Tell me about an error or mistake you made because of a breakdown in communication.
On occasion, mistakes will happen, and communication will break down. Demonstrate to the interviewer that you can take ownership, find the root cause, overcome, learn from the mistake and take action to correct it. Give examples if possible or answer hypothetically if you cannot think of a relevant experience to share.
"I recall one instance when I misread an email from one of my new subordinates. I read it in a negative and aggressive tone. After a tense conversation, the employee clarified her intention, and after rereading the email, I realized I was wrong. I apologized for the misunderstanding, and we agreed to exercise more verbal communication until I got to know her and her tone better so we did not have a misunderstanding again."
"A manager once texted me about a client who was not happy with the results of my work. I was upset because I try my best at all times and felt that the conversation would have been better delivered to me in person. The next day, I approached the manager and requested that future communication of that nature be conducted in person versus via text message. I did apologize for my initial defensive reaction."
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
A few months back, I scheduled maintenance for one of my clients for a new security patch after agreeing on a date with my lead. After a week, my lead sent me an email saying that he would be out that week and that we needed to move the maintenance to next week, which I missed on Monday. On Tuesday, I received his leave petition for that week, then I realized and spoke with him and adjusted the maintenance dates accordingly. Now I have informed all my team members that this kind of situation where we scheduled something, and you have a change plans comes under immediate/essential issues which need my attention, and they need to talk to me after emailing. This process helped the whole team better understand my urgency, and after that, I never missed any communication.
Marcie's Feedback
Great! The interviewer will appreciate that you learned from this mistake and took steps to adjust the process so it won't happen again. Nice job!
Anonymous Answer
One time I reached out to a colleague through instant messenger while working on a patient's bill. This was a while ago so I can’t recall exactly what I said but the response back seemed to be rude and I took it as such. I asked for clarification and the colleague told me she thought I was being rude initially which is why she responded that way. I apologized for the misunderstanding.
Jaymie's Feedback
Tone can definitely be misinterpreted when using instant messaging. This is a good example to share with the interviewer. What did you learn from the experience? Perhaps you reread messages before sending to ensure your message is professional and polite or perhaps you pick up the phone or Zoom colleagues in certain instances, especially if it's a coworker you haven't interacted with before so that they learn your personality.
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