Tell me about a time you found a mistake you'd made after the books were already closed. What did you do?

What the interviewer is looking for

• This question tests integrity & ethics. Refuses to misstate numbers, escalates pressure appropriately, and admits and corrects their own errors.
• What to bring out: Owned it promptly, assessed materiality, told their manager, corrected properly, and added a check to prevent repeats.
• Expect a follow-up like: How did you decide whether it needed to be restated or corrected in the current period?

Another way it may be asked: You realize a journal entry you booked last month was wrong. Walk me through what you did next.

A structure to follow: STAR, with the weight on Action and Result

1. Step 1

   Situation

   One or two sentences: where, when and what was at stake. Pick a real example you were close to.

2. Step 2

   Task

   What you personally were responsible for. Say "I", not only "we", so the integrity & ethics you showed is visible.

3. Step 3

   Action

   The two or three things you did and why you chose them over the alternatives. This should be about half your answer.

4. Step 4

   Result

   What changed, in your own measure of it, and what you would do differently. Only use numbers you can stand behind.

This is guidance on shape, not a script. Use your own real experience and facts; never invent details to fill a gap. See the STAR guide and answer frameworks.

Common slips

• Describing what the team did without saying what you did.
• Choosing an example with no clear outcome, or one you cannot answer detailed questions about.
• Ending on the action and skipping the result and what you learned.

How to practise it

Write two bullet points for each STAR letter, then say the answer aloud in about two minutes.

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