I worked on a little interview prep material for a friend of a friend entering the job search after years of job stability. Looking over the resume, preparing a list of questions I like to ask so they can think it through, advising on how to answer said questions . . . It was all very HR of me. But I wanted to share one universal piece of feedback that comes to mind.
We usually ask a candidate during an interview: Tell me about a time you failed.
This is a common question, looking for you to self-reflect on a genuine failure, how you handled it, and what you learned from it. We’re looking for self-awareness, resilience, and the demonstrated ability to grow.
But I always tell people to think about this one first as they start a job search because of this simple answer a leadership level candidate once gave me.
Me: Tell me about a time you failed.
Them, after thinking for a minute: I can’t think of a time. I’ve never failed.
Me, internally, screaming: Bullshit.
That alone eliminated them from the hiring process. Because we’ve all failed. Interviews aren’t a time to pretend you’re perfect. No, you don’t need to throw all your dirty laundry on the table, but you should still be human and authentic while highlighting the best of you and acknowledging shortcomings.
You don’t have to be self-despairing in the answer — again, tell the story, tell what you learned, what sticks with you, why that particular failure never happened again.
As with most interview questions, the only truly wrong answer is no answer at all. And pretending you haven’t had setbacks qualifies as a non-answer.
With Love,
Natalie