Explain a recent mistake you made in the workplace. What did you learn from it?
The interviewer knows you're not perfect. They simply want to hear that you can adapt and learn in a productive way when you make a mistake. Part of Anheuser-Busch's culture is taking ownership of your work which includes the occasional mistake that you may make. They want to hear how you can come up with an innovative response to mistakes and failures.
"I remember a mistake I made at my first job ever waiting tables at a restaurant. I put an order in for fried steak instead of fried chicken. After the customer let me know, I took immediate action by alerting the kitchen and telling them it was a priority. I provided complimentary soup and salad while she waited, noting to my boss to take the cost out of my tips for the evening. The customer was so pleased with the experience that she forgot about the mistake in the first place! This experience taught me to slow down a little bit and pay better attention when entering orders into the point of sale system. I have applied this lesson to every job I have had since!"
"I once entered a wrong value of a key figure in a sales report that I was presenting to management. One of the executives pointed it out. Although I was initially embarrassed, I took ownership of my error and promised to update it on the report and send it back to all of the executives after the meeting. I learned that it's okay to make mistakes as long as you are honest with others and you quickly work to fix them."
Give an example of a time when you were unsuccessful in the workplace. Share what you learned from the experience, and how you overcame the stigma attached to failing at a task. Remember that vulnerability is key! Openly sharing a mistake you made (so long as it wasn't THAT huge of a mistake) will reflect positively on you as an applicant and make you more likable.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I had an internship as an accounting assistant.
In this internship, I was exposed to new knowledge and a new field, which was a challenge for me. But I really wanted to be qualified for this job, so I learned some basic accounting knowledge by myself through Internet before I started to work. My daily job is to check the accounts of the two companies, which requires me to be careful. Because I am afraid to communicate with the leader, I did not repeatedly confirm the details of the work, which affected the work schedule, and made no efforts. I was very upset after that. I learned that communication is an important part of teamwork. Good communication can effectively improve work efficiency.
Cindy's Feedback
Good example. Having the good judgment to ask for help when you need it is an important component of success. This was a good lesson to learn early on!
Anonymous Answer
Within our miniload crane operating system, we continue to see high volumes that are not working, causing products to age. As PC I now have the opportunity to reallocate that work to our warehouse department to pull manually, ensuring stores receive the product. When reallocating, I had accidentally allocated 8000 Cartons, not 8000 stores shipped packs, causing a drastic decline in work available from miniload and causing more work for the warehouse. I immediately partnered with the warehouse team, my boss, and our SOM to inform them about the error, providing transparency that I had made a mistake. I made it a priority after the fact to double-check that task and ask partners if I had any questions.
Amanda's Feedback
It can be difficult to share a mistake during an interview. However, you've done a fantastic job of providing context, explaining the mistake itself, sharing what you did when you realized the mistake, and telling the interviewer what you've done since to make sure the mistake doesn't happen again. It also highlights that you learned the value of transparency, checking your work, and consulting others if you have questions.
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