Can you discuss a time that a team member made a mistake and the steps you took to correct it?

How to Answer
Answer Example

Competent computer hardware engineers know how to recognize and correct mistakes made by themselves or other team members. Recognizes that you may not have the leadership authority to take the initiative to correct somebody else's mistake. You can do this either directly or by collaborating with the person who made the mistake to correct it. The interviewer is interested in your initiative in this area and whether you are willing to take responsibility for other people's mistakes. Make sure your answer addresses not exceeding your authority when correcting someone else's mistake.

"Whenever I recognize that a mistake was made, either by one of the other team members or me, I take steps to correct it. If I made the mistake, it is my responsibility to fix it. If another team member made it, I would consult with them and collaborate to correct the error. An example of this was when one of my team members forgot to design a heat sink for a very high-speed microprocessor that emitted a great deal of heat. Fortunately, I recognized this early in the design process and pointed it out. My teammate appreciated my intervention, and together we modified the design to include the heat sink. Our management team acknowledged how well we worked together on this."

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How to Answer: Can you discuss a time that a team member made a mistake and the steps you took to correct it?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Computer Hardware Engineer job interview.

1. Can you discuss a time that a team member made a mistake and the steps you took to correct it?

How to Answer

Competent computer hardware engineers know how to recognize and correct mistakes made by themselves or other team members. Recognizes that you may not have the leadership authority to take the initiative to correct somebody else's mistake. You can do this either directly or by collaborating with the person who made the mistake to correct it. The interviewer is interested in your initiative in this area and whether you are willing to take responsibility for other people's mistakes. Make sure your answer addresses not exceeding your authority when correcting someone else's mistake.

Written by William Swansen on September 13th, 2021

Answer Example

"Whenever I recognize that a mistake was made, either by one of the other team members or me, I take steps to correct it. If I made the mistake, it is my responsibility to fix it. If another team member made it, I would consult with them and collaborate to correct the error. An example of this was when one of my team members forgot to design a heat sink for a very high-speed microprocessor that emitted a great deal of heat. Fortunately, I recognized this early in the design process and pointed it out. My teammate appreciated my intervention, and together we modified the design to include the heat sink. Our management team acknowledged how well we worked together on this."

Written by William Swansen on September 13th, 2021

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