Question: Describe a time when you found a solution to a problem by ‘thinking outside the box’.

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Give an example of where you needed to ‘think outside the box’ to come up with a solution to a challenging problem.

Follow-up questions:

N/A

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Science and Logic,Complex Problem Solving,Systems – Judgment and Decision Making,Systems Analysis,Systems Evaluation

Abilities:

Cognitive – Deductive Reasoning,Cognitive – Fluency of Ideas (Idea Generation Frequency),Cognitive – Inductive Reasoning,Cognitive – Originality,Cognitive – Perceptual Speed,Cognitive – Problem Sensitivity (Problem Recognition),Cognitive – Speed of Closure (Thinking Speed),Cognitive – Visualisation

Other Factors:

Candidate Preparedness,Personal Improvement (Growth),Personality-Job Fit,Personality-Organization Fit,Self-Awareness

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events,Interacting with Others – Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates,Interacting with Others – Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships,Interacting with Others – Innovation Management,Mental Processes – Analyzing Data or Information,Mental Processes – Developing Objectives and Strategies,Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People,Mental Processes – Making Decisions and Solving Problems,Mental Processes – Thinking Creatively (Creativity),Mental Processes – Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

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

Interpersonal Relationships – Interacting with Upper Management,Interpersonal Relationships – Relationship With Supervisor

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Analytical Thinking,Attention to Detail,Initiative,Innovation

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

You are looking for the candidate’s capability to think on their feet and solve problems.
If the candidate has pitching skills to sell themselves.
If the candidate is innovative enough to think of alternative solutions to a problem.

Red Flags to Watch For:

If the candidate shares an example where they made a terrible mistake in the beginning and then they had come up with an idea to rectify, this shows their carelessness.
If the candidate shares an out of office experience.

Sample Answer:

N/A

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