Question: Describe a time when you did not deliver work according to expectations. What happened and what did you learn?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Follow-up questions:

How often do you not meet the expectations?
What have learned from this experience?
How would you handle a similar situation if faced in our company?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Active Learning,Basic – Learning Strategies

Abilities:

Cognitive – Problem Sensitivity (Problem Recognition)

Other Factors:

Big 5 – Agreeableness,Big 5 – Openness to Experience (Open Mindedness),Direct Job Experience,Personal Improvement (Growth)

Work Activity (Task):

Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People,Mental Processes – Processing Information,Work Output – Quality Improvement

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

Job Structure – Consequence of Error

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Analytical Thinking,Attention to Detail,Humility,Integrity/Honesty/Ethics

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

If the candidate is upfront and accountable and is not making excuses.
If the candidate shows in their response that they have learned from the experience.
If the candidate is humble and found this as an opportunity to learn.

Red Flags to Watch For:

Blaming others for the failure.
If the candidate’s story sounds as if they are careless and generally makes this mistake.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: Unknown