What they are really asking

A mistake is usually a slip: the wrong list, the wrong number. A poor decision is different. You thought about it, you chose, and you chose badly. The interviewer wants to see whether you can look back at your own thinking honestly and explain what was missing from it.

The trap is defending the decision halfway through, with "but anyone would have done the same." Another trap is choosing something with serious harm to people; keep it to a decision that cost time, money, or comfort, and that you've recovered from. The honest version is more impressive than you'd think, because very few candidates give it.

A shape that works

The decision, your reasoning then, what went wrong, what you do now. Say what you decided and why it seemed right at the time; this shows you weren't careless. Then say what happened. The important part comes next: what was missing from your thinking. Finish with the habit you use now, so the story ends in the present.

Model answers

Listen to how each answer is built, then make it yours.

Answer 1: an office manager choosing laptops
Answer 2: a wedding photographer
Answer 3: a new team manager

Check yourself

1How is a poor decision different from a mistake, in this lesson?
2Why does each candidate explain why the decision seemed right at the time?
3What was missing from the manager's thinking in Answer 3?

Practice · 3 min

Choose a decision that cost time, money, or comfort, but no serious harm. Write why it seemed right, what happened, what was missing from your thinking, and what you do now. Record your answer. Listen back for any sentence that defends the old decision, and cut it.

Your recording stays on this device. Nothing is uploaded.

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.