Tell me about a time you failed to solve a case. How did you overcome the perceived failure?
Unlike in the movies, the FBI does not solve every case in 24 hours while everyone cheers as the 'bad man' is whisked away to jail. The interviewer wants to know that you can professionally deal with feelings of failure that may come up along the way.
'Success is bouncing from failure to failure without losing momentum,' or so they say. Your resilience shines through when you can learn from a loss and keep going. Give an example that shows you can accept an outcome that is not ideal and learn from challenging experiences.
There will be cases you cannot solve, and the interviewer wants to know that you do not dwell on those failures. They want to see your resilience and fortitude. Focus on how you overcame a perceived failure rather than on the inability to solve a case.
You do not need to go to great lengths about a case you could not solve. The interviewer does not care about the specifics of the case but rather how you learned from that particular experience and moved on to the next case. You should also avoid blaming others for failing to solve a case, as it shows you have an issue with taking responsibility for the outcome of a situation.
Remember to highlight your ability to learn from an experience and how you improve and move forward. The interviewer wants to see that you can admit defeat and still maintain your professionalism.
"When I first started a career in law enforcement, I failed to solve one of my first cases because I didn't know how to prioritize and chase a lead properly. I kept letting other menial tasks get in the way rather than focusing on what was at hand. I learned how to manage my time wisely by setting reasonable goals and narrowing my approach. It felt like a loss, but I did learn from the experience as well."
"From a young age, I was involved in competitive sports, which I believe contributed greatly to my ability to overcome perceived failures. I am new to the law enforcement industry and have not led a case of my own; however, I have seen fellow officers handle the loss in various ways. I want to learn from these experiences while at the same time taking full accountability for my part in the loss."
"As I began my career in law enforcement, we arrived on the scene of a homicide. This precinct was under budget and understaff, and the senior detectives were burned out as a result. Additionally, the assistant DA working with them has a losing track record. When reviewing the data and writing reports, I'd realized the senior detectives failed to do a ballistics test on several shell casings that were of a different caliber. They failed to do a DNA test on a pool of blood in another area of the room, not consistent with the forensics of where the victims were found. They also failed to fingerprint the doorknob on the inside and outside of the door. But they proceeded anyway with speculative circumstantial evidence that didn't hold up in court. It was frustrating dealing with such flagrant incompetence. So, realizing there was nothing to be done, I studied all such inconsistencies in this case, and previous others, to learn from the patterns of systemic failure. Moving forward, I picked up the slack, guiding the others on our team to make sure as few stones were left unturned as my superiors would allow. I wasn't interested in making enemies or burning bridges. Without rocking the boat too much, I requested a transfer."
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've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."- A quote by Michael Jordan that I've always held with me. I don't take failures as losses but as a lesson and to learn and grow by them. While I have never had a case of my people that I know, say they become more deductive, more meticulous and tried to never overlook any reasonable possibility and that's what I will emulate as well.
Krista's Feedback
I like that you included a quote! Feedback for this answer, and for the others as well, is to keep your language as simple as possible. Sometimes, in our pursuit of speaking artfully, we lose the attention of our audience. You will notice that I reworded some answers to make them more straightforward. Hope that helps!
"'I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."- A quote by Michael Jordan that I've always held with me. I don't take failures as losses but as a lesson and to learn and grow by them. If I were to fail at solving a case, I would aim to be more meticulous and never overlook any reasonable possibility."
Anonymous Answer
While I don't have direct law enforcement experience, I can say that I have learned a great deal from failures in my business endeavors. In my life, I have become meticulous about observing my failures, reviewing them, and ultimately letting them inform the next challenge I am faced with. For instance, when it has come to leading my employees, I had failed a few times at motivating them, but once I was able to learn each of their behaviors and adjust my tactics, there was a much stronger relationship and even better results.
Krista's Feedback
These are all excellent skills to have when entering a career in law enforcement. This particular question would not pertain to you; however, I like that you addressed it and pivoted your response to match what the interviewer is looking for, which is further information on your behavior and reactions. For a question like this, I recommend picking out a specific business-related failure and telling a story using the STAR framework (Situation, Task, Action, Result). The STAR method will help you form a story that is concise and engaging. If you'd like to learn more, we have a guide here: https://www.mockquestions.com/articles/Master Behavioral-Based Interviews Using The Star Method/
Anonymous Answer
In 2016 I was a rookie patrolman in North Laredo. I initiated a traffic violation on a grey in a color passenger vehicle. After approaching the vehicle's driver's side, I noticed a strong odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle. While I was speaking to the driver, I noticed all the passengers were juveniles. The driver also stated that they did not have a driver's license. At that moment, I asked all subjects to step out of the vehicle. There were two women and one male. I placed the male in the back of my patrol unit with the windows down because it was the summertime, and there is no backseat A/C. While I was searching the vehicle for contraband, I heard a door slam. I looked over my shoulder and saw the male subject, which I had placed in the back of my patrol unit, running away from me. At that moment, I had tunnel vision and dropped everything I was doing immediately to chase the male subject. The primary concern in this traffic violation was the female driver, and I lost sight of her. The male subject ended up getting away. Once I returned to my patrol vehicle, I noticed both females were gone along with the vehicle I had stopped. All subjects were later apprehended. I learned a lot from this traffic stop as well as experience. It is important as an officer to not lose sight of the important objectives and primary suspects. During this time, I did feel down on myself but took it as a learning experience and did not let it affect my rituals and personal life.
Krista's Feedback
It would be easy to take this situation and emotionally/professionally beat yourself up over it. Instead, you studied the circumstances, uncovered alternate approaches and reactions, and learned a big lesson. This is an engaging and memorable story - great work!
Anonymous Answer
I was highly involved in competitive sports growing up and through those, I learned many valuable lessons on how to deal with failure. Whenever a game did not go how I wanted it to go, I immediately began thinking of ways I could have changed that outcome. The next day, I put my head down and began to work to better myself so that the next time a situation like that arose, I was ready for it.
Krista's Feedback
Good. I think it's effective to show how you self-reflect and try to learn from failure. This example demonstrates how you'd react to any perceived failure. Good choice.
Anonymous Answer
I have not had the opportunity to work on a case yet, but as an intern working with the local sheriff's office, I was able to learn how to deal with shortcomings that may occur. And the best advice I received, was to accept that you made a mistake and learn from it as best you can because more cases are going to come and you want to think about conquering them while not dwelling on the past.
Krista's Feedback
Your response outlines good advice given to you by colleagues at the local sheriff's office. however, it doesn't quite answer the question, "How do you overcome perceived failure?" To strengthen your response, you should consider including a brief specific example of when you have experienced perceived failure in your role, even if it wasn't specific to solving a case, and how you overcame that.
I have not yet had the opportunity to work a case yet, but I have experienced perceived failure a number of times during my military career. When the outcome does not turn out the way I had hoped, I 've learned to ____________________ and _________________. (Insert example of a time that happened.)
Also, as an intern working with the local sheriff's office, I was able to learn how to deal with shortcomings that may occur. And the best advice I received, was to accept that you made a mistake and learn from it as best you can because more cases are going to come and you want to think about conquering them while not dwelling on the past.
Anonymous Answer
I'm new to law enforcement, however, in my previous position, I failed assignments from time to time due to my lack of organizational skills. I overcame this obstacle by shadowing a co-worker who had a better handle on his schedule. By picking up time management habits I was able to stay up to date with my deadlines and execute my assignments more efficiently. The key was to delegate the mornings to time-sensitive projects because I tend to work better when I'm fresh and well-rested. Finally using the later hours for new projects that aren't immediately due.
Krista's Feedback
Great response; this example shows self-reflection and authenticity. I suggest adding a closing sentence at the end of your response that clarifies how this experience has impacted where you are today. (Example: "I learned a lot from this situation, and I am pleased that time management is no longer an obstacle for me today.")
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