Describe a time you made a mistake at work.
"A while back, I made a mistake. When I wrote down the deadline of a project, I transposed two numbers of the date. It was due on the twelfth, but I wrote it down as the 21st. So, when the project was fast approaching, I realized my mistake, and that I didn't have as much time as I thought. I worked my tail off to get caught up, but eventually had to inform my supervisor of my mistake and that I needed help. Since then I have used google calendar instead of hand-written notes and have shared my calendar with my supervisors. I constantly update it with my progress so that everything is transparent and visible. This way I have been able to ensure I not make that mistake again."
"Early on in my career, there'd been a power outage in my apartment building, and my alarm didn't go off. When I woke up, I'd spent the whole morning struggling to get to work. I ended up arriving at work twenty minutes late. This set the entire shift behind schedule. My supervisors informed me that if I had given them a heads-up that I might be late, despite my efforts to arrive on time, that they could have planned accordingly and re-prioritized. That was not a mistake I ever made again, either being late to work, or giving them a heads up for such a possibility."
This question aims to assess your emotional intelligence. When someone with a high EQ makes a mistake, they will hold themselves accountable for their actions rather than trying to cover it up. They'll do whatever damage control they can and analyze what they could have done differently to ensure they do not make the same mistake again. They don't let their setbacks become a roadblock or create task paralysis.
Some of PNC's values cover this topic. The summary of their values states, "We hold all employees and managers accountable for demonstrating the Values with customers and with one another. No one value is more important than another; rather, they -- together -- represent who we are at PNC. Our Values are critical to our success -- and that of our customers and the communities we serve." Two of their core values are "Performance - We expect excellence in all that we do." And "Integrity - We are honest, do the right thing, conduct business with the highest ethical standards and enable our colleagues to raise concerns."
Objectify the situation, communicate an emotionally mature perspective, and explain how you navigated this terrain, ultimately leading to a successful resolution. Posture yourself in a relaxed and comfortable position. Focus on the positives and how the overall outcome benefitted the team.
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
In the past, I have turned in a team assignment late because I thought it was due at a different time. I have learned from this to always be the first one in the classroom and the last one out and always turn in the remainder of the assignments on time.
Jaymie's Feedback
This is a good example to use if you don't have work experience to share. Be sure to share techniques you use to avoid this now that you learned from that mistake (using a calendar, putting a reminder in your phone, double-checking things, etc.).
Anonymous Answer
When I was working on a laptop repair I lost focus on my current task and ended up configuring the Mother Board wrong. I confirmed the settings without double-checking my work and continued the process. Once I realized I made the mistake I informed my manager and asked him for guidance on handling the situation. We found a resolution and I was able to complete the repair later on. But grew from my mistake and learned the correct process going forward.
Jaymie's Feedback
This question is less about the mistake you made and more about how you handled the situation. You did a good explaining the situation and how you took ownership to correct the mistake. Learning and growing from the mistake is critical, and you covered that in your response as well. Good job!
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