Start by reflecting on past work experiences and make a list of situations that didn't turn out the way you would have liked. Think about what you learned from your experiences and what you would change to strengthen your ability to handle similar situations in the future. When answering this question, it can be helpful to talk about how you'd deal with a similar situation now. This shows how you've grown and learned. Mention any steps you took to upgrade your skills, increase your knowledge base, or modify behaviors. As with all interview responses, be sure to select issues you can discuss honestly and sincerely.

"During my college years, I had the opportunity to head up a major group capstone project. I felt unprepared in terms of my management skills, and I declined. I feel it was a missed opportunity and I wish I'd been open to challenging myself at that time. To ensure I never felt that way again, I've taken additional management and leadership training courses and have built mentoring relationships with past professors. I've gained confidence in my abilities to lead and manage others, and plan to continue finding ways to lead in the work I do."

"During my past internship, I worked on a complex project with a diverse engineer team that fell behind schedule. Everyone involved had individual goals, and while I stuck to my own tasks and completed everything on time, it didn't occur to me to check in with others on a regular basis. Now, when I work on large projects with others, I make sure to have check-in points."