Month: March 2009

Behavioral Interview Questions About Personal Accountability

Behavioral interview questions focus on assessing your performance in past situations. One common topic for behavioral questions is personal accountability. These questions focus on a candidate’s past failures and the candidate’s willingness to admit their mistakes.

Behavioral interview questions focus on assessing your performance in past situations.  One common topic for behavioral questions is personal accountability.  These questions focus on a candidate’s past failures and the candidate’s willingness to admit their mistakes.  Below are a number of examples of behavioral questions related to accountibility:

  • Tell me about a time when you took responsibility for a failure.

  • Tell me about the last time you made a mistake.

  • Tell me about your biggest failure in your career.

  • Tell me about your greatest weakness.

  • Tell me about a time you did something you regret.

  • Tell me about a time when you received negative feedback from your boss.

  • Tell me about a time when you learned from a mistake.

  • Tell me about a time when you failed to meet a commitment you had made.

To be successful with a behavioral question about failure, you need to give a specific example and acknowledge your responsibility for the failure.  Some individuals always have an excuse for their mistakes.  Trying to deflect responsibility in an interview will usually make a very poor impression.  To be successful with an answer about a failure, include a discussion of what you learned from the experience.


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 Other Great Books to help you prepare for Behavioral Interviews:

Behavioral Interview Questions About Organizational Skills

Organizational skills are an important factor in a person’s career and are a common interview topic. There are a wide variety of behavioral interview questions about your organization skills that you could see in an interview.

Organizational skills are an important factor in a person’s career and are a common interview topic.  There are a wide variety of behavioral interview questions about your organization skills that you could see in an interview.  Below is a selection of behavioral interview questions:

  • Tell me about a time when you managed a complicated project.

  • Tell me about a time when you worked under a tight deadline.

  • Tell me about a time when you had to multitask.

  • Tell me about a time when your organizational skills helped you succeed.

  • Tell me about a time when your planning led to positive results.

  • Tell me about a time when you missed an important deadline.

  • Tell me about a time when you went the extra mile to get a project done.

  • Tell me about a time when you felt overwhelmed by your workload.

  • Tell me about a time when you took on more than you could handle.

  • Tell me about a time when you failed to delegate effectively.

  • Tell me about a time when you delegated an important task successfully.

Get our book on behavioral interviewing

 Other Great Books to help you prepare for Behavioral Interviews:

Interview Tip #5

Interview Tip: Avoid topics where you are critical of your coworkers or supervisors in an interview.

Interview Tip: Avoid topics where you are critical of your coworkers or supervisors in an interview.

Hiring managers want to hire people that will fit in with their team.  They do not want someone with an attitude that will cause conflict or personnel problems.  Avoid topics that will show you in a situation that calls into question your ability to work well with others.