Describe a time you received negative feedback from a manager. How did you handle it? What steps did you take after?

Feedback or criticism is not always delivered productively. A supervisor may fail to gather more facts and assign feedback to the wrong individual or give feedback that is unsubstantiated or unwarranted. However, this is not the goal of this interview question. This question assesses your emotional maturity, whether you take advantage of opportunities to grow professionally, and how well you respond to those in positions of authority.

How you frame your answer demonstrates your attitude, whether you respond defensively, and whether you learn from such experiences. Exhibit humility. The key is to present yourself as a calm, emotionally intelligent professional, always striving to improve your performance, learn, and grow. Show the interviewers that you value self-improvement.

Objectify the situation, exhibiting an emotionally mature perspective, and explain how you navigated this terrain to reach a successful resolution. Avoid giving into the emotion of that moment. Avoid any defensive behavior, posturing, movements, or gestures that could be interpreted as insecure, closed-off, unapproachable, hostile, or disinterested.