How do you react when you are dissatisfied with the quality of your work or the outcome of your work?
The interviewer would like to know how you respond to failure in the workplace. There will always be a time when you are not happy with your work environment, but your reaction will determine whether or not you can recover from the disappointment. The goal of your response is to show the interviewer that you have the maturity to respond productively in the face of dissatisfaction.
"I am rarely dissatisfied with my work because I keep very high standards for myself and what I deliver. With that said, should I be dissatisfied with the quality of my work, I would own up to it and try again until I was proud of the work I delivered."
"The last time I was dissatisfied with my work, I asked my boss if there was time for me to re-do the components with which I was not happy. The deadline was tight, but I did not believe that it should affect the quality of what I delivered. She agreed and gave me the time to revisit the aspects that I felt were not up to my usual standard."
"When I am dissatisfied with my work, I will not submit it. There is no room in my line of work to hand in work that is not up to standard. I would not say that I am a perfectionist; however, I know what I am capable of achieving, and as a manager - I have to set a great example at all times."
"In marketing, there is often room to play around with our work and bounce back from mistakes. I allow myself to make mistakes, tweak my work, and play around with different designs, for instance. A creative mind is always seeking improvements."
"I like to make a great first impression, so I will rarely be disappointed in the work that I deliver. If I do not deliver to my standard or encounter an unforeseen issue that railroads me, I am quick to assess what I could have done differently and recovered from there."
"If I am dissatisfied with the quality of my work, I work harder! I believe that the only thing standing between failure and greatness is me. I always put in 100% in everything that I do."
"I expect a lot from my students, and they expect a lot from me in return. I fully believe in being accountable for my work. So, for that reason, if I am dissatisfied with the work that I produce, I will go back to it and re-do until I am proud of the final product."
Think about a time in the past when you were unsuccessful in your work. Briefly discuss the situation with your interviewer and describe how you reacted. Be sure to include the action steps you took to recover from the situation. Discuss what you learned from the situation at the end of your response. Then, explain how you have applied that lesson to improve the quality of your work.
Since this question begins with 'How do you...' it is acceptable to use a hypothetical story example, giving a general overview of how you would react in this situation. However, if you want to use a real-life example, try forming a response using the STAR method. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Organizing your response using this framework will ensure that you provide the interviewer with the right amount of information and detail to form a compelling answer.
Avoid giving a response that implies you're always 100% satisfied with your work. For instance, saying something like 'I put everything I have into my work, so I am never dissatisfied' can sound overconfident. We all have room to grow, and most interviewers will interpret a reply like that to mean you are not a coachable individual.
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
I am rarely dissatisfied with my work because I keep very high standards for myself and what I deliver. There is no room in my line of work to hand in work that is not up to standard. I would not say that I am a perfectionist; however, I know that I am capable of achieving a good quality of my work and I don't stop until I am proud of the work I delivered.
Rachelle's Feedback
If you have ever been disappointed with the outcome of your work, be sure to mention this experience. Otherwise, your answer is thorough and helpful.
