What to do
about that dreaded question? If the interviewer does not specifically ask
for you to elaborate on a failure from your work experience, choose a
non–work-related experience that has little bearing on the skills or
knowledge you must use excellently to excel in your potential new job. In
that way, the failure you elaborate on will not call your work-related
credentials into question.
Also, if you
are able to elaborate on a failure that is further back in time, rather
than more recent, that is often a better choice. After all, your aim is to
turn around the question quickly and then elaborate on how you have
succeeded since the failure by employing the lessons that you learned from
your failure. Do not choose a failure that is too recent, because in that
case you will have a hard time elaborating on your successes since the
failure; it will simply be the case that enough time has not yet passed
for you to have established a record of success since your failure.
Finally, don't elaborate on a failure that was very costly to your
employer. If you do so, the interviewer will likely become nervous,
wondering whether you would make a similar costly mistake at their
organization.
One of the
most useful methods is the “turnaround method” of responding to questions
which is useful with a variety of questions. Consider using this
turnaround technique when addressing questions such as "Tell me about your
greatest setback in life," "Tell me about your greatest personal failure,"
or "Tell me about a time you were disappointed in yourself."
Greatest
Failure Questions: Top 10 Mistakes
 | A failure
that is too recent |
| An example
that was financially costly to your employer |
| An example
that cost your employer a client or hurt your employer's reputation |
| A failure
that is central to your current work |
| A failure
that reflects a weakness in the skills you need to use excellently to
succeed in your potential new job |
| An example
where you cannot elaborate on what you have learned |
| An example
where you cannot cite another example of when you dealt with a similar
situation and succeeded |
Greatest
Failure: Sample Approach
| Spend only
a small amount of your response addressing your failure. |
| Talk about
the lessons you learned. |
| Spend the
remainder of your time mentioning an example of when you succeeded by
applying the lessons you learned from the failure you have spoken about. |
Greatest
Weakness Questions: What to Avoid
| A weakness
that resulted in a bad outcome that proved financially costly to your
employer |
| A weakness
that resulted in a bad outcome that cost your employer a client or hurt
your employer's reputation |
| A weakness
that indicates a problem using the skills you will need to excel in your
potential new job |
| A weakness
that indicates a significant skill needed for the central work in your
current job |
| An example
upon which you cannot elaborate to describe how you are productively
addressing and strengthening that weakness |
