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"Describe a situation in which you treated someone unfairly"

Hi, read that this question has been asked at BCG. What would you say is "the question behind the question"? Of course everybody has treated someone else unfairly at some point in their life, right? However what types of situations do you think are most suitable for this question? 

Do you think it makes more sense to answer this question as 

(1) I treated someone unfairly (e.g. in a really competitive situation) and was fully aware of that while doing so

(2) I treated someone unfairly as i was striving for a goal, however, in hindsight i regret it

(3) Acting unfairly/selfish in return to someone else being unfair to me?

Or do you have any other tips? Thanks in advance! :)

Best, F

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Top answer
Clara
Coach
edited on Feb 16, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello F!

I would for sure discard the option 1, since if you are fully aware, does not really speak any highly about you. I would actually frame it the opporsite way, choosing a situation in which you are unfair to someone and only realise with time. 

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Ian
Coach
on Feb 16, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

I would 100% avoid any situation in which you knew what you were doing in the time of the "crime".

Rather, it should absolutely be a hindsight point AND your answers needs to show that you rectified it.

This question is similar to "Initial Failure" or "Weakness". How? You're supposed to describe a failure/weakness/bad treatment that:

  1. Isn't that bad in the first place
  2. You resolved shortly afterwards
  3. You learned from
  4. Is not an issue anymore (and, even better, something great came out of it)
Florian
Coach
on Feb 16, 2021
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 500+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hey there,

I second Ian's comment. In general, whenever there is something you should tell that displays you in a bad light, you need to make sure that there was no

  • bad intentions from your side
  • you fixed the situation quickly
  • took some learnings for next time and it never happened again

Cheers,

Florian

on Feb 16, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi, I would recommend not mentioning some red-flag situations and always insert how you realized it was unfair in order to work on it and never let it happen again

Best

Antonello

Allen
Coach
on Feb 16, 2021
Ex-McK Experienced Hire and EM - I show you how to perform at your best

Hello,

I would highly caution against divulging bad character traits. 

Instead, I would identify situations where you did not fully understand either the situation, the indivual concerned, or the impact of your actions.

This way, you demonstrate insight and can tell of story of how you developed and grew as a professional following that situation.

Those are the questions behind the question: do you know how to treat people fairly and can you demonstrate that you grow from your mistakes.

Hope this helps,

Allen

Gaurav
Coach
on Feb 17, 2021
#1 MBB Coach(Placed 750+ in MBBs & 1250+ in Tier2)| The Only 360° coach(Ex-McKinsey+Certified Coach+Active recruiter)

Hi F, 

My suggestion is to structure your answer in a way that shows that you:

  • weren't completely aware of what you were doing
  • with time realized it wasn't the best choice to treat this person badly
  • can realize, face, and learn from your mistakes
  • can be honest
  • usually nice and friendly with people

Hope that helps|

GB

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