Question: Describe a time when your idea or project failed to gain traction at first, but managed to gain momentum and cooperation later on. What happened and what did you do differently?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Have you ever had an experience in which you failed to see an idea or gain cooperation the first time, but succeeded later? What was the difference?

Follow-up questions:

What approach did you use to change the outcome?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Social – Coordination (Adjusting one’s own actions in relation to others)

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility)

Other Factors:

Personality-Job Fit,Personality-Organization Fit

Work Activity (Task):

Interacting with Others – Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others,Mental Processes – Making Decisions and Solving Problems

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

Interpersonal Relationships – Coordinate or Lead Others

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Adaptability/Flexibility,Patience,Persistence/Perseverance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

The candidate’s flexibility in managing tasks.
The candidate’s output orientation.
The candidate’s critical thinking skills.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The candidate’s lack of flexibility in managing tasks.
The candidate’s lack of critical thinking skills.

Sample Answer:

Once there was this project that I was in charge of. It had something to do with the company’s initiatives to cut down on cost. At first, I didn’t get the cooperation of my colleagues to recycle and reuse papers and envelopes but I persisted and came up with campaigns. Eventually, they cooperated and we were able to save a lot of money on supplies.

Question Source: Unknown