Question: What is your approach to clarifying ambiguous work instructions or information?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

What steps will you take to clarify unclear information, or instructions with regard to your work?

Follow-up questions:

What are your usual strategies to deal with ambiguity?
Can you work with ambiguity?
What if you initially don’t get the answers you are seeking?
How you know when you have fully clarified the ambiguity?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Knowledge/Skill Based

Skills:

Basic – Learning Strategies,Basic – Science and Logic,Social – Coordination (Adjusting one’s own actions in relation to others),Systems Analysis

Abilities:

Cognitive – Inductive Reasoning,Cognitive – Information Ordering,Cognitive – Problem Sensitivity (Problem Recognition)

Other Factors:

Practical Intelligence (Street Smarts)

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Estimating Characteristics of Objects, Events, or Information,Information Input – Gathering Information,Information Input – Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events,Interacting with Others – Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others (Informing),Mental Processes – Evaluating Compliance with Standards,Mental Processes – Processing Information,Mental Processes – Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

Work Context (Person-Job/Team/Org Fit):

Job Structure – Consequence of Error,Job Structure – Work Accuracy (Importance of Being Exact or Accurate)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Attention to Detail,Handling Ambiguity

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

To understand the interviewee’s ability to dispel ambiguity and to learn and understand work processes.

Red Flags to Watch For:

If the interviewee is not good at clarifying ambiguity, or attempt to work with the ambiguity without clarifying it, that is a red flag.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: https://www.jobbankusa.com/interview_questions_answers/