The New York Times Mock Interview
Practice 30 The New York Times interview questions covering editorial judgment, digital storytelling, and journalistic integrity.
Question 9 of 30
Tell me about the last time you were dissatisfied with the quality or outcome of your work.
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Experienced
What You Need to Know
Community Answers
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
This question is akin to asking about the last time you failed at something. What the interviewer wants to know is how you recover from your failures or setbacks, what you learn from them, and how you take advantage of each learning opportunity to improve upon your skills and further your development. In their goal to recruit the best and brightest from their talent pool, they want to know whether you take ownership of your own development, and whether your work standard is meeting the expectations of your job, or if your standard is going above and beyond.
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
"We had a coworker come down with a virus and they had to self-quarantine, which required a project they'd started on being passed onto me. They had an entirely different process than I did, and the work they'd done really couldn't be passed on as progress, which required me to start the project over from scratch. The deadline was terribly tight, and I explained this to my superiors. They simply told me to do what I could, and the work was rushed as a result. I wasn't happy with the quality of it when I turned it in within an hour of the deadline, and I expressed this to my boss, saying it was below my standard. They expressed that they could work with it, and my supervisor expressed that my generating this work saved them in this situation, and there was no time to rework the components with which I was not happy. There was no way I could have cleaned it up within that hour, and they said the deadline was inflexible. So, I tried, did my best with the limitations and that was that. But it did leave a bad taste in my mouth."
Kevin Downey has an extensive background in business management, recruiting, branding and marketing. He's volunteered his career coaching services at job fairs, lecturing on interview techniques and crafting winning resumes and cover letters.
One of the taglines for The New York Times is, "Breaking news that doesn't sacrifice quality for speed." They prioritize quality over quantity. Additionally, you'll find that this particular question relates to their core value, Excellence. "We aim to set the standard in everything we do. The pursuit of excellence takes different forms, but in every context, we strive to deliver the very best."
Write Your Answer
0 - Character Count
Unlock All 30 The New York Times Questions
Prepare for questions that test news judgment and commitment to quality journalism.
Get StartedJump to Question