How to answer "Tell me a time when you failed at work“. I had an example of failing to considering the culture at the firm when conducting projects. It didn't seem like a good example but I dont think I have other major failure at work any more. What should I do?
Tell me a time when you failed at work


The real question is: tell me a time when you learned something about how to work.
Some examples:
1. You missed a deadline, because you didn't take into account that other people may be late in their deliveries…, although it was unlimately your responsibility i.e., you didn't consider buffer time.
2. You took initiative on something without asking for permission (and hierarchy wasn't very happy about it).
3. You only gave feedback to someone at the end of the project, they were very surprised about it. Now you do feedback sessions during the project, so you actually see real improvement and give people a fair chance to correct any issues.

Hello!
In this precise question, that is a classic btw, it´s not so much about the fail but about WHAT YOU LEARNED, HOW YOU BECAME BETTER AFTER.
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Hi there,
This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for quite a lot of users, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:
- You are right, failing to take corporate culture into consideration is not a necessarily good example for when you failed at work for the following reasons: It is 1) overarching and not restricted to a specific situation and 2) a mistake that is very hard to convincingly overcome.
- Generally speaking, you want to show that you take on feedback in a constructive way and work on your weak spots since this is the core of personal development with consulting companies.
- As such, I would advise you to think about a situation where you failed at work in a very specific situation but learned out of it and have not repeated the same failure again. For instance, when working with a neighbor business unit, a colleague from this business unit might have asked you to send him some data which you did right away. Due to a lack of experience with this specific employer, you were not aware that your boss would have wanted you to tell him in advance. You took on the feedback and in addition made sure you ask colleagues about situations you are not familiar with.
In case you want a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare personal fit questions for your upcoming interviews, please feel free to contact me directly.
I hope this helps,
Hagen

Adding on - what's key here is that you don't use an experience that touches / reflects badly on the core qualities consulting firms are looking for, such as…
- structured / well-organized approach to work
- analytical and quantitative acumen
- motivation or lack thereof
- ability to operate in teams
These can in some instances turn into a deal-breaker, hence, don't shoot yourself in the foot.
In any scenario, focus on being authentic, not defensive (demonstrate self-awareness) and highlight what you have been doing to recover or improve.

Hi there,
Be careful. You say “major” failure. That's not what we want!
We want a “smallish” failure than you also then resolved (or at least it didn't cause too many problems).
It could be that you mis-estimated scope/delivery time, or forgot to do x, or something similar. Again, ultimately, you want to make sure you resolved the failure.

Expand the definition and idea of failure. It could mean things didn't go as planned, you missed something, or made a mistake or you didn't achieve what you set out for. Doesn't always have to a big thing. Dig a big deeper and am sure you can find some examples of this.
Create an impactful story to explain the situation, what happened, what did you do and what have you learnt from this. Give the impression that you used the “failure” as a stepping stone to learn and improve yourself.










