without it and I want to make sure you know that whenever you are asked this question, they are asking you about a professional mistake in judgment.

Do not give them a story of something that happened recently. Recent mistakes can be used to reject your candidacy under the premise that you should have known better than to do what you did.

Instead, try to usea lesson from when you were a beginner . . .and don't sound too rehearsed.

"Hmm! That's a great question."

(Pause to think for a minute).

"I remember there was a time when I started out and was gung ho, I started to fall behind on project. Instead of letting my manager know that I was struggling, I put in even more effort thinking that through the force of my will, I could turn things around. But I stayed behind what was expected of me and eventually decided to tell my manager. He taught me a great lesson. Everything we do is interdependent. If I struggle, she needs to know because it affects others.

Even today, I encourage my people to tell me as soon as they can about problems because their work is connected with other people's work and impacts it."

See what that does? It takes an old story and brings it into the present in a very human way that everyone can understand.

Jeff Altman 
The Big Game Hunter
www.TheBigGameHunter.us

JeffAltman@TheBigGameHunter.us

© 2007 all rights reserved.

Tough Interview Questions #3: What are Your Weaknesses

And What are your Weaknesses??

This is the mirror question to the one asked in the previous column about your greatest strengths.

Whereas the answer to a question about your strengths can brand you as a blowhard, the answer to this one will be listened to carefully for what you perceive your deficiencies to be. 

The wrong answer is to answer directly, such as , “I don’t have much experience with _____________”. It is far better to disguise a strength as a weakness.

For example, when asked the question, pause, break eye contact with the interviewer, look as though you’re sincerely thinking about the question for a moment or two, as though it was the first time you ever heard this question.

Then answer, “Hmm. (pause) . . . I sometimes work too hard. When I receive an assignment, I think about the problem all the time. I tend to put in a lot of after hours time massaging the problem and working on the project. Sometimes, after a few months, I’ve noticed I can become a little worn and will make a mistake. What then happens, it is a signal that I need a brief break get back to work.”

Answering in this manner tells them that you work extremely hard.

Not a bad message to give an interviewer!

Jeff Altman 
The Big Game Hunter
www.TheBigGameHunter.us

JeffAltman@TheBigGameHunter.us

© 2007 all rights reserved.