Tell me about a mistake you made because of a breakdown in communication between you and one of your team members.

"I once asked my manager to confirm the deadline for an upcoming project. He responded, "I think the bosses needed that, like, yesterday." I assumed he meant the project needed to be completed "asap," just like several other projects on my plate. When I sat down at my desk the next morning, he walked over and asked if I'd stayed up all night getting the project done. Of course, I hadn't. I told him it wasn't done, but it was the next thing on my to-do list. He was upset and explained that the project was now three days late instead of two. We both realized that we'd miscommunicated. I never imagined he was being literal in his response, but he thought what he said communicated the project was already a day late. We both agreed to use concrete dates going forward to ensure it didn't happen again."

Talk to the interviewer about a time you made a mistake due to miscommunication. Provide enough detail so they can understand the nature of the mistake and focus on how you resolved the situation.