Question: Describe a time when you had to evaluate multiple ideas in order to choose one to implement.

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Describe a time where you needed to choose between a number of ideas. What criteria did you use?

Follow-up questions:

What selection criteria did you use?
How did you know the idea you chose was the best one?
How did you evaluate the ideas?

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 – Social Perceptiveness,Systems – Judgment and Decision Making,Systems Analysis,Systems Evaluation

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility),Cognitive – Flexibility of Closure (Pattern Detection),Cognitive – Perceptual Speed,Cognitive – Problem Sensitivity (Problem Recognition),Cognitive – Visualisation

Other Factors:

Practical Intelligence (Street Smarts),Self-Awareness

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events,Information Input – Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (for Problem Identification),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 – Processing Information,Mental Processes – Thinking Creatively (Creativity)

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

Interpersonal Relationships – Responsibility for Outcomes and Results of Others,Job Structure – Freedom to Make Decisions,Job Structure – Frequency of Decision Making,Job Structure – Level of Responsibility (Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Organization Results)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Adaptability/Flexibility,Analytical Thinking,Handling Ambiguity,Innovation

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

If the candidate’s criteria includes clarity, scalability, stability, integration and profitability.
If the candidate considers reviewing a large number of ideas in a resource efficient manner.
If the candidate involves team of people with relevant expertise.
If the candidate considers improvements in an idea.

Red Flags to Watch For:

If the candidate’s selection criteria reflects to be costly failure.
If the candidate’s criteria for selection of idea is not clear and there is no example to prove their effective evaluation technique.

Sample Answer:

N/A

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