You may be asked questions about past negative experiences or weaknesses. Here, the interviewer is less interested in the outcome than in
- The process you went through
- The reasoning behind your actions
- The learning that came from the experience
Prepare for this question by reflecting on negative experiences in which you
- Achieved a positive outcome by using your knowledge, skills and experience
- Turned the situation around so that something positive came from it
- Drew on strengths to balance a weakness (strengths and weaknesses come in pairs)
Example
If the interviewer asks, “Tell me about a time you made a bad decision,” identify an example where, even though the decision was bad,
- You were able to pull something positive out of the situation
- You learned from the decision and identified how you would handle it differently in the future
- You achieved an outcome where the decision had only a minor impact — and you learned from the experience.