Describe a mistake you made at work and what you learned from it.
"I believed an item in our warehouse needed replenishing, but I had transposed the numbers and ordered the wrong item. The next day I realized the mistake and immediately informed the warehouse supervisor they were about to get an unnecessary order of a bit ticket item we already had a lot of in the warehouse. They thanked me for my honesty and had the right connections to reverse the order and correct it. Luckily, thanks to their connections, they were able to prevent the shipment, and got a hold of them just in time. I apologized for my mistake and assured them it wouldn't happen again. Since then, I haven't made another mistake like it, and implemented several checks and balances that have only enhanced my attention to detail."
Making mistakes is human. Yet owning your mistake shows character and integrity, especially when you prioritize the needs of the workplace and react in the best interest of the company. Choose your reasons and words wisely. When you provide your example, explain the reasons behind your course of action. How we deal with and remedy a mistake comes down to exercising good judgment and knowing when asking for help is appropriate. If you tried to fix the mistake before bringing it to the attention of your superiors, explain why.
Avoid sending the signal that a fear of being judged for your mistake drove your decision. Rather, a good reason for not distract your supervisors with the mistake you made is if it would steer their focus from more pressing concerns, especially where it was simpler and less exhaustive of the company's resources for you to fix it yourself.
However, if you did bring your mistake to their attention, explain that you were protecting the company's assets, prioritizing damage control, and considered how it would've cost the company more payroll hours for you to fix it, when the matter could be corrected by a superior in a matter of minutes.
Be mindful of the nonverbal cues of nervous or stressful behavior. These indicators are fidgeting, which could include any small movements of your hands or feet, swaying, shifting your weight, rocking or tilting back in your chair, leaning to one side or the other, straightening and freezing your posture, cradling your neck with one or both hands, crossing your arms, cracking your knuckles or biting your nails.
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