Question: Describe a time when you and your team had to think of a new approach or solution to an old problem.

Alternative Question Phrasing:

N/A

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Basic – Science and Logic,Complex Problem Solving,Social – Coordination (Adjusting one’s own actions in relation to others),Social – Social Perceptiveness,Systems Analysis,Systems Evaluation

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility),Cognitive – Flexibility of Closure (Pattern Detection),Cognitive – Fluency of Ideas (Idea Generation Frequency),Cognitive – Originality,Cognitive – Speed of Closure (Thinking Speed)

Other Factors:

Big 5 – Openness to Experience (Open Mindedness),Candidate Preparedness,Personality-Job Fit,Personality-Organization Fit,Personality-Team Fit,Practical Intelligence (Street Smarts)

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Estimating Characteristics of Objects, Events, or Information,Information Input – Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events,Mental Processes – Analyzing Data or Information,Mental Processes – Developing Objectives and Strategies,Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People,Mental Processes – Processing Information,Mental Processes – Thinking Creatively (Creativity),Mental Processes – Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

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

Interpersonal Relationships – Relationship With Subordinates,Interpersonal Relationships – Relationship With Supervisor,Interpersonal Relationships – Work With Work Group or Team (As a member, not a leader)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Adaptability/Flexibility,Analytical Thinking,Handling Ambiguity,Initiative,Innovation

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

If the candidate is able to think creatively and agrees to be disagreed.
If the candidate has done a thorough study of the problem and it’s causes.
If the candidate is flexible to work within an team and honors each team members thought process.
If the candidate is able to generate more ideas and evaluate them with a definite strategy.

Red Flags to Watch For:

If the candidate’s approach to solve the old problem seems too practical to believe.
If the candidate doesn’t have an open mind to accept other’s approaches and sounds self centered.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: https://www.totaljobs.com/advice/most-common-competency-based-interview-questions