TRAPS: There are some questions
your interviewer has no business asking, and this is one. But while you may feel like answering,
"none of your business,” naturally you can't. Some interviewers ask this question on the
chance you may admit to something, but if not, at least they'll see how you
think on your feet.
Some unprepared candidates,
flustered by this question, unburden themselves of guilt from their personal
life or career, perhaps expressing regrets regarding a parent, spouse, child,
etc. All such answers can be disastrous.
BEST ANSWER: As with faults and
weaknesses, never confess regret. But
don't seem as if you're stonewalling either. Best strategy: Say you harbor no regrets, then add a
principle or habit you practice regularly for healthy human relations.
Example: Pause for reflection, as
if the question never occurred to you.
Then say, "You know, I really can't think of anything." (Pause
again, and then add): "I would add that as a general management principle,
I've found that the best way to avoid regrets is to avoid causing them in the
first place. I practice one habit that
helps me, a great deal in this regard.
At the end of each day, I mentally review the day's events and
conversations to take a second look at the people and developments I'm involved
with and do a double check of what they're likely to be feeling. Sometimes I'll see things that do need more
follow-up, whether a pat on the back, or maybe a five-minute chat in someone's
office to make sure we're clear on things ... whatever.
"I also like to make each
person feel like a member of an elite team, like the Boston Celtics or LA
Lakers in their prime. I've found that
if you let each team member know you expect excellence in their performance if
you work hard to set an example yourself...and if you let people know you
appreciate and respect their feelings; you wind up with a highly motivated
group, a team that's actually having fun at work because they are striving for
excellence rather than brooding over slights or regrets."
