Interview Prep · True or False
Is it true that when asked about a mistake, you should choose a minor typo to avoid looking bad?
False. Sharing a real mistake with a significant lesson is much better than choosing a trivial typo.
A deliberately small example reads as dodging the question, and the lesson is what is being assessed rather than the severity of the error.
Choosing the safest possible mistake, which signals unwillingness to reflect more than it protects your image.
This scenario is one of 500 in the Skillful Interview Prep track. Each card states a situation, you decide true or false, and the explanation follows immediately.
- Answer
- False
- Track
- Interview Prep
- Topics
- failure-and-learning, answer-framing
Also asked as
What mistake should i pick for the biggest mistake question? How do i answer questions about my failures? Is it safe to give a trivial example of an error?
The scenario in full
When asked about a mistake, you should choose a minor typo to avoid looking bad.
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that when asked about a mistake, you should choose a minor typo to avoid looking bad?
False. Sharing a real mistake with a significant lesson is much better than choosing a trivial typo.
What mistake should i pick for the biggest mistake question?
False. Sharing a real mistake with a significant lesson is much better than choosing a trivial typo. A deliberately small example reads as dodging the question, and the lesson is what is being assessed rather than the severity of the error.
How do i answer questions about my failures?
False. Sharing a real mistake with a significant lesson is much better than choosing a trivial typo. A deliberately small example reads as dodging the question, and the lesson is what is being assessed rather than the severity of the error.
Is it safe to give a trivial example of an error?
False. Sharing a real mistake with a significant lesson is much better than choosing a trivial typo. A deliberately small example reads as dodging the question, and the lesson is what is being assessed rather than the severity of the error.
Where does this interview prep question come from?
It is one of 500 scenarios in the Skillful Interview Prep track. Each card states a realistic situation, you decide true or false, and the explanation follows immediately.
How do I practise more questions like this?
Start the Interview Prep quiz. It runs about two minutes per session, the first 150 questions are free across every category, and your progress saves automatically.