Admitted

Tell me about a time you received difficult feedback. What did you do with it?

Coachability. Dental school is four years of being corrected on things you thought you'd done well.

How to structure your answer

  1. 1The feedback, quoted as directly as you can
  2. 2Your honest initial reaction
  3. 3What you did
  4. 4The outcome

A strong answer

What lands
I started college pursuing a major in creative writing. I had always been good at writing, and I had gotten some acclaim in my local creative writing community. In my first actual writing class in college, Creative Writing 101, I got a “C” on my first paper. I was crushed. I stayed after class to ask the teacher for feedback. We went through my paper, line by line, and she showed me what could be improved to make it more clear to the reader. It was so helpful. I used what she taught me that day to help guide my writing for future papers, and I’m a better writer because of it. Last summer I won a national short story competition.

A real sting, the reaction admitted, a line-by-line fix, and proof it worked.

A weak answer

What most people say
A supervisor once told me I could be a little more assertive in meetings. I took it on board and made a point of speaking up earlier rather than waiting until the end, and I think I've gotten much better at contributing since then. It was useful feedback and I was glad she said it.

Sanded down until it stopped hurting. If it never stung, it wasn't feedback.

The trap

⚠Sanding the feedback down until it's harmless. If the criticism doesn't sound like it hurt, the question hasn't been answered.

Reading it isn't the same as saying it.

Most people can explain a good answer and still fall apart saying one out loud. Admitted asks you all 100 questions in a faculty voice, records you, and scores your pace and filler words.

Try one interview freeGet the guide

More behavioral questions