Failure Questions

The question "What has been your biggest failure?" or similar questions are used by interviewers to assess your resilience, honesty, self-awareness and, above all, your ability to learn from mistakes.

Although uncomfortable, it is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate professional maturity if you approach it correctly.

Strategy: Don't be dramatic, avoid personal issues, use STAR, show learning and solution/improvement.

The strategy for responding effectively to this question includes several key elements:

Don't be dramatic: Avoid overly negative or emotional narratives. Failure" should be understood simply as something that didn't go the way you expected.

Avoid personal issues: Focus strictly on the professional or academic realm. Don't talk about romantic, family or other personal failures. If you have no work experience, an academic example is appropriate.

Use the STAR structure: Organize your response using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) technique to give context and clarity to the story. Explain what went wrong (the "failure").

Show learning: This is the most crucial point. After describing the situation and the undesired outcome, focus on what you learned from that experience. What would you do differently now? What skill did you develop?

Show solution or improvement (Happy Ending): Try to close the story by showing how you applied that learning to solve the situation or how it ensured you did not repeat the same mistake in the future. Look for a "happy ending" or a constructive perspective.

Maintain a positive attitude in your storytelling

Even if you are talking about a "failure," your attitude when telling the story should be positive and constructive.

Don't look sad, defeated or frustrated. Narrate the event with energy, as a valuable lesson that has strengthened you.

How you tell the story is as important as the story it