Tell me about a time you experienced failure and how you recovered from it.

It's common to digress emotionally back into that moment. Resist that impulse if you feel it. Living, learning, and letting go are the maturity you want to convey. Keep your tone positive and don't present yourself as a victim. The only emotional tell you want to reveal is that the event made you stronger.

In my last job, I collaborated with another member of my team to produce a detailed outline of a new system we were implementing for our new policy and procedures. This person was far more extroverted and assertive than me. I consider myself more on the introverted side, but with my foot planted in both worlds. I was more focussed on the analytical side of this project anyway, so it didn't bother me. I'd already started laying out a bullet-pointed structure, yet wanted to take the lead, and felt strongly about spearheading the project their way, in a more conversational, less technical approach. I felt this contradicted the direction we were instructed to take. But they assured me I was mistaken and insisted I had something to learn from their approach. I didn't feel as strongly about it as they did, but I still preferred my method, even though I didn't defend my position. Anyway, for the sake of open-mindedness and to take advantage of the chance to learn something new, I shadowed this person on composing one of their procedure instruction manuals to ensure I was writing it correctly, according to their model, and changed my working style to accommodate this. As a result, we were easily able to compare and contrast our work, and we completed this version of the project. When we submitted it, our leaders expressed disappointment, expressing they thought they were very clear that they wanted a more technical approach. So we went back to the drawing board, and my teammate was resentful towards me, even though it wasn't my fault, other than not asserting myself, to begin with. So there were a few failures I learned from that day. I failed to assert myself. I failed to communicate effectively, and I failed to clarify how the work was supposed to be done from the get-go. These are mistakes I put my all in, ensuring they're not repeated.