What was the biggest mistake you made at your previous employment? What did you learn from it?
Interviewers ask this question because they want to see you hold yourself accountable for mistakes instead of making excuses. They want to know if you learn from your mistakes and use that experience to improve. This question also shows if you are humble enough to acknowledge you have made a mistake.
The mistake should be related to the fire service unless you have no prior firefighting experience. In that case, use an example from a different industry.
When you admit and acknowledge a mistake, it shows the interviewer that you have integrity, morals, and ethics. It is easy to cover up a mistake, but it takes a stronger person to admit their error. You will inevitably make mistakes in the fire service, like pulling the wrong size hose on a fire or forgetting to put your gear on the fire apparatus at the beginning of the shift. It is admitting and recovering from the mistake that is the most important.
The interviewer wants to hear of a mistake you have made, how you handled the error, how you recovered from the mistake, and what you learned from it. Describe the mistake, explain how you realized what you had done, and turn it into a positive experience.
"The biggest mistake I made at my previous employment was accepting a supervisory position after six months on the job. I was the youngest employee, and I had not earned my peers' respect. I honestly did not know what I was doing, and it showed. After one week, I requested a meeting with my supervisor and asked if I could return to my previous position to gain more experience. He was understanding and allowed me to return to my previous position. After that, I took an effective leadership course and read books on managing others. Two years later, I applied for the supervisory position and was promoted. I felt much more confident in my role and earned my coworkers' respect."
Avoid saying that you have never made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, and the interviewer will feel that you are being dishonest in your response. They will also think that you are the type of person who cannot admit when they are wrong, which is not a good quality for a Firefighter.
You should also avoid describing a mistake that would make the interviewer think you are not a good Firefighter or would be a liability to the department if hired. For example, if your biggest mistake was misusing extrication equipment and you caused debilitating injury to a patient, the interviewer may pass you over for another candidate.
"The biggest mistake I made at my previous job was forgetting to show up for a shift trade. I had agreed to cover one of my coworker's shifts a month prior and did not put it on my calendar. I was taking my son to preschool and got a call from the Captain asking where I was. I was confused and told him I was taking my son to school and that it was my day off. He informed me that there was a signed shift trade form on his desk, and I was supposed to be at the station covering the shift. I apologized and told him I would be a the station in 20 minutes. I learned from that mistake to always put shift trades on my calendar immediately and check my calendar daily. I never had that happen again after making that error."
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