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Goldman Sachs HireVue Mock Interview

Question 23 of 30 for our Goldman Sachs HireVue Mock Interview

Goldman Sachs was updated by on February 29th, 2024. Learn more here.

Question 23 of 30

Talk about a time when you failed at work. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the result.

"(Situation) My former employer put me through a last-minute advanced Excel course that I failed. (Task) I was unprepared for the course's challenging content and should not have agreed to begin with an advanced-level course. (Action) I told my manager that I was not excelling in the class. We discussed this failure together and realized that I was not yet ready for the advanced-level coursework. I was more of an intermediate-level user. To fix the situation, I studied online for a few weeks and then retook the course when I felt more prepared. (Result) This approach worked much better, and I finished with 92% the second time around."

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How to Answer: Talk about a time when you failed at work. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the result.

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Goldman Sachs job interview.

  • 23. Talk about a time when you failed at work. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the result.

      Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

      This question centers around how you recover from your failures and setbacks, and whether you take ownership of them. The goal of your response should not singularly focus on the failure itself. Instead, it's to showcase your ability to exhibit integrity, learn from the situation, and recover from the failure. Your answer should highlight your tenacity, dedication, and drive, even when things don't go as planned.

      Written by Kevin Downey on February 18th, 2024

      What You Need to Know

      Most successful leaders will attest that failure is a necessary stop on the journey toward success. As David Solomon, the Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs once said, "Success is not a given. Sometimes we fall short, sometimes we don't execute, but we always learn and adapt." So, when discussing how you navigated your failures, it is important to frame it against Goldman Sachs values, one of which is Integrity: "We hold ourselves accountable to the highest ethical standards, insisting on transparency and vigilance from our people as we learn from our experiences and make decisions that instill a sense of pride in our firm."

      Written by Kevin Downey on February 18th, 2024

      How to Answer

      We all fail occasionally, and there is no need to be ashamed of defeat. Suggesting you haven't failed or cannot think of examples will only communicate a lack of experience or a lack of integrity. But taking ownership of those important life lessons and showcasing what you learned from them should be your aim here. The magic is in the lessons we learn from these situations. Speak about the outcome of a project/task that was not what you wanted it to be, but you were able to recover. Perhaps you were better off in the end or learned a valuable lesson.

      Behavioral-based interview questions that begin with "Talk about a time when..." are best answered using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Organizing your response using this storytelling framework will ensure that you provide the hiring managers with the right amount of information and detail. Outline the roadblock you faced, and share how you approached the situation to ensure a good recovery. Discuss your level of dedication, even in the face of failure, and how you will make an impact in this new role.

      Written by Kevin Downey on February 18th, 2024

      Experienced Example

      "(Situation) My former employer put me through a last-minute advanced Excel course that I failed. (Task) I was unprepared for the course's challenging content and should not have agreed to begin with an advanced-level course. (Action) I told my manager that I was not excelling in the class. We discussed this failure together and realized that I was not yet ready for the advanced-level coursework. I was more of an intermediate-level user. To fix the situation, I studied online for a few weeks and then retook the course when I felt more prepared. (Result) This approach worked much better, and I finished with 92% the second time around."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on May 2nd, 2022

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "I remember when I was working in China Merchants Securities, I was leading a team of about 10 teammates to compete with other teams for a one-month sales performance, and the reward would be 5000 Chinese currency and a champion flag. Because one of our strong teammates got sick that month, we lost the competition. I didn’t blame my teammates, including the one who was sick. I told my team that we could’ve won the competition if we had the full team in the battle. And we could keep competing for it in the next round. Meanwhile, I held a meeting with all team members to analyze what good or bad we did in the competition, and complimented teammates who made huge contributions or had huge improvements in this fight. My team didn’t feel disappointed, because we knew we would win back in the future."

      Marcie's Feedback

      Nice! It sounds like although you were disappointed in the loss, you were able to bounce back and look forward to the future, which is great. The interviewer will care most about what you took away from this experience. What did you learn from the loss? Talking more about that will further improve your answer. Great job!

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