QUESTION 37 OF 40

Tell me about a time you missed a deadline.

The hiring manager is curious about how you cope with failure. Primarily, they're interested in whether you hold yourself accountable or deflect blame and absolve yourself of responsibility by presenting yourself as a victim of externalities. When answering this question, offer an example where you exhibited outside-of-the-box thinking and resourcefulness in reducing the impact of the missed deadline. Taking responsibility for your actions, learning from your mistakes, and ensuring those mistakes are not repeated should all be notes you'll want to strike with your answer. Avoid examples resulting in disciplinary action.

"I had a deadline approaching and was on target to complete that project well ahead of time. But then a team member ended up being out suddenly for an extended period, and we all had to take on their workload. Several deadlines were approaching, and it was an all-hands-on-deck moment. I took on more than I could handle. Our team leaders just told me to do the best I could. So, as a team, we got that workload cleaned up and sent off, and I returned to my project, but it was clear I wasn't going to get it in on time. So I put everything together except for one detail, and we sent off what we could, informing our client that the last portion of the report, with all the charts and graphs, wouldn't arrive until the next day. This ended up being fine, but I beat myself up because I was so close. I wanted to stay late. Our leaders told me I'd done good work and demanded I call it a day. So, I did what I was told, but it was hard to let go."

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Eaton Corporation Mock Interview

Tell me about a time you missed a deadline.

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40 Eaton Corporation Interview Questions & Answers