Question: Describe a time when you and your team were unsuccessful in your objectives. What happened and what did you learn?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Has your team ever failed to reach a goal? If so, what went wrong and what did you learn from that experience?

Follow-up questions:

What did you learn?
What would you have done differently?
What caused the failure in the first place?
How would you tackle something like this again next time?
Were you in the same situation again?
What would you do if you were in the same situation again?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Active Learning,Basic – Learning Strategies,Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Basic – Science and Logic

Abilities:

Cognitive – Deductive Reasoning,Cognitive – Inductive Reasoning,Cognitive – Problem Sensitivity (Problem Recognition)

Other Factors:

Personal Improvement (Growth)

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Estimating Characteristics of Objects, Events, or Information,Information Input – Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (for Problem Identification),Information Input – Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings,Interacting with Others – Developing and Building Teams,Mental Processes – Analyzing Data or Information,Mental Processes – Developing Objectives and Strategies,Mental Processes – Evaluating Compliance with Standards,Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People,Work Output – Quality Improvement

Work Context (Person-Job/Team/Org Fit):

Interpersonal Relationships – Work With Work Group or Team (As a member, not a leader),Job Structure – Consequence of Error

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Humility

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

Look for the interviewee’s thought processes around failing, recovering from it, and learning from it for the future.

Red Flags to Watch For:

An interviewee saying that they have never experienced failure might be a red flag, because they could be lying about never experiencing failure, considering that failure is such a common occurrence.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: Unknown