Microsoft Finance Internship Mock Interview
Practice 30 Microsoft Finance Internship interview questions covering Excel modeling, financial analysis, and behavioral scenarios.
Question 22 of 30
Describe your biggest failure.
Example Answer
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
How to Answer
Community Answers
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
"Early in my career, I was training a recruit. I told them what to do and how to do it, but didn't explain why each step was important. They didn't understand the full impact each step had on the business, and as a result, their quality of work didn't meet expectations. Since I was the one training them, the responsibility for their quality of work fell on my shoulders. Now, any time I am assigning any task, I preface the objective of the work before I assign the tasks and how to get the work done. I learned this helps our staff take more pride in their work, and feel as if they are a part of something bigger."
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
The interviewer is digging deeper into determining how you deal with personal setbacks, whether you take ownership of your mistakes, and what you've learned from them. Someone who deflects blame or presents themselves as a victim will serve as a red flag, whereas someone who sees everything as a growth opportunity and learns from their mistakes is a trait of a desirable candidate.
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
Keep your example relevant to the position you're competing for. Whatever your example, try to keep your answer focused on the learning experience, and what you did to get as close to success as possible, while always prioritizing the needs of the team over your personal success. Break down the positive takeaways from the situation and the measures you took to set yourself up for success moving forward.
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