Question: Describe a time when you used an unconventional approach to solve a problem because you thought that the conventional approach would not work.

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Tell us about a project or situation where you felt that the conventional approach would not be suitable.

Follow-up questions:

How did you figure out and manage a new approach?
Which challenges did you face and how did you address them?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Basic – Science and Logic,Complex Problem Solving,Systems – Judgment and Decision Making,Systems Analysis,Systems Evaluation

Abilities:

Cognitive – Deductive Reasoning,Cognitive – Inductive Reasoning,Cognitive – Originality,Cognitive – Perceptual Speed,Cognitive – Visualisation

Other Factors:

Self-Awareness

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Innovation Management,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):

Job Structure – Frequency of Decision Making,Job Structure – Structured versus Unstructured Work

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Analytical Thinking,Attention to Detail,Handling Ambiguity,Innovation,Patience,Stress Tolerance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

You are looking for the creativity the candidate has shown while working on this project.
If the candidate is able to think out of the box to come up with a solution.
It is quite natural that one might feel stressed when a common approach may not help, so handling stressful situation is required out of this candidate.

Red Flags to Watch For:

If the candidate sounds too casual and takes the question lightly and gives vague answer that they have handled it well and can do it in the future as well.
There is no example that the candidate has shared to specifically describe their creativity.

Sample Answer:

N/A

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