Question: Describe a time when you came up with an idea for work that resulted in benefits for you or your team. What was the idea and how did you know it was a good idea?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Describe a project or idea you originated in the last year. How did you know it was a good idea?

Follow-up questions:

How did you sell your idea to your teammates?
Were you recognized for this idea and it’s benefits?
How did you come up with the idea?
How did you know that this idea was worth pursuing?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Systems Analysis

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility),Cognitive – Inductive Reasoning,Cognitive – Originality

Other Factors:

Personality-Team Fit,Practical Intelligence (Street Smarts)

Work Activity (Task):

Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People,Mental Processes – Thinking Creatively (Creativity),Work Output – Quality Improvement

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Adaptability/Flexibility,Analytical Thinking,Initiative,Innovation

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate’s creativity and innovativeness.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The candidate’s lack of creativity and innovativeness is not necessarily a red flag, but if this is a major point of the job, then it is a red flag.

Sample Answer:

Last year, we had a major project to launch a product. When we were brainstorming, I suggested that we maximize our interns and let them handle the management of our social media accounts. That way, they are learning and we are able to devote our time to other important tasks.

Question Source: Unknown