How do you handle failure?

For this question, you want to show the interviewer how you face failure and pick yourself back up.

Start with a personal anecdote:

You want to take the interviewer on a journey from start to finish, showing all your thoughts and emotions and how reflected on this experience.

What did you fail at?

Take a moment to provide some context to the interviewer and tell them what you failed at.

How did this make you feel?

Be honest-if you were sad or annoyed, say this. It's normal to feel like this if you have failed at something important to you. Try not make yourself look too irrational though.

What did you do next?

This part is all about reflection. There is no point in failing if you can't reflect on your failures to be better.

Explain why this is important in dentistry:

You could face many failures in dentistry. Here are some examples:

• Accidental breach in confidentiality
• Lack of professionalism
• Fail a cavity preparation in dental school

It's important to recognise failure as a learning opportunity and to take ownership. This demonstrates maturity and integrity, and you always want to ensure you live up to these standards as a dentist.