Tell us about a time when you failed but managed to turn the situation around.
The hiring managers at Progressive are looking for evidence that you can recover from a disappointing outcome. The goal of your response is not to focus on the failure. Instead, it's to showcase your ability to recover from the failure. Your answer should highlight your tenacity, dedication, and drive, even when things don't go as planned.
Even the most notable professionals have stumbled and recovered from professional failure. Being unable to speak about failure will give the hiring managers at Progressive the impression that you lack self-awareness and have little desire to grow and learn. For this reason, avoid giving a response that sounds as though you have never failed.
We all fail occasionally, and there is no need to be ashamed of defeat. 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 'Tell us 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 role with Progressive.
The average HireVue interview takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. This one-way video interview typically includes 3-5 questions. Depending on the HireVue parameters set by Progressive, the asynchronous interview platform will generally give you 30 seconds to prepare a response and up to 2 minutes to answer each question. It's important to note that HireVue stops recording as soon as your time limit is up, so it's better to run under time than overtime.
"(Situation) During and after the pandemic, I had a much higher team turnover rate than usual. Losing people from my team was becoming an expensive and time-consuming occurrence, so I was undoubtedly frustrated and discouraged. (Task) I am an experienced manager who has hired hundreds of people, so my hiring process is normally airtight. However, it was clear that I needed a new strategy to meet the changes that came with the unique landscape of 'the great resignation.' (Action) Rather than lose confidence in my abilities, I engaged the Human Resources department in simplifying our onboarding and training process. (Result) Since this change, we have not lost any employees in the last eight months, which significantly improved the results we were experiencing last year."
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
When I started at my last position, the head coach gave me the task of completing an equipment/uniform check
to see what we had available. In my hastiness to do a good job, I failed to listen to him properly and included items in the stock that I should've excluded.
As soon as I noticed my error, I informed the coach and explained why I made the mistake.
I learned from the situation and took notes the next time, so I would not miss anything.
Marcie's Feedback
To further strengthen this answer, talk in more detail about the lessons you learned. Did you learn to pay better attention when being given a task? Do you strive now to be an active listener who repeats back what you've heard to confirm you understood correctly? Do you take notes every time now? Prove to the interviewer that you took something away from this experience. Also, why was it so bad that you took stock of additional items? Because it took you longer? Make sure that your example definitely discusses a true failure. Good job!
Anonymous Answer
One time I had a photoshoot with a family and when I arrived home to import the images to my computer, I realized that my memory card with the images from their session was damaged, and my computer was unable to read the images to import them. I used my recovery software to try to save them but was not successful. I notified the client and told her I would take it to a professional and try to get it repaired to recover the images. The professional was also unsuccessful, which meant that I completely lost all of their photos from their session and had nothing to deliver. I apologized profusely and offered a reshoot. We shot the session again, this time using 2 memory cards so if one failed, I had a backup. Everything went great and I had no more dilemmas and was able to provide them with a beautiful gallery with extra images as well.
Jaymie's Feedback
Excellent response. You explained the situation well, demonstrated your perseverance to try and solve the problem, took ownership of the mistake, and made it right with your customer. These are all aspects the interviewer will find impressive and valuable at their organization.
Anonymous Answer
I had a case that needed to be filed to protect the statute of limitations. I had previously filed in the county with no issues but they had recently implemented a new e-filing system that I was not familiar with. I did not think I had concerns because I had previously filed in the county so I filed on the date of the statute. The filing ended up being rejected. I thought we had missed the statute but the next business day turned out to be a holiday so I was able to correct my errors and refile. Since that time, I have learned to be more cautious. I file things early with sufficient time to guarantee they are on the docket before the deadline.
Jaymie's Feedback
Great job giving an overview of the situation, what led to the obstacle, and how you overcame it. Interviewers want to know that candidates learn from mistakes and your response demonstrates just that.
Anonymous Answer
Part of my position is ordering vaccines. One day we ran out of a specific vaccine because I didn't notice we were low. To prevent families from getting upset, I contacted them via phone to give them the option of still coming in, or rescheduling. They were grateful they were warned in advance and most still proceeded with the appt.
Jaymie's Feedback
Great example to use. You took ownership of the situation, were quick thinking to come up with a solution, and communicated proactively to the necessary parties.
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