Tell me about a time in which you were accountable for a professional mistake or missed deadline.
Behavioral questions about failure or mistakes are common and it is possible you will be asked one during your upcoming interview at Raytheon. Despite the commonplace nature of these questions, candidates frequently struggle to answer them effectively.
The motivation for asking this question is twofold. First, your interviewer wants to know how you handle yourself in the face of failure. Second, your interviewer is testing your ability to be vulnerable and authentic during your interview.
It is critical that you answer this question authentically. Raytheon develops sensitive technology and they seek employees with high levels of integrity. That said, your interview is not the time to expose all of your worst professional mistakes.
Describe a time in which you made a reasonable error or failure in the workplace. Walk your interviewer through what you learned from it and any steps you took to ensure that you would not make the same mistake in the future.
"I asked for an opportunity to demonstrate my leadership skills last year. I had been working for two years as an engineer and I felt taking on more leadership tasks would help me advance as a professional. I was assigned as a mentor for an intern working with our team for six months. I was responsible for assigning him tasks and checking his work.
When he first arrived he indicated that he had advanced knowledge of a specific technology we were working with. I gave him an assignment and let him run with it. He didn't ask any questions or indicate he was struggling, so I assumed he was getting everything done. I realized at the end of the week that he was not going to be able to complete the assignment and that he needed more guidance.
I worked with him directly and we completed the assignment together. I learned that it is important to check in frequently with someone you're mentoring or leading when they are new and you're unsure of their skill set and I have implemented that in my regular mentoring process now."
"As a project manager, I am typically the face of accountability for my team. We missed a project deadline last year due to unforeseen technical challenges. While there wasn't a solid method to anticipate the struggles, the client was frustrated that we could not meet the original deadline. I communicated the issue as soon as it was known and made sure the team took steps to ensure that it would not happen again in the future. I also worked to find ways to speed up the timeline in other areas such as UAT and training, and the client was appreciative of my work to deliver the product as soon as possible despite the challenges."
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