There are a lot of curveballs hiring managers can throw your way in an interview, but questions about your past can be really tough to answer. Here’s the best way to answer a question like, “What career regrets do you have?”
Photo by Gangplank HQ.
As James Reed explains in his book Why You?: 101 Interview Questions You’ll Never Fear Again, loaded questions like that or, “If you could go back and change one thing about your career, what would it be?” are interview landmines. The interviewer is really digging for something bad about you or your past that they can’t see, and seeing if you still carry the psychological baggage that comes with it. If you get a question like that, Reed suggests you bring up something positive you’ve done, say you regret you hadn’t done more of it, then stop talking. Say you wish you had gotten involved with the business you’re in sooner, or that one of your great ideas would have made an even bigger impact if you could have had more time to perfect it. And if the interviewer doesn’t actually use the word “regret” in their question, Reed recommends you don’t point it at yourself. Keep things positive, but short and sweet.
Why You?: 101 Interview Questions You’ll Never Fear Again [Book Depository via Business Insider]
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