Tell them promptly and directly, before anyone else finds it. Quantify the impact first so you can say what changed and whether any decision would have been different, then send a short correction with the right numbers and the cause. Do not bury it in a footnote or wait for the next scheduled report. Afterward, add a test or check that would have caught it.
Why interviewers ask this
This is a values and judgment question wrapped in a scenario. Interviewers want speed, directness, and quantified impact rather than defensiveness, plus a fix that is systemic rather than a promise to be more careful. Candidates who hesitate or suggest quietly correcting it in the next cycle are giving a bad answer.
How to structure your answer
- Say you disclose immediately, before anyone else finds it.
- Quantify the error and whether it changes any decision.
- Send a short, plain correction with the cause included.
- Avoid over apologizing; focus on the corrected numbers.
- Add the check that prevents a repeat and mention it.
Example answer
I tell them straight away. The cost of a same day correction is small, and the cost of leadership finding it themselves, or making a decision on it, is enormous, so waiting is never the right trade. Before I send anything I work out the actual impact, because the first question will be does this change anything. If the corrected number moves regional revenue by 0.4% and the conclusion holds, I say that clearly. If it flips the conclusion, that goes in the first line. The message itself is short: here is the corrected figure, here is what was wrong, here is what it does and does not change. I do not pad it with apology, because that makes it about me rather than about the number. Then the part that matters longer term is the fix. When I did this on a revenue report, the cause was a filter that silently excluded one payment method, so I added a reconciliation test against the payments total that runs every night.
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See how it worksFollow-up questions to expect
- How would you decide whether the error changes the recommendation?
- What if the error was in someone else's work?
- How do you rebuild trust after a mistake like this?
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