Advice and Examples: Tell me about a time that you failed. How did you get back up again?
26. Tell me about a time that you failed. How did you get back up again?
The Goal
The interviewer is looking for evidence that you can bounce back from a disappointing outcome. The goal of your response is not to focus on the failure. Instead, showcase your ability to recover from failure. Your answer should highlight your tenacity, dedication, and drive, even when things don't go as planned.
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021
How to Answer
We all fail from time to time, and there is no need to be ashamed of defeat. The magic is in the lessons we learn from these situations. Give an example of an outcome of a project or task that was not what you wanted it to be, but you were able to recover. Perhaps you were better off in the end or learned a valuable lesson. Outline the roadblock, and share how you approached the situation to ensure a good recovery. At the end of your response, discuss your level of dedication, even in the face of failure, and how you will make an impact in this new role.
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021
Pro Tip
Behavioral-based interview questions that begin with 'Tell me about a time...' are best answered 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.
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021
What to Avoid
We have all recovered from a failure to some degree. Avoid responses like, 'I can't think of a specific time when I failed at something, but if this did happen to me, I would work hard to bounce back from the situation.' Being unable to answer a behavioral-based interview question directly will result in appearing unprepared for your interview.
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021
Answer Example
"(Situation) One of the bigger perceived failures that I can think of was not graduating as soon as expected with my university degree. (Task) I had detailed plans laid out and was eager to graduate with my degree in 2018. (Action) I encountered a few personal factors that pushed my graduation date back one year. It was a bit embarrassing at the time, but I made the best of it by keeping a positive mindset. (Result) In the end, I am thankful that I could complete my degree at a comfortable pace. I finished with excellent grades as well."
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021
Admin Example
"(Situation) My former employer put me through a last-minute advanced Excel course that I ended up failing. (Task) I was unprepared for how challenging the course was and should not have agreed to begin with an advanced-level course. (Action) I told my boss that I was not excelling in the class. We discussed this failure together and realized that I was not yet ready for the advanced-level coursework. I was more of an intermediate-level user. To fix the situation, I studied online for a few weeks and then re-took the course when I felt more prepared. (Result) This approach worked much better, and I finished with 92% the second time around."
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021
Manager Example
"(Situation) Last year I had a larger staff turnover percentage than usual. Hiring the wrong person is an expensive and time-consuming mistake, so I was undoubtedly frustrated and discouraged. (Task) As a seasoned Manager, my hiring process is normally airtight, but it is not perfect. (Action) Rather than lose confidence in my abilities, I engaged the Human Resources department in simplifying our onboarding and training process. (Result) Since this change, we have not lost any employees in the last 18 months, which is a fabulous record for our company."
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021
Marketing Example
"(Situation) A few months ago, our group had a marketing campaign that completely flopped. (Task) It was up to me as the Marketing Director to get to the heart of the issue. (Action) I called a group meeting. Then, as a team, we broke down each component of the project until we knew where we went wrong. In retrospect, I could have done better by breaking down the clients' vision further from the beginning. (Result) We re-did the campaign, and the second time around, it was a major success."
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021
Retail Example
"(Situation) Earlier in my career, I was not good at graciously receiving feedback. (Task) Had I been able to receive feedback without becoming defensive, I believe that I could have grown in my career much faster. (Action) Last year, I took a workshop on giving and receiving feedback, which helped a great deal. (Result) Now, I understand how to have these types of conversations and how to implement the constructive criticism that I receive."
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021
Sales Example
"(Situation) I had a misstep in my sales career a couple of years ago. You can see the short stint at Company ABC on my resume. (Task) Before joining their organization, I should have asked more questions regarding their success level and how their current results reflect their future goals. (Action) The company was in serious financial trouble, and I was unaware. They went into receivership, and I lost my job. (Result) Now, I ask many more questions before joining a new company. My success and the company's success should go hand in hand."
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021
Teacher Example
"(Situation) Last year, I missed a major marking deadline. (Task) I was newer to my teaching career and, although it is a steep learning curve, that was no excuse. (Action) I have spent the past eight months working on my time-management skills through online workshops. (Result) I took that missed deadline very hard. I do not like to disappoint anyone or fall short of expectations and will never do that again."
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021
User-Submitted Answer
"Situation: My manger asked me to take a course on advanced physiology, and I ended up failing. Task: I was not aware that this course was difficult, or else I would not have begun so quickly. Action: I talked to my manger and discussed the fact that I may not be at an advanced level. I asked him if it was okay if I started with an intermediate level course. Result: I successfully passed this exam with a high grade."
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Stephanie Cafaro Reviewed the Above Answer
Good example; your response shows vulnerability and personal growth. I'm glad you ultimately passed the course with a high grade!
User-Submitted Answer
"Last year I gave our external counsel to act for us in a matter and to enter appearance. A month later, I was served with an auctioneer note to satisfy a decretal sum; in that matter, I learned that we lost the case. The external counsel had not entered an appearance, and I had failed to monitor that. The person was able to get a stay of execution and entered appearance; however, I learned that your finger should be on the pulse for litigation straight from the instruction letter. I am happy to report that I have slashed litigation by 70% and effectively managed all our cases through proper diarization and follow up on regular reports issued to me."
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Rachelle Enns Reviewed the Above Answer
You show an excellent result after the fact - proof that you learned a great deal from the initial situation. Great answer.
User-Submitted Answer
"I had a misstep in my career a few years back. I joined an organization that was in financial trouble because I didn't ask the right question, and I was blinded by my ambition to get experience in that particular field. After a year of struggling, the company laid off the majority of its sales team, and I was one of them. While my first reaction was deep relief, it brought me to square one. I've learned a great deal about what to look for and the types of questions to ask when choosing employment."
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Rachelle Enns Reviewed the Above Answer
It's very good that you learned from this misstep; now, knowing which questions are best to ask in an interview. Your example shows how well you picked yourself up and kept going, despite an experience that would cause many others to tuck tail and find a new industry.
User-Submitted Answer
"I failed my very first CIMA exam due to a lack of respect for the exam. I underappreciated how much preparation was required. This was difficult as I had rarely failed exams before and to start off the CIMA journey with a fail was tough. Having to explain it to my manager and graduate HR, thinking they would believe I may not be cut out for the exams. This turned out to be a great wake-up call, I studied harder for every exam after that."
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Cindy Ramsey Reviewed the Above Answer
Very difficult situation, but a good, long-term outcome. Did you retake the exam and pass?
User-Submitted Answer
"(Situation) Earlier in my career, I was not good at graciously receiving feedback. (Task) Had I been able to receive feedback without becoming defensive, I believe that I could have grown in my career much faster. (Action) Last year, I took a workshop on giving and receiving feedback, which helped a great deal. (Result) Now, I understand how to have these types of conversations and how to implement the constructive criticism that I receive."
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Stephanie Cafaro Reviewed the Above Answer
You do an excellent job of showing exactly how your response fits within the STAR method of interviewing. However, you may want to consider using a more specific example for this question (example: a specific instance when you missed a deadline, made a mistake on a project, rejected valuable feedback, etc.)
User-Submitted Answer
"I have failed when I wanted to create my own mobile application. I created a business model, designs, and value proposition, however, since I am not a developer, I had to onboard people that I did not know well. Developers did not adapt to the idea after some time and they did not prioritize at all, in the end, they left the team. If I ever try something similar, I will work with the people that I know well and have the same vision/passion as me."
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Cindy Ramsey Reviewed the Above Answer
Very good. You talked about what you learned from the experience. Can you also add information about how you recovered from the experience?
User-Submitted Answer
"We were working on a campaign, and after 4 rounds of concept, the client was still dissatisfied. I called a meeting with other members and the creative department to have a collective brainstorming session. We analyzed the initial brief again and re-assessed our work. We found out that we could have come up with a better angle that is more in line with the client's objective. We worked on the campaign again and presented it to the client. The concept was approved and we proceeded with launching the campaign."
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Stephanie Cafaro Reviewed the Above Answer
Excellent response! This clearly shows a growth mindset and ability to problem-solve when faced with tough situations.
User-Submitted Answer
"When I started as a server I remember Valentine's day being a very challenging day for me. I had just finished training and it was one of my first nights working on my own. It was a very fast-paced busy night and I was making mistake after mistake. I put in one table's order wrong, I forgot to send another table's order, and I was running around panicking about all the problems I'd created. I had to just stop at some point and take a deep breath, give myself a pep talk and tell myself to slow down. Going too fast was causing mistakes. After I slowed down my night improved, and I got everything straightened out."
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Marcie Wilmot Reviewed the Above Answer
This is an excellent answer because it directly answers the question, it's thorough, and it tells a story that someone can relate to. We've all been there before - rushing around, new to something, and feeling awful because we're making mistakes. You talk about how you managed to turn around the night and fix the mistakes you'd made, which is great and what the interviewer will want to hear. Great job!
User-Submitted Answer
""¢ S: In my last role as a tutor, I worked with an A-level economics student. Early in this process, I saw that he was struggling with essays even though I had provided him with a solid structure.
"¢ T: I needed to find a way to improve his essay standards.
"¢ A: I took an essay into our next lesson and asked him to plan it in front of me. I noticed he was indecisive about applying what he learned which weakened his arguments. I created a separate lesson plan aimed at how to apply real-world data.
"¢ R: This successfully took his essays to the next level and also taught me the importance of paying attention to details in a process."
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Cindy Ramsey Reviewed the Above Answer
Good start. Can you add more detail about why this is an example of a failing? Was there something you did or didn't do that caused the student to struggle?
User-Submitted Answer
"My transition as a developer from a legacy environment to a startup was not smooth, when I got feedback that my coding skills were not mature enough for the pace needed at a startup, I retooled, found a role within the org where I could excel as a performance and scalability engineer, and a very successful role change that lasted 8 years beyond. TMO role example from Overall Program architect-->PCRF Migration architect."
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Cindy Ramsey Reviewed the Above Answer
Great example. You managed to take a life event that could have been demoralizing and turn it into a fantastic career path.
User-Submitted Answer
"When I was in high school I didn't study at all outside of school. When I started college, this strategy no longer worked and I failed a class that set me back an entire year. I was working a lot at the time and failing really made me reconsider my priorities. I cut back my hours and made a point to put my school work before earning money. I passed every other class I enrolled in after that."
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Marcie Wilmot Reviewed the Above Answer
This is a great example. Your answer shows that you were smart enough to pass your high school classes without studying much, that you were responsible enough to work throughout college, and that you're adaptable and willing to change if needed. You also show that you're resilient and that you were open to changing tactics after failing the class to ensure that you passed all your classes after that. Excellent response.
User-Submitted Answer
"After a year of planning, we launched a Contemporary Crafts major as an off-shoot to our fine arts major, believing the outcomes and learning objectives were significantly different. This past year, due to low enrollment, the college chose not to pursue final approval. Now when I make curricular changes, I'm careful to do research and engage with more departments and people before making decisions."
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Cindy Ramsey Reviewed the Above Answer
Good. Self-reflection and learning from the failure are key to a good answer.
User-Submitted Answer
"During my undergraduate nursing program, I failed Pathophysiology. This was embarrassing because we were 3 friends that studied together in that program and I'm the only one who failed. However, I didn't give up, I took the course in the summer semester passed with a B, I was able to move on and I graduated as plan."
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Stephanie Cafaro Reviewed the Above Answer
Excellent response! It's always tough to fail a course, but it sounds like you were able to pick yourself back up and move forward in a very productive manner.
User-Submitted Answer
"When working for _________ in Vietnam, we had this project with a high school in Vietnam to launch our Foundation at their campus. This was one of the transnational strategies. I was not aware of how complex the license issues with the Vietnam government with the foreign education program. The project did not happen. However, I managed to keep a close relationship with the school for our recruitment activities. We run several English competitions, presentations, and parent seminars. I was also able to organize summer study tours every year for those high school students to come to ___ College for a few weeks in a tailored program. We have approx 10 students from school to ___ college. And this is a fantastic outcome."
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Marcie Wilmot Reviewed the Above Answer
Great! Your answer shows that you took the initiative to turn a non-starting project into an opportunity that had a successful outcome. Nice! Consider talking more about how you were personally involved in the failure of the original project. If it wasn't a failure because of anything you did, you might want to consider discussing another example as well of a time when you experienced a more personal failure so you can talk about how you mentally overcame this.
User-Submitted Answer
""(Situation) In academia, it is very important to show mobility and to gain international research experience. (Task) In 2016, I applied to the German Science Foundation to obtain a post-doc scholarship for a 2-years research visit in the US. (Action) I spent many weeks writing the proposal, submitted it, and 6 months later I got rejected. This was a huge failure for me end led me to a crisis, because I felt not to be good enough for academia. At some point, I wanted to understand why they rejected my proposal and I asked for the review reports and feedback. They agreed to send it to me, which was very helpful and eye-opening for me. Studying these reports, I figured out that I missed providing important details of my ideas and I did not present and illustrate my ideas well. Thus, I decided to attend a workshop offered by the university career center on how to write research proposals. Then, I re-wrote the whole proposal, shaped the formulation of my research questions, and used a lecturing service offered by the university to get feedback on the new proposal. (Result) Using this proposal, I got accepted and went for a 2-years research visit to UC Berkeley. I learned many things in this process: First, I improved my writing and learned how to shape the research questions. Second, I learned that one should use available resources, especially, when being not an expert yet. Third, I should never give up, but improve and try again later.""
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Marcie Wilmot Reviewed the Above Answer
Again, wow! This is a very strong answer. Most of all, you learned not to give up, which is such an invaluable life lesson. The interviewer will see that you are persistent and resilient. Also, your answer shows that you learn from failure. While the failure temporarily set you back, ultimately it prompted you to attend the research writing workshop and adjust/improve your new proposal based on the feedback and advice you sought. Excellent response!
User-Submitted Answer
"I was working as a freelance translator and we had a three-month-long project. I was delivering translations twice a week, and every delivery was on a tight deadline, meaning one delay would have a domino effect and potentially derail the whole project. In the middle of the road, the inevitable happened and I sent in a translation late. Even though the project was difficult and everybody understood it, failing to deliver it on time would cause a breach of trust between me and the client, which meant I needed to do something. Since the work I needed to do was the same but now I had less time to do it, I needed to streamline my workflow. I went back and took a hard look at how I translated. I realized that the checks and controls I had in place to ensure quality were too extensive for their own sake. I could touch up the draft more lightly and still get fully functioning and register appropriate target texts. This discovery not only allowed me to optimize my work processes, but I was also able to finish the project three days ahead of time."
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Rachelle Enns Reviewed the Above Answer
Great solution! It's terrific that you took the time to comb through your work process and make changes for the sake of efficiency. In the end, did your client react positively? Did they notice any change in your work or the timing of your submissions?
User-Submitted Answer
"I've had academic failures, relationship-wise, and professionally. As I look back on how I handled failures it of course were often devastating when they occurred but I realized that I had the resilience to think about the things that I could change and change them and to forgive myself for things I can't change. I give myself a moment and then I buckle down and analyze the situation and figure out what I can do to fix it. I hope this makes me more empathetic to those around me when they struggle and think about what I can do to help in that situation."
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Stephanie Cafaro Reviewed the Above Answer
While experiencing a range of failures is common (and makes you feel relatable,) for the purpose of answering this question, I suggest you focus on one specific setback and walk the interviewer through how you reacted and how you moved forward.
User-Submitted Answer
"Once we launched a big campaign that failed to attract users, I conducted several workshops with the team to identify what went wrong, and incorporate the lesson learned. In our next campaign, we avoid the past mistake and we succeeded this time."
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Marcie Wilmot Reviewed the Above Answer
Great! This is an excellent example; however, provide specifics about what the campaign was for and what lesson was learned. Specific details will make this example powerful and impactful. Also, make sure to emphasize how this was a personal failure of yours so that it's applicable to the question asked.
User-Submitted Answer
"I Had to Design a cost allocation methodology to be implemented in the reporting tool. Excellent designing of the methodology finished with proper approvals. However, missed reviewing it with IT and a result once presented to them for implementation and realized it will cause multiple views of the data and as a result, cannot be done due to data volume crash and missed the project timeline. Though IT analysis was not one of my tasks as the lead I had to ensure the successful implementation of the project. A quick fix which is applying a threshold to data could be done to meet the timeline but I owned the mistake, informed management and re-did the timeline, and worked with IT to come out with a solution without impacting data quality."
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Marcie Wilmot Reviewed the Above Answer
Excellent answer. You provide a detailed example that clearly shows how you overcame a failure. Your reply also shows that you were able to adapt and still meet the deadline. Nice job! Just make sure to emphasize the lesson(s) that you learned and carried with you.
User-Submitted Answer
"I had a misstep in my career with my last employer. I joined an organization that was in financial trouble due to Covid and not being able to employ workers for important tasks, I was blinded by my ambition to get experience in that particular field. After a year of struggling, a majority of employees were leaving due to not having proper manpower causing everything to become havoc. It brought me to square one. I've learned a great deal about what to look for and the types of questions to ask when choosing employment."
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Stephanie Cafaro Reviewed the Above Answer
This sounds like a tough situation to be in--taking missteps professionally is always a learning process! Since this question specifically asks about how you got back up again, I suggest including a closing sentence about how you've moved forward from this (not just what you learned, but how the experience helped launch you to where you are now professionally.)
User-Submitted Answer
"Before graduating from pharmacy school, I have always thought of obtaining a pharmacy residency was going to the end all be all. As a result, after finding out that I did not match the program that I wanted, I was defeated. But I kept my head up and kept all my connections open. I did not give up and managed to secure a position in the community pharmacy setting and built my experience as a pharmacist. Later on, through my network, I was able to secure a job that was more clinically oriented and more aligned with my career goals."
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Amanda Knight Reviewed the Above Answer
Good job! Failing is often part of the road to success. Your answer showcases your resilience and ability to turn a negative into a positive by adapting, setting new goals, and working hard.
User-Submitted Answer
"One time I implemented a data pipeline manually using a cron job and google pub/sub. In the end, my boss and I realized that there was a service on Google cloud called dataflow that automated this entire process so there was a waste of time and energy. So in the future, now I know to research the problem beforehand and weigh the different methods to a solution. Because oftentimes we are too eager to dive head first into a problem without planning."
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Amanda Knight Reviewed the Above Answer
This is an answer you can expand a bit to give the interviewer clearer insight into how you respond to failure. How did you feel when you realized it was a wasted project? Were you embarrassed or frustrated? How did you overcome that feeling? What kind of research do you now undertake to ensure you're not completing unnecessary work?
User-Submitted Answer
"As a new nurse, I started my assignment with a patient that had already been roomed. I had only been without a preceptor once since this shift. The patient was a diabetic with amputations, vitals were stable, the medics were not concerned, and the family said he was just "not himself". I started taking care of the patient when a more experienced nurse came in and said, "Get the doctor, this patient is septic!". It was the worst shift of my life. We got the patient stabilized but I learned a very very valuable lesson, learn the protocols, know them and take assess every situation thoroughly. Every detail matters."
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Stephanie Cafaro Reviewed the Above Answer
You show a lot of vulnerability here in sharing this. I suggest developing the closing of your answer a little more, to specifically show how you "got back up again." How has this impacted you going forward? How have you taken your learning from this difficult experience into your current work?
User-Submitted Answer
"In my first job at ______, my boss asked me to call all the companies/members regarding the upcoming Miami-Dade Bus Tour. In order for the bus tour to happen, _______ had to receive a certain amount of sponsorships and advertisements. My boss told me we need a commitment from everyone. When I called this particular company, I made the mistake of telling them that we were running behind and we had to receive a commitment from them. The company called my boss to tell them what I said and I felt so horrible. My boss was very disappointed in me. I asked my boss if I could write an apology letter and my boss agreed. Looking back on the situation, I should have had a strategy and written down what I would say. I should have never demanded anything. Instead, I should have shared all the options and let the company decide. I will never make a mistake like that again. Now I always have a plan and write everything out."
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Marcie Wilmot Reviewed the Above Answer
Mistakes happen and nobody is perfect! It sounds like you learned from your mistake, however, and quickly apologized for it, which is what the interviewer will want to hear. Just be careful you don't come across as someone who beats themselves up for mistakes (perhaps eliminate the 'I felt so horrible' statement). Acknowledge in your answer that everyone makes mistakes sometimes, that you know this, and that you always try to learn from your mistakes and take accountability for them. That should suffice. Convey that you are resilient. Good job!
User-Submitted Answer
"As part of a contract concession, my company purchased the inventory of a local distributor to make room for its replacement with our merchandise. In addition to my regular responsibilities, my supervisor asked me if I would find an outlet for the product and suggested that I look to local and national liquidators. I worked on it every spare moment that I had but was not able to find anyone that was willing to buy the odd lot of products I was offering. Ultimately, I had a conversation with my supervisor and informed him of my "failure." He asked me to keep trying and urged that I think out of the box. I ended up moving the product by donating to Habitat for Humanity and while it was not a sale, there were beneficial tax implications. In the end, my boss acknowledged that he could not have hoped for a better outcome."
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Jaymie Payne Reviewed the Above Answer
This is a good example. The failure isn't always the focal point, but rather that you can take ownership and learn from the experience, which you demonstrated. Ending with a positive outcome will leave a lasting impression on the interviewer. Well done!
User-Submitted Answer
"During my undergrad, I failed an exam in intermediate accounting that I had studied for. I was very disappointed; however, I realized that the studying that I was doing was ineffective, so I began to use a different study method and passed my next exam in the class."
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Rachelle Enns Reviewed the Above Answer
Awesome job in picking yourself up and pivoting your approach to studying. If you want to add more detail, I recommend talking briefly about your old study method vs. your new study method. This information will help the interviewer to better understand the way you learn. It can be beneficial in your onboarding and training!
User-Submitted Answer
"When my business failed, I liquidated it. I went back to college and earned a degree, studied design, and I'm now pursuing my new career and loving it."
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Rachelle Enns Reviewed the Above Answer
Try offering more of an emotional uptick at the end. I have added a sample, below.
"I had a business fail; however, after liquidating all assets and taking a look back, I learned more about operating a successful business than I would have by completing a business degree. I look forward to taking this knowledge and applying it here."
User-Submitted Answer
"I didn't get a high enough score on a test to make it onto the first group of people for a position; so I took it again and move up into the first group to be considered for employment."
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Rachelle Enns Reviewed the Above Answer
The fact that you picked yourself up and tried again is precisely what the interviewer wants to hear. Perfect!
User-Submitted Answer
"When working at one of my previous companies, I got laid off due to the economy. I felt like a failure and that I did something wrong, so it took me a few weeks to get over it. I started looking for a new job and ended up finding a better job that I wouldn't have found had I not been laid off from the company where I got laid off from."
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Kristine Knutter Reviewed the Above Answer
Great answer! You describe a difficult situation that ultimately led to a good outcome. You may want to elaborate on the reason you were laid off to help the interviewer understand what was happening in your company. I incorporated a suggestion on how you could handle this, but you should revise it based on your experience.
"When working at one of my previous companies, I got laid off due to the struggling economy and lower demand for our products and services. I felt like a failure and that I did something wrong, so it took me a few weeks to get over it. I started looking for a new job and ended up finding a better job that I wouldn't have found had I not been laid off."
User-Submitted Answer
"The time I remember failing was a time when I was being dictated by management to have a plc program completed within a time that was far too short. Though I let management know that I could not complete the project in that amount of time, they didn't believe me and moved forward towards the deadline, which I could not meet. I gave them a presentation of the program, the functionality, and what it lacked due to the short deadline and the amount of time I needed. After hearing the presentation, management gave me the time I need, and technically the project was completed successfully."
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Rachelle Enns Reviewed the Above Answer
It's good that you did what you could in the time that you were given; rather than just give up. Your answer shows tenacity!