- Tell me about a time when you were innovative.
- Tell me about a time when you took an innovative approach to solving a problem.
- Tell me about a time when you thought of a better way to do something.
It’s a well known fact that looking at a candidate’s past behaviour is the best way to predict their future performance.
So don’t waste any more precious interview time asking hypothetical questions. Behavioural interview questions will let you understand in detail how a candidate has acted in specific situations.
First, identify the core behaviours you’d like your candidates to demonstrate. Then you can then select your specific questions from the list below.
Stop wasting precious interview time asking hypothetical questions. Download the Behavioural Interview Questions Checklist and get your interviews on track.
Answering Amazon Interview Question: What’s the most innovative new idea that you have implemented?
Creativity is often thought of as a soft skill. Soft skills include thinks like your organisational skills, presentation skills, initiative, communication skills, teamwork and creativity. They are considered just as important as job specific skills and are given a lot of consideration by recruiters and employers.
There are some professions where any job interview will involve some specific interview questions about your creativity and your creative thinking skills. These professions include advertising, marketing, media, sales, design work etc.
Similarly, if you are applying for a management or leadership role, you can expect a few of these types of questions irrespective of the field you work in. Employers want to know that you can think creatively in regards to problem solving and innovation
Make sure you are familiar with all the key soft skills and how you can structure an answer to show off your skills.
How To Answer The Question: Describe A Challenge You Faced And How You Overcame It
Employers want to hire people that will be able to adapt to changing conditions and help improve the quality of the workflow. Taking time before an interview to choose a memorable response will help you exhibit many of your strengths in a concise- well-formulated answer. Make sure to describe an experience that included a significant challenge and a significantly innovative solution.
Utilize the STAR method to formulate a strong answer. STAR is an acronym:SSituation
Describe the situation within which you performed a job or faced a challenge. It’s best to describe a relevant work situation, but it might be appropriate to discuss academic projects or volunteer work if you lack professional work experience.TTask
Detail the task, goal, or responsibility you were charged with in that situation.AActions
Explain the actions you took to achieve the task with specific details. Be sure to discuss your specific actions, not those of a team, colleague, or manager.RResults
Describe the outcome or results of the action taken. Quantify your success, if possible, and provide concrete examples of the effects of your efforts. You may also want to discuss what you learned and/or how you grew as a professional.
Why the interviewer is interested in your creative thinking skills
So, what exactly is creative thinking, and why is it so important in the workplace? Creativity can mean several things but in general, means looking at something in a different or new way. Think of coming up with new ideas, implementing solutions, developing strategies, improving existing processes, solving problems, or cutting costs. Creative thinkers look at problems and situations from a fresh perspective. They are curious, imaginative, and optimistic in general. Creative thinking skills help the company work more efficiently and productively. You can imagine that employers look for employees who can bring such contributions.
In some professions, you can, for sure, expect job interview questions about creativity and creative thinking skills. For example, jobs in marketing, sales, media, design, advertising, etc. However, when you’re applying for a supervisor, manager, or any other leadership position, you should expect some of these questions as well. The main goal for the interviewer is to find out if you can think creatively with regard to solving problems.
ANALYTICAL SKILLS / PROBLEM SOLVING
FAQ
How do you answer interview questions about innovation?
What are the 10 most common behavioral interview questions and answers?
- Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure. …
- How do you handle a challenge? …
- Have you ever made a mistake? …
- Give an example of how you set goals. …
- Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
How do you demonstrate innovation at work?
- Optimise the atmosphere. …
- Create a brainstorming wall. …
- Encourage individuality. …
- Allow for suggestions. …
- Put suggestions into action. …
- Start doing stand up. …
- Place a ban on certain things. …
- Buddy up.
