Welcome to this week's episode of the Modern Mentor Podcast. I'm your host, Rachel Cook. And today I'll be sharing some insider secrets on how to answer one of the most dreaded interview questions. Tell me about a time you failed.

You polished your resume, you pounded the pavement, and you landed that coveted job interview. Congratulations.

Now it's time to prepare and rehearse. You can never anticipate exactly what an interviewer will ask.

But the window just before a job interview presents you with an opportunity to reflect on your career to date, your highs and your lows.

An honest reflection will leave you with a handful of stories and examples in your back pocket that can lend themselves as answers to some commonly asked questions.

Likely, hopefully, you'll get a few softball questions. The interviewer may want to know how you chose the college you attended or what you loved most about your last job. And also, chances are,

the interviewer will also hit you with a few whammies. And one of the whammyest of all is the

infamous, tell me about a time you failed, or some variation on that theme. And oh joy, because

don't we all love reliving and describing for others, our lowest moments. No one loves this question.

Do you toss out a humble brag? I care too much and I work

too hard. Or do you throw yourself under the bus? I didn't plan or organize well at all. Well,

turns out it's no and no. But how do you find the safe space in between these two poles? The key is understanding

what the interviewer is actually asking. As a recovering HR person myself, this is a thing I know a bit

about. So if you'd like to successfully show this question who's boss, keep on listening.

Start by understanding what the interviewer is actually

asking. If you're wondering whether the interviewer is a sadist who enjoys watching you relive a

painful moment, likely the answer is no. There are good reasons why your answer to this question

can be incredibly telling. So let's start there. When the

interviewer asks this question, what are they really hoping to learn? Generally speaking, they're

asking, do you have humility? Are you comfortable with the idea of failure? Are you reflective

of your own failures? Have you taken accountability? Do you receive and take

action on feedback? And have you learned something from a bad experience? Understanding that these are

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