Question: Imagine this scenario: You are working as part of a team on a team project. The deadline for the project is coming up soon, when you notice a mistake made in the project. The project work has gone through so many iterations that you cannot identify who originally made the mistake but you know that you did not make the mistake. You can alert your team to the mistake and make sure things get corrected, but risk slowing down the project’s progress. Alternatively, you could keep quiet about the mistake and hope nobody notices the error, but keep the project moving along and finished by the deadline. What do you do?
Alternative Question Phrasing:
- What would you do if you made a mistake that no one else noticed? Would you address the error and risk slowing things down or ignore it to keep the project or task moving forward?
Follow-up questions:
- Will you tell your superior? Why or Why not?
Question Details:
Question Type:
Other Factors:
Work Activity (Task):
Work Style (Person-Job Fit):
What to look for in an answer:
The candidate’s critical and logical thinking.
Red Flags to Watch For:
The candidate’s poor critical skills and illogical thinking.
Sample Answer:
If this situation happens to me, I will inform my direct superior because I believe that prevention is still better. It’s better to risk slowing down the project than risk having an output that is below standards. Besides, we can always make adjustments to complete the project on the target date.
Question Source:
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/situational-interview-questions-and-answers