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#JobSearch : Answering ‘Tell Me About A Time You Failed’ In A Job Interview. Bottom Line: They Want to Know How you Reacted & Managed It.

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Interviewing for a new job can be draining and stressful, especially when the interviewer asks tricky questions. Among the hardest questions to answer can be “tell me about a time you failed.” Just when you’re trying to present yourself in your best light, the interviewer is seemingly undermining your efforts.

Figuring out how to answer this question effectively is especially important. The job market is super challenging right now—and it’s also super stressful. But when you know how to answer the toughest questions, you set yourself apart, reduce your anxiety and increase your chances of success.

Why Interviewers Ask About Failure

Perhaps the biggest mystery about this question is why interviews ask about failure at all. Why is this an important question that’s included in interviews? And what are organizations looking for when they asak you about failure?

Smart employers know there will always be times when performance isn’t perfect. And great cultures reward appropriate risk taking—because it drives innovation and growth. And these conditions mean that some failure will be part of the work experience.

They want to know how you’ll handle it, whether you can learn from it and if you can bounce back when you encounter friction, frustration or setbacks.

 

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Article continued …

How Interviewers Ask About Failure

So, what are the different potential versions of this question?

You should listen for a few different ways potential employers will ask the question—so you can reinforce the right themes no matter how it comes across. They may ask,

  • Tell me about a time you failed.
  • Share an example of a time when you weren’t hitting the mark.
  • Tell me when your work didn’t measure up.
  • What was a time when things didn’t go as you had planned?
  • How do you handle failure?
  • What do you do when you’re frustrated?
  • How do you work through failures?
  • Tell me about a time when you struggled, and how you handled it.
  • Describe a time when you had to pivot.
  • What was a time when you had to change course because things weren’t working out?

No matter how the interviewer asks, be ready with themes that you want to emphasize—so you can be clear about your answer while you also connect it with their specific question.

How to Answer an Interview Question About Failure

So how should someone answer ‘tell me about a time you failed’ in an interview? And what are key points, words or themes that should be included in the response?

Essentially, interviewers want to hear four things.

  • First, they want to know how you handle failure. You’ll want to be sure to communicate that you’re self-aware—and also willing to be honest and admit mistakes. You will also need to answer in a way that shows you’re not overly negative—and that you can keep your cool in tough situations.
  • Next, they want to know that you learn from failure and that you are able to not only reflect, but take action to continuously improve. Share how you consider your performance (but don’t obsess), and how you have adjusted your approach to do better next time.
  • Also, they want to know you have the capability to be resilient and persevere. You’ll want to communicate that you are able to realize you’ve missed the mark, take action and stay optimistic. They will want to know you can bounce back and stay focused on the future.
  • And finally, interviewers want to know you’re a team player. You’ll need to take responsibility for your failures and own your missteps—and avoid blaming others or throwing team members under the bus.

When you’re answering, be thorough, but also concise. Answer with four points: First share the situation and your role. Second, talk about what went wrong. Third, share what you learned. Fourth, talk about the adjustments you plan to make for next time. Put the emphasis on how your reflection helped you move forward and how you’re able to adjust, adapt and improve.

Use words like “reflection,” “taking responsibility,” “taking ownership,” “learning,” “improvement,” “teamwork,” “adapt,” “move forward” and “do better.”

Be clear and transparent about what didn’t work well, but also avoid going into unnecessary detail. Also avoid getting emotional. Instead, remain calm and professional.

Succeeding in Your Interview

Most people—71% according to survey by The Harris Poll conducted for Bloomberg—find the job search process to be complicated. In addition, 69% say they suffer mental and emotional effects of the job search including fatigue (84%), stress (77%), anxiety (75%) and frustration (46%), according to a survey by Monster,

If you’re finding it tough, you’re not alone. But also know that you can reduce the negative toll the process takes by being ready for the most likely questions and boosting your confidence to answer effectively.

You’ll feel the pressure to perform brilliantly in your interview—but ironically when you can articulate times when things didn’t go well, you can shine in comparison to other candidates and get the job.

 

Forbes.com | May 14, 2024 | Tracy Brower, PhD

#JobInterview : Ask These Three Questions After Your Next Interview. MUst REad!

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A job interview is an exciting opportunity to exhibit your experience and skills in the hopes of securing your dream job. While it’s important to research the company while preparing for an interview, you also need to have some questions ready to ask the interviewer. Not only does this show your interest in the company and the position, it also gives you the chance to learn about the company culture and career growth opportunities. You’ll learn everything you need to know about the questions you should ask during an interview.

At the end of your job interview, you’ll be asked whether you have any questions; this is the perfect opportunity to find out more about the company and whether the role is a good fit for you. Here are three questions to ask after your next interview:

1. What do you enjoy most about working for this company?

Asking this question allows you to develop a rapport with the interviewer. Additionally, their personal perspective will give you more insight into the company culture.

2. What attributes and qualities make a successful employee in this organization?

You’ll give the impression that you’re determined to succeed and that you want to make sure you’re well suited to the company.

3. Is this a new position? If not, why did the previous employee leave?

This question seems a bit bold, but it’s a savvy question to ask. The interviewer can give you one of three answers, they were either promoted, fired, or left for personal reasons. If they left for personal reasons, that’s their way of saying they can’t give you that information which could be a red flag.

 

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Article continued …

What Are Good Questions to Ask About Company Culture?

Everyone needs a job, but what you really need is the right job. By asking questions about the company during an interview, you gain a more balanced perspective about the organization you could potentially work for. Here are three questions to ask about a company:

1. Can you tell me more about the company culture?

Hiring managers want to hire employees who will fit into the company culture. By asking this question you demonstrate that you want to know so that you can decide whether it’s a culture you want to be a part of.

2. Can you give me an example of a project I’ll be working on?

Asking this question will give you insight into the type of work you’ll be doing on the job. You can then decide whether the project fits the job description advertised and if it’s a role you’ll be comfortable with.

3. What skills do you feel would improve the company’s performance?

This is a good question to ask to prepare you for a second interview if you’re really serious about getting the job. Once you have the answer to this question, you can take a class to gain or improve this skill if you already have it. If you do get a second interview, you can mention that you’re currently taking a course in the skill they need to improve their company.

What Questions Should You Avoid Asking In An Interview?

Although you should ask questions during an interview to gain insight into the job you’re applying for and the company you could potentially be working for, there are some questions you should avoid because they’re inappropriate and will give the wrong impression about you. Here are three questions you should not ask in an interview:

1. What does your company care the most about?

While there are a lot of questions you can ask about a company, this isn’t the strongest of them. Asking what a company does shows that you didn’t prepare for the interview which means you’re not serious about the job.

2. What benefits does the company offer?

An interview is all about making a good first impression. You’re there to let your employer know what you can do for them. While you do have the right to know what benefits you’ll have access to, your first interview isn’t the time to ask this question.

3. What is the exact salary for this role?

Most companies are not going to advertise a position without including salary information. In California and New York, this is beginning to change and they will list exact salary ranges. But in general, they don’t put the exact amount, they’ll put an estimate; for example, you’ll know they’re paying between $50k – $70k. Salary is typically negotiated during the second or third interview when the company has a better idea of how much they think you’re worth. Therefore, asking about salary at the first interview is a huge red flag because it gives the impression that your main concern is making money and not being an asset to the company.

When preparing your interview questions, remember to tailor them to the specific company and role you’ve applied for. And one last tip, after the interview, follow up with a thank-you note, reaffirming your interest for the position. A thank-you note is another strategy that will set you apart from the other applicants.

 

Forbes.com Author: Goldie Chan 

 

Forbes. com | May 15, 2023

 

#JobSearch : How to Jerk-Proof a Job Search. Is your Future Boss a Jerk? Great Questions to Ask. GREat/Fun Read!

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In job interviews, potential employees and managers tend to be on their best behavior. So how can a job seeker discern what their potential future boss will really act like on a day-to-day basis?

It is a question that has gotten tougher to answer, say recruiters and people who have taken jobs in the past three years only to discover their new manager is a problem. With much of the interview process moving to video chats during the pandemic, this has closed the window into people’s personalities that a face-to-face encounter can provide.

To jerk-proof your job search, arm yourself with skillful, direct questions that can help you figure out whether a boss is merely telling you what they think you want to hear, say recruiters. And push to do it in person as it can give you more clues about people’s temperament and interactions with colleagues, say recruiters and workers who wish they had more carefully vetted their future managers.

Alyse Dunn wishes she had been more versed in the art of interviewing the interviewer before she founded her own firm. Looking back, there were clues that the manager for one of her prior roles might be a jerk.

The boss seemed kind and professional, but she also seemed inordinately focused on how long Ms. Dunn expected to stay with the organization if hired, she says.

Companies frequently desire low turnover, so Ms. Dunn didn’t think much of it at the time. Once hired, Ms. Dunn’s new boss frequently yelled at and belittled her. When her manager threw an object at the wall out of frustration, Ms. Dunn quit. That’s when colleagues told her about all the people who had the job before her and told her that she had lasted longer than most.

“I wish I would’ve asked how long the last few people hired were in the role,” says Ms. Dunn, now chief executive of CareCopilot, an app that offers rewards for caring for the elderly.

Tessa West, a professor of psychology at New York University and author of Jerks at Work, has collected many stories of workers who learned their would-be manager was a jerk, sometimes too late. There was the college professor who turned down a job because the managers were more interested in getting to the bar for drinking than discussing teaching philosophy. Recently, a paralegal told her through tears that the hiring manager had promised a vibrant in-office culture; in reality, she is the only one who works in the office on most days.

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Article continued …

When being interviewed, always ask what the essential skills are for the role. Ms. West says to specifically ask about the skills that your performance review will take into consideration. Alarm bells should go off in your head if the boss’s response includes any of the following sentiments:

  • “We’ll know it when we see it.”
  • “A good culture fit.”
  • “Mygut instinct.”

When the boss can’t articulate the most important attributes of a job, that can make it almost impossible for you to be successful because you don’t know what the expectations are, Ms. West says.

Ms. West also recommends asking sharp questions about how best to communicate with the manager, especially for people who will be in a different office or time zone. Ask: “When do meetings start?” “How quickly do you expect replies to your emails?”

Michele Darley had years of experience as a recruiter specializing in sales when she was referred for a new job with more authority. After an initial meeting, the manager asked her to come in with a detailed recruiting plan to demonstrate how she would approach the job.

During that meeting,Ms. Darley recalls, the manager told her several times that micromanaging wasn’t their style. Once she took the position, the micromanaging began almost immediately, she says. The manager peppered her with questions about details that Ms. Darley considered minutiae and questioned how Ms. Darley could prove she was working eight hours a day, Ms. Darley says.

When Ms. Darley, now a senior sales recruiter at Fusion Connect, left that role, she chalked it up to a valuable lesson learned. She says she wishes she had asked the manager: “What does micromanaging look like to you?”

Another good source of information is the manager’s direct reports. Ask to speak with a few current employees. If the hiring manager won’t put you in touch, Ms. Darley says, that is a red flag.

Some chief people officers say their continued reliance on video interviews is mostly out of convenience. Candidates don’t need to travel, take part of the day off work or arrange child care. But it is easy to forget how much you can learn from an in-person meeting. Unlike video chats between strangers, which tend to be strictly business, the social niceties required to meet for a meal can let you know how likable a person is and whether it is easy to make conversation.

Asking to meet in person is perfectly acceptable, recruiters and people officers say. It will also let you see how they interact with people who may have less power than them, for instance, their staff or waiters, and whether they are engaged during the conversation or obsessively looking at their phone or answering emails. This works both ways. Executives can also pick up on more intangible qualities about potential hires when meeting in person, too.

Melanie Naranjo asked for face time more than a year ago when considering whether to leave a job she loved to take the post of chief people officer for Ethena, a compliance training firm. The company’s two founders traveled from Brooklyn, N.Y., to New Jersey where Ms. Naranjo lives, to meet at a coffee shop after several rounds of video interviews.

She saw their willingness to travel to her instead of, say, meeting somewhere in the middle as a sign that they were willing to go the extra mile for employees.

“I instantly felt a greater sense of connection and could see myself working with them long term,” she says.

WSJ.com | January 17, 2023 | Tara Weiss

#BestofFSCBlog : Over 12K REads! Common Job Interview Questions and How to Answer Them. A MUst REad!

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In the process of preparing for your interview, you have researched the company, figured out how your skills align with the job requirements and come up with some thoughtful questions to ask. But you are not done yet. 

Question: How do you stand out?

“You only have so much control over the success of an interview,” says career coach Lauren Berger, the founder of CareerQueen.com and InternQueen.com. “You don’t know what the other person is wanting, you don’t know what the other person is thinking, you don’t know what other candidates might be in their minds, so all you can do is control you and the way that you attempt to do your best to answer these questions.”

Study some of the common interview questions employers ask below so that you can avoid any surprises when in the hot seat.

Respond to general questions with your best elevator pitch.

One of the most common interview questions is “Tell us about yourself,” says Ms. Berger. For the interviewer, it is an easy way to start the conversation. For you, it is a chance to set the foundation for your relationship with the employer during the interview and hopefully over the years you will be working together. While you can take it in any direction, don’t fall into the trap of going on and on about your work and life experience, getting lost in irrelevant asides.

“I always say this is a little bit of a trick question because people take it literally and they give their life stories,” says Ms. Berger. “When you’re asked the ‘tell me about yourself’ question, it’s really important to keep your answers short, sweet and to the point and always bring everything back to the employer.”

A rough structure to guide your answer could be: “‘I’m so and so, I’m from here, I do this, I have experience with this, and this is why I’m the best fit for your company,’” says Ms. Berger. “So you’re basically tying every answer back to the company to keep your interviewer’s ears perked up.”

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Common general questions:

  • Tell us about your background. Tell a concise story with a beginning, middle and end that explains your current career status, why you are qualified and clearly defines why you are the best candidate for the job.
  • Why do you want to work for us? Focus on what makes you passionate about the job and company. Demonstrate how you fit into the company’s culture.
  • Tell us about something from your résumé. Pick out the accomplishment that most clearly relates to the job.
  • Why should we hire you? Use your concise elevator pitch, which should touch on the skills and experience you have that qualify you for the role.
Highlight your achievements and credit those who helped you along the way.

“It’s really important to make sure that you tailor your experience for the position that you’re applying for.”

                                                                                                                                                                        — Lauren Berger, founder of CareerQueen.com and InternQueen.com

When discussing your achievements, Ms. Berger stresses the importance of tailoring your response to the job you are interviewing for. “People tend to talk about why they’re the best candidate in the world instead of the best candidate for that specific role,” she says. “It’s really important to make sure that you tailor your experience for the position that you’re applying for.”

If you find it difficult to talk yourself up during an interview, it may be helpful to mention some of your colleagues who helped you hit or surpass targets as part of a team effort. On the other hand, if you can speak confidently about your achievements, a bit of humility also goes a long way and shows the employer that you are a team player. Employers typically want to hire high achievers who can work well with others.

Common questions that focus on your achievements:

  • Tell us about a challenge you faced at work and how you dealt with it. Highlight your problem-solving, teamwork and leadership skills.
  • Why are you the best person for the job? Focus on past successes that are most relevant to the job.
  • What is your greatest achievement? Tell a short story about an achievement, how you overcame challenges to accomplish it, the impact it made and what you learned in the process.
When asked about flaws and failures, make your responses honest, positive and constructive.

Employers ask some questions to identify any potential red flags. Keep in mind that, while everyone has failures in their careers, the way you frame them is important. “Is the candidate pointing fingers and not taking ownership? That’s a key indicator of their ability to work as part of a team and of taking ownership of the product and decisions that are being made,” says Paul McDonald, senior executive director at Robert Half.

Never criticize your previous employer or company. It reflects badly on you. “You don’t want to be negative about the organization. You don’t want to talk down about supervisors that you’ve had,” says Mr. McDonald. “A good interviewer is going to pick that up, and it doesn’t bode well for your candidacy.”

Common questions to assess your flaws:

  • What did you like least about your last job and why? Focus on some of the day-to-day drudgery that didn’t inspire passion but had to be done. You can also mention anything about the position you are interviewing for that would be an improvement on your last job.
  • What is your biggest weakness? Identify something job-related that you have struggled with but which you have worked to improve. Avoid tired responses like “I am a perfectionist.”
  • Tell us about a time you made a mistake. Acknowledge your part in the mistake and avoid blaming others. Explain how you learned from the experience.
Use your responses to creative-thinking questions to demonstrate how you solve problems.

Some employers, especially large corporations, ask creative-logic questions, such as “Why are manhole covers round?” or “How many ping-pong balls fit into an elevator?” to see how you respond under pressure and solve problems.

“At work sometimes you do face challenges and what you don’t want is a team member who throws their hands up in the air and gets frustrated, gets mad, gets overwhelmed, shuts down, like so many do,” says Ms. Berger. “You want to hire that team member that has the FIO mentality—the ‘figure it out mentality’—and is going to do whatever they need to do to get the job done.” Have fun with your answer and don’t worry too much about being right, because typically, there is no right answer, Ms. Berger says.

Common creative-thinking and problem-solving questions:

  • What animal describes you? Use the answer to highlight a feature about yourself that is pertinent to the job. If you say you are a lion because you are brave, for example, talk about the bravery it took to apply for a role at a company where you have no connections.
  • How many tennis balls fit into a Boeing 747? Walk your interviewer through the steps you are taking to solve the problem. Ask for clarity if you need to, and share your assumptions, the calculations you are making and any necessary caveats.
What to read next: How to Write a Thank-You Email After an Interview

 

 

WSJ.com | November 27, 2020 | Deborah Acosta