Discuss a time in which you failed professionally.

How to Answer
Answer Example

Your interviewer is likely looking for two things here: how your weaknesses have affected your work and how you handle failure. You should use the STAR method to discuss a time you didn't meet a goal or deadline or didn't achieve excellence, and then discuss what you learned from it. You also want to discuss what skills you used to work through this issue and how you use them to try to avoid similar issues in your work moving forward.

"One year, I took on extra classes because, at the time, I thought I would be able to balance the classes with my schedule. I quickly learned that I wasn't going to have as much time as I thought, and instead of saying this early on, I tried to balance all of the classes. Ultimately, many of my students struggled because I wasn't able to put as much thought into my lessons and didn't have the time to provide extra help. I had many students barely get through their course, and looking back, I wish I had have spoken up about not being able to balance my time earlier on and asked for help. Since then, I've consistently been very aware of my limit for classes to ensure all students are getting the time and attention needed from me."

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How to Answer: Discuss a time in which you failed professionally.

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Accounting Professor job interview.

26. Discuss a time in which you failed professionally.

How to Answer

Your interviewer is likely looking for two things here: how your weaknesses have affected your work and how you handle failure. You should use the STAR method to discuss a time you didn't meet a goal or deadline or didn't achieve excellence, and then discuss what you learned from it. You also want to discuss what skills you used to work through this issue and how you use them to try to avoid similar issues in your work moving forward.

Written by Emma Luttrell on November 18th, 2021

Answer Example

"One year, I took on extra classes because, at the time, I thought I would be able to balance the classes with my schedule. I quickly learned that I wasn't going to have as much time as I thought, and instead of saying this early on, I tried to balance all of the classes. Ultimately, many of my students struggled because I wasn't able to put as much thought into my lessons and didn't have the time to provide extra help. I had many students barely get through their course, and looking back, I wish I had have spoken up about not being able to balance my time earlier on and asked for help. Since then, I've consistently been very aware of my limit for classes to ensure all students are getting the time and attention needed from me."

Written by Emma Luttrell on November 18th, 2021

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