Microsoft Finance Internship Mock Interview
Practice 30 Microsoft Finance Internship interview questions covering Excel modeling, financial analysis, and behavioral scenarios.
Question 21 of 30
Tell me about a time where you made a mistake?
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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.
"I inherited the workload of an employee that was underperforming, a lot, and was let go. It was overwhelming. I suffered from task paralysis and had trouble getting started. Long ago, a mentor suggested in situations like this I always tackle the biggest aspect of an overwhelming project first, since that was what I felt most daunted by. It was good general advice, and I listened to it. However, in this instance, I should have taken a different approach. I lost focus on the priorities of the project, where instead of focussing on the tasks one by one, I should have looked more closely at the broader view of the problem at hand. As a result, I didn't manage my time well and should have approached the project differently. I missed that target, but never made the mistake again."
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.
A person might feel the fear of being judged for a mistake they've made. How they confront their fear, and the situation, is the true test of their character. Therefore, they want to take the precaution to ensure that their ideal candidate has a strong sense of self-accountability, and exhibits the ability to learn from setbacks. How you answer will help them evaluate how you handle disappointment and what you learn from such experiences. Do you take responsibility for your own actions, inactions, limitations, and self-awareness, as well as your attitude towards life, is what they're after. Making mistakes is human. How we deal with and remedy a mistake comes down to exercising good judgment and knowing when asking for help is appropriate.
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.
Relay a positive experience, detailing the situation, framing the setback, how you dealt with it, and what you learned from it, providing what you consider failure looks like to you. Detail what you would've done differently and how you avoided repeating it.
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