Do you have any regrets? No one makes the right business decision 100% of the time. Employers do not expect you to be perfect. What they want to see is that you know when you have made a mistake and that you have learnt from it. They also want to see how well you describe those mistakes and if you’re able to show that you’re not haunted by them. This is why the following Common Behavioural Interview Question is asked.
Behavioral Interview Question: Give me an example of a business decision you made that you ultimately regretted. What happened?
In order to answer this question well, you need to remember the following:
- Never share a decision that could cost you the job for which you’re interviewing.
- Always make sure you clearly explain the regret.
- Always say what you did to make sure it never happens again.
This is a VERY tough question to answer, simply because not everyone has a negative business decision that they can share without damaging their chances of getting the job. Here is an example answer you could consider:
“When I was working for COMPANY Y, I was offered a position in LEADERSHIP ROLE and I turned it down. I respected my boss and coworkers and truly believed that I had a lot I could still learn from them. I felt that the change in environments wouldn’t have been worth the financial incentives. But not long after that decision, two of my coworkers left and my supervisor was transferred, and while I appreciated my new coworkers, if I were going to meet new people anyway it would have probably been better for my career to have taken the role offered. Ever since then, I’ve always made sure to think a bit more about what the new role could mean for my development and for the company, and less on personal connections.”
This is an impressive answer. It’s very positive, the “regret” is for a good reason, and it shows your previous employer valued you. Not everyone has an answer like this, but even if your regret is turning down a project or even making a mistake on a project, there are ways to frame it that can still be positive and make you look like an excellent candidate for the position.
See Also: How to Answer – What kinds of decisions do you find hard to make?
See Also: 5 Key Steps to Difficult Decision Making – Show You Can Apply Them
No comments yet.