A time you failed

Choose a real failure

Interviewers ask about failure to see how you respond to it: whether you take responsibility, whether you learn and whether you can talk about it calmly. A believable failure with a clear lesson is more useful than a tiny slip.

Choose something where a decision you made did not work, rather than something that simply happened to you. It should matter, but it should not raise doubts about your suitability, such as a lapse in safety or honesty.

Failure, ownership, lesson

1. Set it up briefly.

   Explain what you were trying to achieve and what went wrong.

2. Own your part.

   Say what you did or did not do that contributed. You can mention outside factors, but do not let them carry the blame.

3. Explain how you responded.

   Describe what you did at the time to limit the damage or put things right.

4. Show what changed.

   Give a later example where you applied the lesson. This is often the most convincing part of the answer.

A missed deadline, owned

In my first year as a junior analyst, I agreed to deliver a monthly report a week early so a manager could use it at a board meeting. I didn’t check how long a new data source would take to arrive, and I missed the date. I told the manager as soon as I realised, sent a partial version with the figures I could confirm and finished the rest two days later. Since then I check dependencies before I agree to a deadline. When I was asked for another early report last quarter, I agreed a date I could actually meet and delivered on it.

The speaker takes responsibility for a specific decision, explains the recovery and gives a later example that shows the lesson stuck.

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Failures that don’t count

• A failure that was really someone else’s fault.
• A “failure” that is really a success, such as working so hard that you beat the target.
• Ending on the failure without saying what you learned.
• A vague lesson such as “communication is important”, with no change in what you do.

Keep it steady

Describing a failure aloud can bring back some of the discomfort. Rehearse until you can talk through the difficult part without rushing. If you hear yourself speeding up just before the mistake, slow down there: a calm admission is what the interviewer is listening for.

Check the proportions when you listen back. The response and the lesson should take up a good share of the answer.