Tell us about a time you failed. Describe what happened, your approach, and the outcome.
This question is aimed at assessing your experience level, emotional intelligence, and alignment with Boeing's approach to failure and setbacks. Boeing repeatedly states that they encourage humility and integrity amongst their teams, and aim to foster a culture "rooted in transparency, fairness and learning, an environment where everyone is treated fairly for making mistakes while being held accountable. The intent is to help all of us learn from our mistakes to improve as individuals and as a company. We must hold ourselves accountable. Speak up and engage with transparency." Dave Calhoun, Boeing's CEO, goes on to say, "Whatever else may fail you, whatever bad luck or failure may befall you, your personal integrity is always in your own hands and can never be taken from you."
In situations where a mistake is made or when facing failure, HireVue describes a novice as more likely to suffer from task paralysis and procrastination, unable to react quickly in time-sensitive situations, being afraid of making the wrong choice, more likely to hide or cover up their mistakes or setbacks, while looking to others to make tough choices for them. They also describe a novice as more likely to take unnecessary risks and compromise a company's assets. Whereas HireVue describes an expert as someone who is resourceful and decisive, takes action with a degree of informed, calculated risk, and takes ownership of their setbacks while holding themselves accountable.
"When delivering your answers, focus on embodying the emotional state you wish to convey. If the example you've chosen doesn't allow you to achieve emotional detachment and situational observation, consider selecting a different one. Your goal is to deliver your answer with authentic sincerity. To maintain an objective and confident demeanor, keep your face and posture relaxed, and your body language open and at ease. Be mindful of nonverbal cues that may signal nervousness or stress, such as fidgeting (small movements of the hands or feet), swaying, shifting 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."
"I was working on a project quite ambitiously and was hoping to complete it in time before my wife had our first child. I was very careful in planning everything out carefully. I truly believed I would get this completed in time, and in that, my arrogance prevailed. What I hadn't expected was that my wife went into labor three weeks early, and my project was not finished in time. I hadn't detailed meticulous enough notes to pass the project on in the event of such a contingency, and this generated a bit of a slowdown and some frustrating rework among our teams. I failed, and made up for this setback where I could, and learned quite a bit from it."
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