behavioral interview questions creative problem solving

By Mike Simpson

When candidates prepare for interviews, they usually focus on highlighting their leadership, communication, teamwork, and similar crucial soft skills . However, not everyone gets ready for problem-solving interview questions. And that can be a big mistake.

Problem-solving is relevant to nearly any job on the planet. Yes, it’s more prevalent in certain industries, but it’s helpful almost everywhere.

Regardless of the role you want to land, you may be asked to provide problem-solving examples or describe how you would deal with specific situations. That’s why being ready to showcase your problem-solving skills is so vital.

If you aren’t sure who to tackle problem-solving questions, don’t worry, we have your back. Come with us as we explore this exciting part of the interview process, as well as some problem-solving interview questions and example answers.

What Is Problem-Solving?

When you’re trying to land a position, there’s a good chance you’ll face some problem-solving interview questions. But what exactly is problem-solving? And why is it so important to hiring managers?

Well, the good folks at Merriam-Webster define problem-solving as “the process or act of finding a solution to a problem.” While that may seem like common sense, there’s a critical part to that definition that should catch your eye.

What part is that? The word “process.”

In the end, problem-solving is an activity. It’s your ability to take appropriate steps to find answers, determine how to proceed, or otherwise overcome the challenge.

Being great at it usually means having a range of helpful problem-solving skills and traits. Research, diligence, patience, attention-to-detail , collaboration… they can all play a role. So can analytical thinking , creativity, and open-mindedness.

But why do hiring managers worry about your problem-solving skills? Well, mainly, because every job comes with its fair share of problems.

While problem-solving is relevant to scientific, technical, legal, medical, and a whole slew of other careers. It helps you overcome challenges and deal with the unexpected. It plays a role in troubleshooting and innovation. That’s why it matters to hiring managers.

How to Answer Problem-Solving Interview Questions

Okay, before we get to our examples, let’s take a quick second to talk about strategy. Knowing how to answer problem-solving interview questions is crucial. Why? Because the hiring manager might ask you something that you don’t anticipate.

Problem-solving interview questions are all about seeing how you think. As a result, they can be a bit… unconventional.

These aren’t your run-of-the-mill job interview questions . Instead, they are tricky behavioral interview questions . After all, the goal is to find out how you approach problem-solving, so most are going to feature scenarios, brainteasers, or something similar.

So, having a great strategy means knowing how to deal with behavioral questions. Luckily, there are a couple of tools that can help.

First, when it comes to the classic approach to behavioral interview questions, look no further than the STAR Method . With the STAR method, you learn how to turn your answers into captivating stories. This makes your responses tons more engaging, ensuring you keep the hiring manager’s attention from beginning to end.

Now, should you stop with the STAR Method? Of course not. If you want to take your answers to the next level, spend some time with the Tailoring Method , too.

With the Tailoring Method, it’s all about relevance. So, if you get a chance to choose an example that demonstrates your problem-solving skills, this is really the way to go.

We also wanted to let you know that we created an amazing free cheat sheet that will give you word-for-word answers for some of the toughest interview questions you are going to face in your upcoming interview. After all, hiring managers will often ask you more generalized interview questions!

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1. Can you tell me about a time when you had to solve a challenging problem?

In the land of problem-solving questions, this one might be your best-case scenario. It lets you choose your own problem-solving examples to highlight, putting you in complete control.

When you choose an example, go with one that is relevant to what you’ll face in the role. The closer the match, the better the answer is in the eyes of the hiring manager.

EXAMPLE ANSWER:

“While working as a mobile telecom support specialist for a large organization, we had to transition our MDM service from one vendor to another within 45 days. This personally physically handling 500 devices within the agency. Devices had to be gathered from the headquarters and satellite offices, which were located all across the state, something that was challenging even without the tight deadline. I approached the situation by identifying the location assignment of all personnel within the organization, enabling me to estimate transit times for receiving the devices. Next, I timed out how many devices I could personally update in a day. Together, this allowed me to create a general timeline. After that, I coordinated with each location, both expressing the urgency of adhering to deadlines and scheduling bulk shipping options. While there were occasional bouts of resistance, I worked with location leaders to calm concerns and facilitate action. While performing all of the updates was daunting, my approach to organizing the event made it a success. Ultimately, the entire transition was finished five days before the deadline, exceeding the expectations of many.”

2. Describe a time where you made a mistake. What did you do to fix it?

While this might not look like it’s based on problem-solving on the surface, it actually is. When you make a mistake, it creates a challenge, one you have to work your way through. At a minimum, it’s an opportunity to highlight problem-solving skills, even if you don’t address the topic directly.

When you choose an example, you want to go with a situation where the end was positive. However, the issue still has to be significant, causing something negative to happen in the moment that you, ideally, overcame.

“When I first began in a supervisory role, I had trouble setting down my individual contributor hat. I tried to keep up with my past duties while also taking on the responsibilities of my new role. As a result, I began rushing and introduced an error into the code of the software my team was updating. The error led to a memory leak. We became aware of the issue when the performance was hindered, though we didn’t immediately know the cause. I dove back into the code, reviewing recent changes, and, ultimately, determined the issue was a mistake on my end. When I made that discovery, I took several steps. First, I let my team know that the error was mine and let them know its nature. Second, I worked with my team to correct the issue, resolving the memory leak. Finally, I took this as a lesson about delegation. I began assigning work to my team more effectively, a move that allowed me to excel as a manager and help them thrive as contributors. It was a crucial learning moment, one that I have valued every day since.”

3. If you identify a potential risk in a project, what steps do you take to prevent it?

Yes, this is also a problem-solving question. The difference is, with this one, it’s not about fixing an issue; it’s about stopping it from happening. Still, you use problem-solving skills along the way, so it falls in this question category.

If you can, use an example of a moment when you mitigated risk in the past. If you haven’t had that opportunity, approach it theoretically, discussing the steps you would take to prevent an issue from developing.

“If I identify a potential risk in a project, my first step is to assess the various factors that could lead to a poor outcome. Prevention requires analysis. Ensuring I fully understand what can trigger the undesired event creates the right foundation, allowing me to figure out how to reduce the likelihood of those events occurring. Once I have the right level of understanding, I come up with a mitigation plan. Exactly what this includes varies depending on the nature of the issue, though it usually involves various steps and checks designed to monitor the project as it progresses to spot paths that may make the problem more likely to happen. I find this approach effective as it combines knowledge and ongoing vigilance. That way, if the project begins to head into risky territory, I can correct its trajectory.”

17 More Problem-Solving-Based Interview Questions

In the world of problem-solving questions, some apply to a wide range of jobs, while others are more niche. For example, customer service reps and IT helpdesk professionals both encounter challenges, but not usually the same kind.

As a result, some of the questions in this list may be more relevant to certain careers than others. However, they all give you insights into what this kind of question looks like, making them worth reviewing.

Here are 17 more problem-solving interview questions you might face off against during your job search:

How would you describe your problem-solving skills?
Can you tell me about a time when you had to use creativity to deal with an obstacle?
Describe a time when you discovered an unmet customer need while assisting a customer and found a way to meet it.
If you were faced with an upset customer, how would you diffuse the situation?
Tell me about a time when you had to troubleshoot a complex issue.
Imagine you were overseeing a project and needed a particular item. You have two choices of vendors: one that can deliver on time but would be over budget, and one that’s under budget but would deliver one week later than you need it. How do you figure out which approach to use?
Your manager wants to upgrade a tool you regularly use for your job and wants your recommendation. How do you formulate one?
A supplier has said that an item you need for a project isn’t going to be delivered as scheduled, something that would cause your project to fall behind schedule. What do you do to try and keep the timeline on target?
Can you share an example of a moment where you encountered a unique problem you and your colleagues had never seen before? How did you figure out what to do?
Imagine you were scheduled to give a presentation with a colleague, and your colleague called in sick right before it was set to begin. What would you do?
If you are given two urgent tasks from different members of the leadership team, both with the same tight deadline, how do you choose which to tackle first?
Tell me about a time you and a colleague didn’t see eye-to-eye. How did you decide what to do?
Describe your troubleshooting process.
Tell me about a time where there was a problem that you weren’t able to solve. What happened?
In your opening, what skills or traits make a person an exceptional problem-solver?
When you face a problem that requires action, do you usually jump in or take a moment to carefully assess the situation?
When you encounter a new problem you’ve never seen before, what is the first step that you take?

Putting It All Together

At this point, you should have a solid idea of how to approach problem-solving interview questions. Use the tips above to your advantage. That way, you can thrive during your next interview.

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behavioral interview questions creative problem solving

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Mike simpson.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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Behavioral Interview Questions About Problem Solving

“A problem is a chance for you to do your best .” Duke Ellington

Great problem solvers tend to be people with a healthy attitude to change and an open mind when it comes to new ideas. You either drown in the problem or you look at it as an opportunity for you to do your best work. Every workplace has problems, that’s life. Employers look for people who have solid problem solving strategies that they use to work through any workplace problems that arise.

Basic Questions About how You Go About Problem Solving:

Every job interview will have one or more questions about how you go about problem solving. If the role you are applying for is comprised largely of routine work you may just be asked a basic interview question like the ones below.

Off course the answer is always – ‘Yes I am a problem solver” but you need to do much more than just that. You need to explain how you go about problem solving. What is your strategy? What steps do you follow? These things matter.

Are You a Problem Solver?
How Do You Go About problem Solving?

Specific Behavioral Interview Questions About Problem Solving:

Most interviewers will ask very targeted behavioral interview questions to understand exactly how you go about problem solving. The following are 9 behavioral interview questions about how you approach problem solving in the workplace.

Before you click to see sample answers, see if you could answer these behavioral interview questions by yourself first.

1. Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem. What did you do? What was the outcome? What do you wish you had done differently?

Sample answer to how you are a problem solver .

2. Describe a situation in which you recognized a potential problem as an opportunity. What did you do? What was the result? What, if anything, do you wish you had done differently?

Sample answer to how to show that problems are just opportunities in disguise .

3. What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision? Why?

Sample answer to how you would problem solve before making a decision .

4. Give me an example of a time you discovered an error that been overlooked by a colleague. What did you do? What was the outcome?

Sample answer on how you would tell colleagues they made a mistake .

5. What problem solving strategies do you use to stay aware of problems and resolve them in your work area? Can you give me an example of how this has worked for you in your current role?

Sample answer to show your problem solving strategies .

6. Describe the biggest work-related problem you have faced in the past 12 months. How did you handle it?

Sample answer to show how you handle biggest work related problems .

7. Can you tell me about a time where you have been caught unaware by a problem or an obstacle that you had not foreseen? What happened?

Sample to show how you deal with unexpected workplace problems .

8. Tell about a time when you were able to develop a different problem-solving approach. What steps did you follow?

Sample answer to show how your problem solving strategies .

9. Tell us about a time when you identified a potential problem and resolved the situation before it became a serious issue.

Sample answer to show you can identify problems and solve them .

10. Give a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.

Sample to show how you use logic to solve work problems .

Making The Right Decision When You Have Multiple Options April 1, 2018
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How To Answer Behavioral Interview Questions July 26, 2017
The Secret to Setting Goals and Achieving Them July 11, 2017

ACE YOUR JOB INTERVIEW

Common Creative Thinking Interview Questions

1. how would you overcome a creative block when tasked with an urgent project.

Facing creative blocks is an inevitable part of any job that requires innovation and problem-solving. When asked about overcoming such obstacles, it’s important to discuss specific strategies you’ve used to push through these challenges. Highlight your resilience and resourcefulness, emphasizing how you meet tight deadlines without sacrificing the quality of your work.

To respond, candidates should outline their strategies for reigniting creativity, which might include changing their environment, seeking new sources of inspiration, or breaking the project into manageable pieces to avoid overwhelm. Discussing past experiences where these methods were successfully employed can demonstrate practical application and effectiveness. It’s also beneficial to acknowledge the importance of taking short breaks to clear the mind and to approach the problem from a fresh perspective when returning to the task.

Example: “ When faced with a creative block on an urgent project, I employ a multifaceted approach to rekindle my creative process. Initially, I shift my environment or context, as a change of scenery often stimulates new perspectives. This could be as simple as moving to a different workspace or taking a brief walk. Concurrently, I break down the project into smaller, more digestible components, which makes the task less daunting and helps to pinpoint where the block might be occurring.

In addition, I seek out fresh sources of inspiration, such as reviewing relevant case studies, exploring creative works in the same domain, or engaging in brainstorming sessions with peers to gain different viewpoints. Interspersed with these efforts, I take short, deliberate breaks. These pauses are crucial for mental reset, allowing subconscious processing to occur. This technique has consistently proven effective, enabling me to return to the project with renewed energy and novel ideas that drive the project to completion within tight deadlines.”

2. Describe a situation where your unconventional idea significantly benefited a project.

When prompted to discuss your creative thinking, focus on how you’ve brought fresh perspectives to past challenges. Share examples that illustrate your ability to think outside the box and take calculated risks, showcasing the tangible impact of your unique problem-solving methods on projects.

When responding to this question, recount a specific instance where your creative thinking was instrumental. Detail the problem or project at hand, the unconventional idea you had, how you convinced others to embrace this approach, the steps taken to implement it, and the positive outcomes that resulted. Emphasize the thought process behind your idea, the challenges you faced, and how the success of the project was measured. This response should highlight your creativity, your problem-solving skills, and your ability to persuade and lead a team toward innovation.

Example: “ In a project aimed at enhancing user engagement for a digital platform, conventional wisdom suggested refining existing features. However, I proposed a radical approach: to gamify the user experience by introducing interactive, reward-based challenges. Skepticism was natural among the team, as this idea deviated from the industry norm and required a significant pivot in our development strategy.

To convince the team, I presented data on user behavior that indicated a desire for more interactive elements, alongside case studies where gamification had led to increased engagement in similar platforms. Once the team was on board, we meticulously integrated gamification elements without disrupting the core functionality. The result was a 30% increase in daily active users and a notable uptick in session duration, validating the effectiveness of the unconventional idea. This success was measured against our key performance indicators, which included user retention rates and average session times, both of which saw substantial improvement post-implementation.”

3. What strategies do you employ to foster creativity in a team setting?

Discussing your role in fostering team creativity, emphasize your leadership skills in guiding a team through the creative process. Explain how you create an environment that encourages risk-taking and collaboration, ensuring that all ideas are considered and the best ones are pursued.

When responding to this question, it’s important to highlight specific techniques or exercises you’ve used in the past, such as brainstorming sessions, design thinking workshops, or team-building activities that encourage out-of-the-box thinking. Explain how you create an atmosphere where team members feel comfortable sharing unconventional ideas and how you manage the dynamics of a team to avoid groupthink. Share examples of how you have successfully led a team to a creative solution and the impact it had on the project or the organization.

Example: “ To foster creativity in a team setting, I employ a blend of structured and open-ended strategies. I initiate with design thinking workshops, which provide a framework for problem-solving that encourages divergent thinking followed by convergent decision-making. This approach ensures that a wide array of ideas are explored before honing in on the most viable solutions.

I also cultivate an environment where risk-taking is encouraged and failure is seen as a stepping stone to innovation. This atmosphere is critical for team members to feel safe in proposing unconventional ideas without fear of ridicule or reprimand. To combat groupthink, I introduce exercises such as ‘worst possible idea’ sessions, where team members deliberately think of the least effective solutions. This paradoxically frees their minds and often leads to the discovery of creative and effective strategies. By implementing these techniques, I have led teams to develop novel solutions that have significantly enhanced project outcomes and, by extension, delivered substantial value to the organization.”

4. Share an example of how you’ve incorporated feedback into a creative process that fundamentally changed the outcome.

Feedback is a crucial component of the creative process. Describe how you handle input from others and integrate it to transform your work significantly. Stress your openness to criticism and your ability to collaborate, showing that you view creativity as a dynamic and collective endeavor.

When responding, candidates should select a powerful example where feedback led to a major pivot in their project. They should articulate the original vision, the critical feedback received, and the steps taken to incorporate this feedback. The focus should be on the thought process and the rationale for the changes made, demonstrating an ability to use feedback constructively to enhance the creative outcome. The story should conclude with the impact of these changes, ideally highlighting improved results or reception that validates the decision to embrace and act on the feedback received.

Example: “ In a recent project, I was tasked with developing a marketing campaign that aimed to resonate with a young, tech-savvy audience. My original concept centered around leveraging popular social media trends to create a series of interactive ads. However, upon presenting the initial mock-ups, the feedback I received highlighted a disconnect; the trends I had chosen were on the decline, risking the campaign’s relevance and impact.

Taking this feedback into account, I conducted a deeper analysis of emerging trends and digital behaviors within the target demographic. This led to a strategic pivot from using existing trends to creating a novel challenge that could itself become a trend. I designed an interactive, gamified experience that encouraged user-generated content, fostering a sense of community and ownership among participants. This approach not only aligned the campaign with the audience’s values of creativity and collaboration but also gave it the potential to go viral.

The reimagined campaign significantly outperformed the initial projections in terms of engagement and conversion rates. This experience underscored the importance of staying adaptable and receptive to feedback, as it can be a catalyst for innovation, transforming a good idea into a groundbreaking one.”

5. Can you recount a time when you had to sell an innovative concept to a skeptical audience?

Persuading others to buy into your creative ideas is as important as coming up with the ideas themselves. Share instances where you’ve successfully navigated doubt and resistance, demonstrating your communication skills and ability to influence others when proposing unconventional solutions.

When responding, share a specific example that highlights your creative process and the steps you took to bring others on board with your idea. Focus on the strategies you employed to address concerns and skepticism, how you tailored your pitch to your audience, and the outcome of your efforts. Demonstrating your ability to back your innovative ideas with data, storytelling, or a compelling narrative can show your proficiency in turning opposition into endorsement.

Example: “ Absolutely. On one occasion, I developed a concept for a cross-functional project that leveraged emerging technology to streamline our workflow. The innovative aspect was the integration of AI to automate certain decision-making processes, which initially met with resistance due to concerns over accuracy and job displacement.

To address this skepticism, I initiated a series of workshops where I presented case studies from other industries that had successfully implemented similar technology. I highlighted the data-driven benefits, such as increased efficiency and error reduction, and I also shared a detailed risk assessment that outlined mitigation strategies for potential issues. Furthermore, I crafted a narrative that positioned the AI as a tool to augment the team’s capabilities rather than replace them, emphasizing the value of their expertise in guiding and refining the AI’s output.

The turning point came when I proposed a phased pilot program that allowed for real-time feedback and adjustments. This approach not only demonstrated the tangible benefits of the concept but also involved the team directly in the innovation process, thereby increasing buy-in. The pilot was a success, leading to a full-scale roll-out and a significant improvement in project turnaround times, which ultimately earned the endorsement of the initially skeptical stakeholders.”

6. In what ways have you measured the success of a creative initiative?

Quantifying the impact of creative initiatives can be challenging. Explain how you evaluate the success of your ideas, balancing innovation with practical business objectives. Discuss your understanding of both qualitative and quantitative outcomes and how you ensure that your creative process aligns with the company’s goals.

When responding, candidates should highlight specific examples of creative projects they’ve undertaken, detailing the objectives, the strategies employed to achieve them, and the metrics or indicators used to measure success. It’s important to discuss both the expected and unexpected outcomes, and if possible, to demonstrate how feedback loops were integrated into the project to refine and improve the creative initiative over time. Quantifiable results, such as increased sales, engagement metrics, or cost savings, are compelling, but one should also mention qualitative successes such as improved brand perception or customer satisfaction.

Example: “ In measuring the success of a creative initiative, I’ve always aligned the metrics with the project’s primary objectives. For instance, in a campaign designed to boost brand awareness, I tracked engagement metrics such as shares, mentions, and organic reach. These quantitative indicators were complemented by sentiment analysis to gauge the shift in brand perception qualitatively. The increase in positive sentiment and brand-related discussions on social media platforms served as a testament to the initiative’s impact on brand perception.

Beyond the immediate metrics, I also considered the long-term effects on customer satisfaction and loyalty, which are less tangible but equally significant. Customer feedback surveys before and after the initiative provided insights into the improvement in customer satisfaction. Additionally, I monitored the retention rates and the frequency of repeat purchases to evaluate the initiative’s influence on customer loyalty. The integration of feedback loops allowed for real-time adjustments to the creative strategy, ensuring that the initiative remained dynamic and responsive to audience reception, ultimately driving a sustained increase in both sales and customer advocacy.”

7. Detail a scenario where you applied creative thinking to solve a complex problem.

Innovation is key to staying competitive. Describe how you approach challenges with originality and imagination, providing examples of effective solutions you’ve generated in tough situations where traditional methods were insufficient.

When responding to this question, recount a specific instance where you faced a challenging problem that required a novel approach. Describe the situation succinctly, outline the creative thought process you employed, the steps you took to implement your solution, and the end results. Emphasize how your creativity made a difference in the outcome and what you learned from the experience. Show enthusiasm for creative problem-solving and a willingness to take calculated risks to achieve success.

Example: “ In a project where traditional marketing strategies were failing to penetrate a saturated market, I recognized the need for a radical approach. I devised a strategy that hinged on reverse psychology. Instead of directly marketing the product, we created an exclusive community around a seemingly unrelated lifestyle concept that resonated with the target demographic. This community subtly integrated the product as an essential component of that lifestyle.

The implementation involved a series of high-engagement social media campaigns, interactive events, and influencer partnerships that didn’t sell the product but instead sold the lifestyle. The result was a significant increase in product demand, as it became a status symbol within the community. The campaign not only boosted sales by 30% within the first quarter but also established a loyal customer base that continued to grow organically. This experience reinforced the value of lateral thinking and the impact of psychological engagement in marketing strategies.”

8. What is your approach to balancing creativity with practical constraints, such as budget or timelines?

Balancing innovation with feasibility is a delicate task. Share how you navigate this tension, highlighting your problem-solving skills and ability to deliver unique solutions within the constraints of budget and time.

When responding, focus on specific methods you use to assess the scope of a project against its creative demands. Discuss how you prioritize tasks, allocate resources efficiently, and adjust your creative process to meet deadlines and budgetary limits. Share past experiences where you successfully balanced these elements, highlighting your ability to compromise without diluting the quality of the final product. It’s important to convey that your creativity is not just about having ideas but also about executing them in a practical, measurable way.

Example: “ In balancing creativity with practical constraints, I employ a methodical approach that starts with a thorough understanding of the project’s scope and limitations. I prioritize the core creative elements that will have the highest impact, ensuring they align with the strategic goals of the project. This involves breaking down the project into manageable components and assessing the resource allocation for each, which allows me to identify where creative efforts will be most effective.

When faced with tight budgets or deadlines, I leverage iterative design principles, focusing on rapid prototyping and continuous feedback to refine ideas without overextending resources. For instance, in a recent project, I faced a constrained budget that threatened the creative vision. By strategically using open-source tools and collaborating with cross-functional teams early in the process, I was able to innovate cost-effectively. This approach not only maintained the integrity of the creative concept but also brought the project in under budget and on schedule. My creativity thrives within these boundaries, as it pushes me to be resourceful and inventive in delivering high-quality results.”

9. Provide an instance where your creative solution did not work as intended and how you addressed it.

Setbacks are part of the creative journey. Discuss how you handle failures and pivot effectively, showcasing your capacity for self-reflection and your ability to manage the unexpected in dynamic work environments.

When responding, outline the situation briefly, focusing on the creative idea you implemented. Then, shift to the core of the question: the misstep. Acknowledge why the solution didn’t work, showing your ability to critically assess your own work. Conclude with the steps you took to address the failure, whether that involved tweaking your original idea or coming up with something entirely new. This will show your thought process, resilience, and the proactive measures you take when faced with challenges.

Example: “ In a project aimed at boosting user engagement, I devised an interactive gamification system that integrated seamlessly with our existing digital platform. The creative solution was grounded in the premise that users would be motivated by a rewards-based system to increase their interaction with the content. However, post-launch analytics indicated that the engagement metrics were not meeting the anticipated benchmarks.

Upon reviewing user feedback and engagement data, it became apparent that the complexity of the gamification system was a barrier rather than an incentive. Users found the system confusing, which led to a drop-off in participation. Recognizing this, I led a team to simplify the user interface, streamline the rules of engagement, and provide clearer guidance on how users could earn and redeem rewards. This pivot required a balance of maintaining the original creative vision while making it accessible and user-friendly. The revised system resulted in a marked improvement in user engagement, validating the importance of adaptability and user-centric design in creative problem-solving.”

10. When given complete freedom on a project, how do you decide which direction to take creatively?

Autonomy in creative projects requires a disciplined approach. Explain how you manage creative freedom, detailing your process for research, inspiration, and setting objectives to ensure alignment with strategic goals.

To respond effectively, candidates should discuss their process for generating ideas and making creative decisions, which might include brainstorming techniques, trend analysis, or historical research. They should also mention how they set parameters for themselves to stay focused and ensure the project aligns with the objectives at hand. It’s important to provide examples from past experiences that demonstrate a balance between creative exploration and goal-oriented decision-making, highlighting how they’ve successfully navigated the freedom to deliver results that resonate with the audience or meet the project’s requirements.

Example: “ When granted complete creative freedom, I initiate my process by immersing myself in comprehensive research to understand the context and audience for the project. This involves trend analysis to gauge the current landscape and historical research to understand the evolution of similar projects. Armed with this knowledge, I brainstorm potential directions, often using techniques like mind mapping or SCAMPER to explore the breadth of possibilities.

After this expansive phase, I refine my ideas by setting clear objectives and constraints that align with the project’s goals. This self-imposed framework ensures that my creativity serves the project’s purpose rather than becoming an unchecked pursuit. For instance, in a previous project, I leveraged this approach to develop an innovative campaign that resonated with the target demographic while also achieving the set KPIs, resulting in a significant engagement increase. This balance of open-ended exploration and targeted execution underpins my creative decision-making process, ensuring that the final output is both original and effective.”

11. Tell us about a trend you predicted before it became mainstream within your industry.

Anticipating trends is a valuable skill. Talk about how you observe and analyze market and industry trends to contribute fresh ideas and maintain a competitive edge, demonstrating your strategic foresight.

When responding, highlight an instance where your observation skills, analysis of industry patterns, and the ability to connect disparate dots led to a forward-thinking conclusion. Articulate the process you went through to identify the emerging trend and discuss the actions you took as a result, such as developing a new product, altering a marketing strategy, or adopting a new technology. Emphasize the outcome and how it positively impacted your organization, positioning yourself as an innovator who can bring valuable foresight to the team.

Example: “ Recognizing the burgeoning potential of artificial intelligence in creative design, I anticipated the integration of AI-driven tools into the creative process well before it gained widespread traction. Observing the incremental advancements in machine learning and its applications in adjacent fields, I deduced that AI would soon play a significant role in augmenting human creativity, streamlining workflows, and personalizing user experiences. I spearheaded the adoption of early AI design tools within our creative suite, which allowed us to experiment with generative design, automate repetitive tasks, and analyze user engagement data to inform design decisions.

As a result of this early adoption, we were able to deliver highly innovative and personalized content at scale, significantly reducing time-to-market and increasing user engagement. This strategic move not only positioned us as pioneers in leveraging AI for creative endeavors but also provided a competitive edge by enhancing our capability to produce cutting-edge work efficiently. The success of this initiative was reflected in the increased satisfaction of our clients and the measurable growth in our market share.”

12. How do you ensure originality in your work while being inspired by existing ideas?

Striking a balance between originality and existing influences is crucial. Discuss how you synthesize familiar concepts in new ways, showing respect for industry standards while pushing boundaries with your contributions.

When responding, it’s important to articulate a process that involves both research and reflective practice. Describe how you immerse yourself in the relevant field to understand what has been done before, and then detail how you step back to let your unique perspective and creativity interact with these insights. Share specific techniques you use to spark originality, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, or free writing, and provide examples of how these methods have led to innovative outcomes in your past work. This shows you have a structured approach to creativity that respects existing work while pushing the envelope.

Example: “ To ensure originality in my work, I begin by conducting a thorough analysis of the existing landscape within the relevant field. This deep dive allows me to understand the nuances of what has been done, identify patterns, and recognize areas ripe for innovation. I then engage in a period of reflective practice, often stepping away from the direct influences to allow my subconscious to process the information. This is where the synthesis between my unique perspective and the absorbed knowledge occurs.

I employ techniques such as brainstorming sessions, where the focus is on quantity over quality, to generate a wide array of ideas without immediate judgment. Mind mapping is another tool I leverage to visually organize thoughts and explore connections that are not immediately obvious. Free writing sessions also play a crucial role, as they encourage a stream of consciousness approach that can lead to unexpected and original concepts. For example, through mind mapping, I once identified a novel approach to a common problem by connecting seemingly unrelated concepts, which resulted in a distinctive and successful project outcome. These strategies ensure that while I am informed by existing ideas, the final product is distinctly original and adds value to the field.”

13. Give an example of a risk you took based on a creative hunch that paid off.

Risk-taking is inherent in creative work. Share a specific example of a risk you’ve taken based on a creative hunch, detailing your decision-making process and how you managed the outcome, successful or otherwise.

When responding to this question, a candidate should share a clear and concise story that highlights their thought process, the risk involved, and the creative idea that prompted the action. They should detail the steps taken to evaluate and mitigate potential downsides, the execution of the idea, and, importantly, the positive results that ensued. This response should demonstrate their creative problem-solving skills, confidence in their intuition, and the ability to generate tangible benefits from taking calculated risks.

Example: “ In the face of declining engagement on one of our key projects, I had a hunch that integrating user-generated content could revitalize interest. The risk was twofold: first, it required diverting resources from tried-and-tested strategies, and second, it hinged on the unpredictable variable of user participation. After a thorough analysis of engagement metrics and user behavior patterns, I proposed a campaign encouraging users to contribute their own ideas and content, incentivized by a competitive element.

The execution involved a carefully designed submission platform, clear guidelines to maintain brand consistency, and a robust moderation system. The campaign not only increased engagement by 30% but also fostered a sense of community and ownership among users, leading to higher retention rates and a wealth of authentic, brand-aligned content. This success underscored the value of listening to creative instincts while underpinning them with strategic planning and risk assessment.”

14. Illustrate how you adapt your creative methods when working across different mediums or platforms.

Adapting creativity to different mediums is a test of versatility. Describe how you tailor your ideas to suit various platforms, ensuring that your creativity effectively meets the unique demands of each medium.

When responding, candidates should discuss specific examples from their experience that showcase their adaptability. They should articulate the thought process behind adjusting their creative approach for each medium and the outcomes of those adaptations. It’s beneficial to highlight an understanding of the target audience for each platform and how this knowledge influenced the creative process. Demonstrating awareness of the constraints and potential of different mediums, and showing a track record of successful cross-platform creativity, will help convince the interviewer of the candidate’s breadth and depth in creative problem-solving.

Example: “ In adapting my creative methods across various mediums, I focus on the unique strengths and limitations of each platform while maintaining the core message’s integrity. For instance, when transitioning a campaign from print to social media, I distill the essence of the print narrative into more engaging, bite-sized content suitable for the rapid consumption habits on platforms like Twitter or Instagram. This often involves leveraging visual storytelling through dynamic imagery or short-form videos, capitalizing on the multimedia capabilities of digital platforms.

Understanding the audience’s interaction with each medium is crucial. For a project aimed at both web and mobile interfaces, I recognized that mobile users preferred quicker, more interactive experiences. I tailored the creative approach by simplifying the design and incorporating touch-friendly elements for the mobile version, while the web version provided a more comprehensive and immersive experience. This dual strategy not only increased user engagement across both platforms but also ensured a cohesive brand experience. The result was a measurable uplift in user retention and conversion rates, demonstrating the effectiveness of a medium-specific creative approach.”

15. What’s your process for generating new ideas under tight deadlines?

Working under tight deadlines requires a systematic approach to creativity. Discuss your methods for stimulating creative thinking when time is limited, including how you manage stress and employ time management skills.

When responding, it’s beneficial to outline a structured process that demonstrates how you organize your thoughts and prioritize tasks. You might discuss how you conduct rapid research, use brainstorming techniques, or draw on past experiences to fuel your creativity. Share specific tools or methods you use to stay focused and productive, such as mind mapping, setting mini-deadlines, or collaborating with others to expand the pool of ideas. It’s also effective to provide an example of a past situation where you successfully delivered a creative solution on a tight deadline, illustrating the effectiveness of your approach.

Example: “ Under tight deadlines, my process for generating new ideas begins with a focused brainstorming session where I quickly jot down all potential concepts without self-censorship. This initial burst of creativity is not about perfection but about volume and diversity of thought. I then employ a mind mapping technique to visually organize these ideas, identifying connections and patterns that might not be immediately obvious. This helps in distilling the essence of the most promising concepts.

Next, I set mini-deadlines for each phase of idea development to maintain momentum and ensure that I’m making consistent progress. During this phase, I might use rapid research techniques such as speed-reading or targeted online searches to gather necessary information that can enrich and validate the ideas being considered. If time permits, I seek quick feedback from trusted colleagues, as collaborative input can often spark further innovation or highlight potential pitfalls I hadn’t considered. For instance, in a previous situation with a pressing deadline, this method allowed me to deliver a comprehensive campaign strategy by systematically narrowing down options and refining the selected idea into a successful, actionable plan.”

16. Describe a piece of constructive criticism you received on your creative work and how you implemented it.

Integrating feedback is a fundamental part of improving creative work. Describe how you receive and apply constructive criticism, using it as a tool to enhance your output and drive innovation.

When responding to this question, describe a specific instance of receiving constructive criticism, focusing on the nature of the feedback and your thought process in addressing it. Explain the steps you took to implement the feedback, the challenges you faced, and the outcome of your actions. Be sure to emphasize your openness to learning and how the experience contributed to your professional development. This demonstrates your resilience and ability to turn potential setbacks into opportunities for advancement.

Example: “ In one project, a peer reviewed my concept for a marketing campaign and pointed out that while the creativity was commendable, it lacked a clear connection to the target demographic’s core values and interests. The criticism was that my approach was too abstract and might not resonate with the audience we were trying to engage.

Taking this feedback on board, I revisited the campaign’s narrative, conducting further market research to understand the demographic’s preferences and pain points. I then restructured the campaign to weave in elements that aligned with these insights, creating a more targeted and relatable message. This process involved iterating on the creative assets and copy to ensure they spoke directly to the audience’s aspirations and challenges.

The revised campaign ultimately resulted in a significant increase in engagement and conversion rates. This experience reinforced the importance of balancing creative innovation with audience-centric storytelling, and it has since become a cornerstone of my approach to creative projects.”

17. In what way have you leveraged technology to enhance your creative output?

Leveraging technology in creative work is essential. Talk about how you use digital tools to optimize your process and produce standout work, highlighting your adaptability and understanding of technology’s role in augmenting creativity.

When responding, highlight a specific instance where you used a particular technology to solve a creative problem or enhance a project. Explain the challenge you faced, the technology you chose, and why it was suitable for the task. Then, detail the outcome, focusing on how the technology improved your creative process and the final product. This shows your practical experience with technological tools and your ability to think innovatively within the context of your creative work.

Example: “ Leveraging technology, I once faced the challenge of creating an immersive storytelling experience that could engage a diverse audience. To tackle this, I utilized augmented reality (AR) technology to craft an interactive narrative. AR was the perfect medium because it allowed for a seamless blend of the physical and digital worlds, providing a novel way for the audience to engage with the story.

The outcome was a narrative that could be experienced in layers, with users exploring different story paths based on their interactions with the AR environment. This technology not only enriched the storytelling but also significantly broadened the reach and impact of the creative work. The use of AR led to a heightened emotional connection with the audience and demonstrated the power of integrating emerging technologies to push the boundaries of traditional creative expression.”

18. How do you prioritize tasks when multiple projects require your creative input simultaneously?

Managing multiple creative projects demands strategic thinking. Explain how you prioritize tasks, apply your creative energy effectively, and maintain high-quality output under pressure, reflecting your understanding of business and client needs.

When responding, it’s essential to outline a clear and practical approach to prioritization. You might discuss how you assess the urgency and importance of each project, allocate time blocks for focused creative work, or use tools and techniques to keep track of progress and deadlines. Sharing specific examples from past experiences where you successfully navigated similar challenges can demonstrate your proficiency in this area.

Example: “ In prioritizing tasks that demand creative input, I employ a matrix that assesses both urgency and potential impact. This allows me to quickly identify which projects will provide the most value and require immediate attention. For instance, a project with a looming deadline that could significantly elevate our brand’s visibility would take precedence over a task with a more flexible timeline and moderate impact.

I also implement time-blocking strategies to ensure dedicated focus periods for high-priority projects, while still allowing space for the incubation of ideas for others. This method was particularly effective in a past situation where I was juggling a major product launch and a rebranding initiative. By allocating specific time blocks to each, I ensured steady progress and met all critical milestones without sacrificing the quality of creative output. To maintain oversight, I use project management tools to track progress and adjust priorities as projects evolve, ensuring that my creative energy is effectively channeled for maximum productivity and impact.”

19. Share a moment when you successfully integrated user experience considerations into a creative design.

In design, understanding the user is as important as the creative elements. Discuss how you incorporate UX principles into your work, ensuring that your designs are not only visually appealing but also intuitive and user-friendly.

When responding, recount a specific project where your design was guided by user feedback or usability studies. Detail how you incorporated this input into your creative process, what challenges you faced, and how the final design improved user satisfaction or engagement. Use metrics if possible to quantify the impact of your design on user experience. This demonstrates not only your creative skills but also your commitment to creating user-centric designs.

Example: “ In a recent project, I was tasked with redesigning a mobile application interface that was underperforming in terms of user engagement. Through a series of A/B testing and heat map analytics, I identified that users were struggling with the navigation due to its complexity and non-intuitive layout. Taking these insights, I reimagined the navigation with a focus on minimalism and familiarity, aligning it more closely with common user patterns observed in successful apps.

The challenge was to balance aesthetic appeal with functional simplicity, ensuring that the design remained on-brand while being effortlessly usable. After implementing the new design, we observed a 30% increase in user session time and a significant reduction in support queries related to navigation. This outcome highlighted the direct correlation between user experience considerations and design effectiveness, reaffirming the importance of integrating UX from the outset of the creative process.”

20. What methods do you use to keep up-to-date with emerging creative techniques and tools?

Staying relevant in creative professions requires a commitment to learning. Share how you keep up with new tools and techniques, demonstrating your dedication to professional development and your potential to lead the team in adopting innovative practices.

When responding, candidates should highlight specific resources they use, such as online courses, webinars, industry publications, networking groups, or conferences. They can also mention personal projects that allow them to experiment with new techniques or tools. Sharing an example of how staying updated has positively impacted their work will illustrate the value they bring to the role. It’s important to convey an eagerness to learn and a proactive approach to integrating new ideas into their creative process.

Example: “ To stay abreast of emerging creative techniques and tools, I actively engage with a curated selection of industry publications and blogs that are known for their cutting-edge content. I prioritize sources that not only report on trends but also provide critical analysis, ensuring that I can discern the applicability and potential impact of new methods. Additionally, I leverage online learning platforms to take courses that are frequently updated to reflect the latest advancements in creative technology and methodologies.

Networking plays a crucial role in my professional development; I am part of several online communities and forums where professionals discuss challenges and share insights. This peer-to-peer learning is invaluable as it exposes me to real-world applications and diverse perspectives. Moreover, I dedicate time to personal projects where I can experiment with new tools and techniques in a low-stakes environment, allowing me to understand their nuances and capabilities. This proactive approach to learning and experimentation ensures that I can seamlessly integrate innovative solutions into my work, enhancing both its quality and efficiency.”

6 Common Problem-Solving Interview Questions and Answers

By Status.net Editorial Team on November 22, 2023 — 9 minutes to read

As you walk into a problem-solving interview, it’s normal to feel nervous about what to expect. These interviews are aimed at assessing how well you can analyze a problem, develop an approach, and arrive at a solution. Employers want to see how you think, break down complex situations into manageable parts, and use creativity to find answers. To help you navigate these interviews, let’s go over some common types of problem-solving questions and answers.

Common Problem-Solving Interview Questions and Answers

“can you describe a difficult problem you faced at work and how you solved it”.

When answering this question, choose a specific problem that you faced at work. Make sure to provide a clear description of the issue, the steps you took to address it, and the outcome. Demonstrating that you’re capable of breaking down problems and taking a logical, methodical approach to finding a solution is key.

Example: “At my previous job, our team was struggling with meeting sales targets. I conducted a thorough analysis of our sales data and identified trends in customer behavior. Based on the findings, I recommended a new marketing strategy, which led to a significant increase in sales.”

“Share a time when you had to think creatively to overcome a challenge.”

This question is all about highlighting your ability to think outside the box. Choose an instance where you had to develop a creative solution to solve a problem and demonstrate how your innovative thinking helped achieve a positive outcome.

Example: “When I was working as a project manager, our team was facing budget constraints that threatened the project’s timeline. I came up with an idea to streamline processes and reduce expenses by utilizing free online collaboration tools, which ultimately saved resources and allowed the project to stay on track.”

“How do you approach handling tight deadlines and multiple tasks?”

Employers want to know that you can handle pressure and prioritize your workload effectively. To answer this question, describe specific strategies you’ve used to juggle multiple tasks and meet tight deadlines, such as setting daily goals, using time management tools, or delegating tasks when appropriate.

Example: “When facing multiple tasks and tight deadlines, I start by making a detailed to-do list and assigning each task a priority level. I then tackle the most time-sensitive and essential tasks first and work my way down the list. If necessary, I’ll reach out to my colleagues for assistance or delegate some tasks to ensure everything gets completed on time.”

“Tell me about a time when your team faced a conflict, and how did you help resolve it?”

This question is aimed at understanding your conflict resolution skills and ability to work well in a team. Describe a specific instance where your team faced a conflict and explain the steps you took to address the issue, making sure to highlight your communication and collaboration skills.

Example: “When I was leading a team project, two team members had a disagreement regarding the project’s direction. I organized a meeting where everyone could express their opinions and concerns. Together, we were able to come to a consensus and adjust the project plan accordingly, leading to a successful outcome.”

“What steps do you take to identify and prioritize issues when problems arise?”

Showcase your problem-solving process by providing a clear description of the steps you take to identify and prioritize issues. Emphasize your ability to analyze situations, stay organized, and make well-informed decisions.

Example: “When problems arise, I first gather information to get a clear understanding of the situation. Next, I assess the severity and urgency of each issue and prioritize them based on their impact on the project or business objective. Once the priorities are established, I create an action plan to address the most pressing issues first and continue working down the list.”

“Describe an instance where you used your analytical skills to find a solution.”

Employers value analytical thinking as it helps assess complex situations and make sound decisions. Choose a specific example where your analytical skills were put to the test and explain how your analysis led to a successful outcome.

Example: “While working as a financial analyst, I spotted discrepancies in a client’s financial reports. By conducting a thorough examination of the data and identifying irregularities in their expenses, I helped the client uncover a case of fraudulent activity. This led to the implementation of stricter internal controls, preventing future fraud occurrences.”

Related: How to Answer 9 Common Situational Interview Questions

How to Answer 11 Common Behavioral Interview Questions

Types of Problem-Solving Interview Questions

Fact-finding questions.

These questions focus on your ability to collect and analyze information, as well as make deductions based on your findings. Employers want to see that you can dig deep and uncover relevant points before arriving at a conclusion. A couple examples of fact-finding questions include:

How would you investigate an issue with falling sales numbers?
Can you walk me through how you would analyze the performance of a new product?

To answer fact-finding questions, pay attention to details, use concrete examples, and demonstrate a structured approach to the problem at hand.

Logic and Reasoning Questions

Logic and reasoning questions assess your ability to think critically and objectively to identify the underlying cause of a problem. Employers want to see if you can apply logic to make informed decisions based on sound reasoning. Some examples of logic and reasoning questions include:

If you were given a problem with two seemingly correct solutions, how would you determine the best course of action?
How do you decide on the correct priority when faced with various tasks or issues?

When answering logic and reasoning questions, think out loud and reveal your thought process. Incorporate critical thinking techniques and showcase your ability to weigh the pros and cons of different solutions.

Creative Thinking Questions

Creative thinking questions evaluate your ability to come up with original ideas or unconventional approaches to solving problems. Your potential employer wants to see if you can think outside the box and innovate when faced with new situations. Some examples of creative thinking questions may be:

Describe a situation where you had to solve a problem using an unexpected approach. How did you develop this solution?
Can you provide an example of when you collaborated on a project that required unique ideas to meet a deadline?

To answer creative thinking questions, highlight your ability to brainstorm and be resourceful. Show that you can adapt and find new solutions to unexpected challenges.

Issue Resolution Questions

Issue resolution questions focus on your ability to resolve conflicts and reach a compromise while working with others. Employers want to ensure that you can effectively communicate, negotiate, and work with people in difficult situations. A few examples of issue resolution questions are:

Describe a conflict that occurred within a team, and explain how you helped resolve it.
How do you handle circumstances when two team members have differing opinions on a project?

In responding to issue resolution questions, emphasize your active listening skills, diplomacy, and ability to empathize with others’ perspectives. Show that you can find a resolution that benefits all parties involved, while maintaining a positive and productive working environment.

Crafting Effective Responses

Understanding the problem.

To craft an effective response to a problem-solving interview question, first, make sure you understand the problem. Listen carefully and take notes if necessary. Don’t hesitate to ask for clarification or additional information to ensure you have a complete understanding of the problem. This will show the interviewer that you are thorough and detail-oriented.

Creating a Plan

Next, break down the problem into smaller, manageable steps. This will help you structure your response and demonstrate your ability to think logically. Outline the steps you would take to solve the problem and prioritize them according to importance or urgency.

For example:

Identify the root cause : Determine the primary issue that needs to be addressed.
Gather necessary information : Collect data and consult with relevant parties to get a complete understanding of the situation.
Develop possible solutions : Brainstorm different approaches to tackle the problem and list the pros and cons of each solution.

Implementing Solutions

Once you have a plan in place, be prepared to discuss how you would implement your chosen solution. This may include elements such as identifying resources and stakeholders, setting a timeline for completion, and assigning tasks to relevant team members. Use specific examples to illustrate your points, and be prepared to explain your rationale for each decision.

For instance, you might say, “I would first gather a team of experts in the field to analyze the data and come up with recommendations. We would create and assign tasks to the team members with deadlines to ensure timely progress. Regular check-ins and progress updates would be scheduled to keep everyone on track and address any issues that arise.”

Reviewing Outcomes

After discussing how you would implement your solution, describe how you would evaluate its effectiveness. This might involve tracking and measuring key performance indicators (KPIs), gathering feedback from stakeholders, or conducting post-implementation reviews to identify lessons learned.

Make your evaluation process concrete by providing examples like these:

Measuring KPIs : “We would track metrics such as customer satisfaction and retention rates to determine the effectiveness of our solution.”
Stakeholder feedback : “We would collect feedback from team members and stakeholders to better understand the impact of our solution on the larger organization.”
Post-implementation reviews : “We would conduct periodic reviews to identify areas where we can improve and optimize our solution.”

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Too much detail.

Sometimes, you might go into too much detail when answering problem-solving interview questions. It’s important to strike a balance between being thorough and being concise. To avoid this mistake, practice summarizing your experience and the steps you took in solving problems. Use bullet points to help you stay organized and focused on the key points.

Identify the key elements of the problem
Outline your thought process and steps briefly
Don’t get lost in unrelated details

Not Enough Detail

On the other hand, not providing enough detail in your answers can leave the interviewer with a lack of understanding about your problem-solving skills. To avoid this, make sure you’re clear about the problem, the steps you took to address it, and the outcomes you achieved. Back up your answers with examples from your past experiences.

Explain the problem and why it was significant
Share specific steps you took to solve the problem
Discuss the outcomes and any lessons learned

Failing to Relate to Job Role

Another common mistake is failing to connect your answers to the job role you’re interviewing for. Always keep the job requirements and responsibilities in mind when talking about your problem-solving skills. Show how your experiences and approach to problem-solving will directly benefit their organization in the position you’re interviewing for.

Understand the job requirements and responsibilities
Relate your answers to the specific context of the job
Explain how your problem-solving skills will directly benefit the organization

Misunderstanding the Question

It can be easy to miss the point of a question or not understand what the interviewer is asking. Misunderstanding the question can lead to an irrelevant answer. To prevent this, take a moment to process the question and, if necessary, ask the interviewer to clarify. This shows that you’re attentive and genuinely interested in giving a thoughtful answer.

Listen carefully to the question and take a moment to process it
If needed, ask the interviewer for clarification
Respond with a focused and relevant answer
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Problem-solving interview questions and answers

Use these sample problem-solving interview questions to discover how candidates approach complex situations and if they can provide effective solutions.

An experienced recruiter and HR professional who has transferred her expertise to insightful content to support others in HR.

10 good problem-solving interview questions

Describe a time when you had to solve a problem without managerial input. How did you handle it, and what was the result?
Give an example of a time when you identified and fixed a problem before it became urgent.
Share a situation where you predicted a problem with a stakeholder. How did you prevent it from escalating?
Describe a time when you faced challenges in doing your job efficiently. How did you overcome them?
Recall a time when you successfully used crisis-management skills.
How would you handle a new project with great revenue potential but potential legal implications for the company?
How do you determine when to solve a problem on your own or ask for help?
Describe a time when you faced a difficult situation at work that required critical thinking and decision-making under pressure.
Have you ever used intuition or prior experience to anticipate and address a problem effectively? Provide an example.
Share an example of a project or task that initially seemed overwhelming. How did you approach it, and what strategies did you use to ensure successful completion?

1. Describe a time when you had to solve a problem without managerial input. How did you handle it, and what was the result?

This question assesses candidates’ ability to take initiative and solve problems independently. Look for their problem-solving approach, the actions they took, and the outcome of their efforts.

Sample answer:

“In my previous role, we encountered a sudden technical issue that disrupted our operations. As the team lead, I gathered all available information, analyzed the root cause, and facilitated a brainstorming session with the team. We implemented a temporary workaround and collaborated with the IT department to resolve the issue. Our proactive approach ensured minimal disruption, and we were able to restore normal operations within 24 hours.”

2. Give an example of a time when you identified and fixed a problem before it became urgent.

This question evaluates candidates’ ability to anticipate and address problems proactively. Look for their ability to identify potential issues and take preventive measures.

“While working as a project manager, I noticed a potential bottleneck in our production process that could have led to delays if left unaddressed. I conducted a thorough analysis, identified the root cause, and proposed process improvements. By implementing these changes proactively, we eliminated the bottleneck and increased efficiency. As a result, we consistently met project deadlines, and our team’s productivity significantly improved.”

3. Share a situation where you predicted a problem with a stakeholder. How did you prevent it from escalating?

This question assesses candidates’ ability to identify and mitigate potential conflicts. Look for their communication and problem-solving skills in managing stakeholder relationships.

“While working on a cross-functional project, I anticipated a miscommunication issue that could arise with a key stakeholder due to conflicting expectations. I scheduled a meeting with the stakeholder, listened to their concerns, and facilitated a discussion among the team members. By proactively addressing the issue, we established clear communication channels, built trust, and ensured a smooth collaboration throughout the project.”

4. Describe a time when you faced challenges in doing your job efficiently. How did you overcome them?

This question evaluates candidates’ ability to handle challenges and find solutions to improve efficiency. Look for their problem-solving strategies and their adaptability to overcome obstacles.

“In a previous role, I faced a situation where the workload significantly increased due to unexpected circumstances. To maintain efficiency, I assessed the situation, identified tasks that could be delegated, and communicated with my colleagues to seek their support. By redistributing responsibilities and fostering a collaborative environment, we successfully managed the increased workload without compromising quality or missing deadlines.”

5. Recall a time when you successfully used crisis-management skills.

This question assesses candidates’ ability to remain calm and make effective decisions under pressure. Look for their problem-solving approach and their ability to handle high-stress situations.

“In a previous role as a customer service representative, we experienced a sudden surge in customer complaints due to a product quality issue. I quickly coordinated with relevant departments, identified the root cause, and developed an action plan. By prioritizing urgent cases, maintaining open communication with affected customers, and providing timely updates, we regained customer satisfaction and prevented further damage to our brand reputation.”

6. How would you handle a new project with great revenue potential but potential legal implications for the company?

This question assesses candidates’ ability to balance potential risks and rewards. Look for their ethical considerations, problem-solving approach, and willingness to seek guidance when faced with legal implications.

“If faced with a project that carries both revenue potential and potential legal implications, I would approach it with caution and thorough evaluation. I would research and seek legal guidance to fully understand the implications and compliance requirements. I would then collaborate with legal experts, cross-functional teams, and stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan that minimizes legal risks while maximizing revenue potential.”

7. How do you determine when to solve a problem on your own or ask for help?

This question assesses candidates’ judgment and collaboration skills. Look for their ability to assess situations and make decisions about when to seek assistance.

“When faced with a problem, I first evaluate its complexity and impact on the project or task at hand. If it’s within my capabilities and doesn’t significantly hinder progress, I take the initiative to solve it on my own. However, if the problem is complex or could have a significant impact, I believe in seeking help from relevant team members or subject matter experts. Collaboration often leads to more comprehensive and effective solutions.”

8. Describe a time when you faced a difficult situation at work that required critical thinking and decision-making under pressure.

This question assesses candidates’ ability to think critically and make sound decisions in challenging situations. Look for their problem-solving approach, decision-making process, and the outcomes of their decisions.

“In a previous role, I faced a tight deadline for a project with limited resources. It required careful resource allocation and prioritization. I gathered all available data, analyzed the project requirements, and consulted with team members. Through strategic planning and effective delegation, we managed to complete the project successfully within the given timeframe, exceeding client expectations.”

9. Have you ever used intuition or prior experience to anticipate and address a problem effectively? Provide an example.

This question assesses candidates’ ability to leverage intuition and past experiences to navigate problem-solving situations. Look for their ability to reflect on past situations, apply lessons learned, and make informed decisions.

“In a previous role, I noticed a recurring issue in our supply chain that had caused delays in the past. Drawing upon my prior experience, I anticipated the problem and suggested process improvements to streamline the supply chain. By implementing these changes, we minimized delays and improved overall efficiency, resulting in cost savings for the company.”

10. Share an example of a project or task that initially seemed overwhelming. How did you approach it, and what strategies did you use to ensure successful completion?

This question assesses candidates’ ability to tackle complex projects and break them down into manageable tasks. Look for their problem-solving approach, organization skills, and ability to persevere in the face of challenges.

“I once undertook a project that involved a significant amount of data analysis and reporting within a tight deadline. Initially, it felt overwhelming, but I broke it down into smaller tasks and created a detailed timeline. I prioritized the most critical aspects and sought assistance from colleagues with specialized skills. Through effective time management, collaboration, and diligent effort, we successfully completed the project on time and delivered high-quality results.”

Why you should ask candidates problem-solving interview questions

Employees will face challenges in their job. Before you decide on your next hire, use your interview process to evaluate how candidates approach difficult situations.

Problem-solving interview questions show how candidates:

Approach complex issues
Analyze data to understand the root of the problem
Perform under stressful and unexpected situations
React when their beliefs are challenged

Identify candidates who are results-oriented with interview questions that assess problem-solving skills. Look for analytical and spherical thinkers with the potential for technical problem solving.

Potential hires who recognize a problem, or predict one could potentially occur, will stand out. Candidates should also demonstrate how they would fix the issue, and prevent it from occurring again.

These sample problem-solving interview questions apply to all positions, regardless of industry or seniority level. You can use the following questions to gauge your candidates’ way of thinking in difficult situations:

Tips to assess problem-solving skills in interviews

During your interviews, use hypothetical scenarios that are likely to occur on the job. It’s best to avoid unrealistic problems that aren’t relevant to your company.
Examine how candidates approach a problem step-by-step: from identifying and analyzing the issue to comparing alternatives and choosing the most effective solution.
Pay attention to candidates who provide innovative solutions. Creative minds can contribute fresh perspectives that add value to your company.
When problems arise, employees should show commitment and a can-do attitude. Test candidates’ problem-solving skills in past situations. If they were determined to find the best solution as soon as possible, they will be great hires.
Most complex situations require a team effort. Candidates’ previous experiences will show you how they collaborated with their colleagues to reach decisions and how comfortable they felt asking for help.
If you’re hiring for a technical role, ask questions relevant to the work your future hires will do. Technical problem-solving interview questions, like “How would you troubleshoot this X bug?” will reveal your candidates’ hard skills and their ability to effectively address problems on the job.
No answer. If a candidate can’t recall an example of a problem they faced in a previous position, that’s a sign they may avoid dealing with difficult situations. Canned answers. A generic answer like “Once, I had to deal with a customer who complained about the pricing. I managed to calm them down and closed the deal,” doesn’t offer much insight about the candidate’s thought process. Ask follow-up questions to get more details.
Focus on the problem, not the solution. Identifying the problem is one thing, but finding the solution is more important. Candidates who focus too much on the problem may be too negative for the position.
Feeling stressed/uncomfortable. It’s normal to feel slightly uncomfortable when put on the spot. But, if candidates are so stressed they can’t answer the question, that’s an indicator they don’t handle stressful situations well.
Superficial answers. Candidates who choose the easy way out of a problem usually don’t consider all aspects and limitations of the situation. Opt for candidates who analyze the data you’ve given them and ask for more information to better dig into the problem.
Cover up the problem or minimize its significance. Unaddressed problems could quickly escalate into bigger issues. Employees who leave things for later mightn’t be result-oriented or engaged in their jobs.

In conclusion, problem-solving interview questions provide valuable insights into candidates’ abilities to approach challenges, think critically, and provide effective solutions. By asking these questions and considering the tips provided, you can assess candidates’ problem-solving skills and make informed hiring decisions that align with your organization’s needs.

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Behavioral Interview Questions About Problem Solving

Introduction

Every job requires problem solving. Even if the job’s main focus isn’t creating solutions to obstacles, issues always occur that need to be addressed. Employers want to hire individuals who have developed a portfolio of problem-solving skills they can use to creatively resolve both known and unanticipated challenges as they occur. Key problem-solving skills hiring managers look for when interviewing a candidate include:

Analytical Skills
Attention to Detail
Resolve and Determination

Different jobs involve different types of problems. You can usually identify the types of issues you are likely to encounter in a new job by carefully reviewing the job posting to see what skills the employer requires. These skills will be related to the kinds of challenges they are hiring you to resolve. Knowing this will help you prepare to discuss your problem-solving skills during the interview.

This article will help you get ready for behavioral questions that help employers understand your problem-solving skills and the methods you use to get things done. Knowing how to correctly respond to this type of question will enable you to demonstrate your ability to help the organization achieve its objectives by overcoming issues and convince the interviewer you are the right candidate for the job.

Behavioral Questions

Questions about your problem-solving skills are a specific type of behavioral question. Behavioral questions explore how you handled situations in your past positions and indicate what you will do when faced with similar challenges in the future. You can identify behavioral questions when the interviewer starts the question with something like, “Tell me about a time …” or “What steps did you take …”

Questions About Problem Solving

The best way hiring managers can learn about how organized you are is to ask you questions about your previous experiences. These questions require you to create a story and relate it in a structured and clear fashion. Interviewers will note the skills you used to solve problems and overcome issues, how effective they were, and how you helped the organization achieve its objectives. They hope to hear that you have developed creative problem-solving skills that allow you to quickly resolve any issues and get back to your primary job.

How to Answer Questions Related to Problem Solving

Although many people include problem solving as one of the skills listed on their resume, they may not be prepared to discuss how they go about doing this if asked. Taking some time to review some of the major issues you resolved in your previous jobs and the steps or measures you used to do so will prepare you to talk about this topic. It would help if you focused on recognizing an issue, analyzing it, determining options to resolve it, and then choosing and executing the most effective solution. If you anticipate behavioral questions about problem solving and are prepared to answer them, you will find it easy to respond to these questions during an interview.

Look here for further training on how to answer commonly asked Technical Questions in a way that you will stand out to the interviewer.

Problem solving-related behavioral questions can best be responded to using the STAR format which helps you organize your response by creating a story related to the question.

The STAR format uses the following framework:

Situation – Briefly describe a situation related to the question. Ensure the situation you use describes a time you used your problem-solving skills to overcome a challenging issue.

Task – Summarize the task or goal you needed to achieve. Describe how you quickly identified a challenge and determined what steps were needed to create a solution to resolve it.

Action – Talk about the actions you took which resulted in a successful outcome. These actions should include analyzing the issue, creating innovative solutions, and implementing them.

Results – Discuss the results you achieved and the impact they had on the organization. Emphasize how your problem-solving skills and the creative solutions you developed contributed to the successful outcome and achievement of the goal.

When preparing for an interview, you should anticipate this type of question and have your STAR stories ready. The stories you relate should be relevant to the position for which you are interviewing so they resonate with the hiring manager. Preparing your stories in advance and rehearsing them before the interview will give you confidence. It will also enable you to respond to the interviewer’s questions by providing compelling stories and communicating them clearly and expertly.

Problem Solving-Based Behavioral Questions

Here are some examples of problem solving-based behavioral questions you can anticipate during an interview, the rationale behind them, and an example of how you can respond to them.

Question : Talk about a time when you came up with a new idea or approach to solve a recurring problem.

Explanation : It is not uncommon to encounter recurring problems on the job. These problems are issues that continue to crop up and are addressed by resolving the impact but not the cause of the issue. Organizations value employees who can resolve an issue by analyzing the root cause and eliminate it so the issue does not recur.

Example : “( Situation ) In my last job, every time we received a shipment, we first had to move inventory stored near the loading dock before we could unload the new materials. ( Task ) This required extra time and delayed the carrier while they waited for us to relocate the older inventory. ( Action ) After witnessing this several times, I determined the cause of the problem was that it took several days to rotate the new materials into production in order to free up the receiving area. I located some additional storage area within the manufacturing facility and created a system which processed and relocated the receivables within 24 hours of them being unloaded. This freed up the loading dock and made it available for subsequent shipments. ( Results ) Solving this issue reduced the amount of time the carriers spent at our facility by 50% which resulted in them offering us a 10% discount on our shipping costs.”

Question : Describe a time when you had to resolve an issue even though you didn’t have all of the information you needed.

Explanation : We are frequently asked to resolve an issue even though we don’t have all of the information we need. Being able to accomplish this requires creativity and innovation. Quickly analyzing the issue, creating a solution, and implementing it with minimal information are key problem-solving skills employers look for in new hires. You should have a STAR story prepared which demonstrates your ability to do this.

Example : “I rarely have all of the information required to analyze and resolve an issue. This has required me to develop skills for solving issues with less than perfect data. I was recently asked to determine why sales of one of our leading products had plateaued. The only information I had was the most recent quarter’s revenues, estimates of our competitor’s sales, and activity reports from the sales team. By analyzing this information, I determined the issue resulted from an overall flattening of demand for this type of product. I put together a plan in our marketing materials which would emphasize alternative uses for the product. Sales increased during the next quarter due to customers using the product for other purposes. We used this same strategy to increase revenues for the entire product line.”

Question : Talk about a time when you used good judgment and reasoning to solve a complex problem.

Explanation : Reasoning and judgment are two important problem-solving skills. Even with complete data, you still have to be able to make good decisions. Being able to illustrate this ability in your answer to such as behavioral question will demonstrate to the hiring manager that you are the right candidate for this role.

Example : “I pride myself on my decision-making skills. When working on a project in my previous job, my team and I were tasked with determining how to reduce the cost of operations without impacting the organization’s productivity. We brainstormed several alternatives, all of which resulted in cost savings but also reduced productivity. It occurred to me that if we used a hybrid of two of the solutions, costs would be reduced, but productivity would not be impacted. We recommended the solution to senior management who implemented it. This resulted in a 50% reduction in manufacturing cost and a slight increase in the organization’s productivity.”

Question : Can you talk about a situation in which you recognized a problem as a potential opportunity?

Explanation : Opportunities are often disguised as problems. Recognizing this and developing creative solutions that leverage the problem in order to take advantage of an opportunity will set you apart from other candidates interviewing for this position.

Example : “While working for a company which produced health foods, I noticed we were spending a great deal of money to dispose of a waste product which consisted primarily of cellulose. It occurred to me that we could probably do something to reduce the cost of disposing the waste. I researched cellulose and discovered it is used to make environmentally friendly disposable containers. I contacted the manufacturer of the containers and negotiated a contract for them to pay us for the cellulose. This more than covered our disposal costs and created a new source of revenue for the company. We also won an award for being a reen-certified producer.”

Question : Tell me about a time when you had to modify a project at the last moment due to unforeseen issues. How did you handle this?

Explanation : Even when you carefully plan and organize a project, unanticipated issues are likely to occur. Your ability to address and resolve them quickly so as not to impact the timeline or the project’s cost is an important skill. Being able to relate a story of how you did this in your previous work will help you succeed during an interview.

Example : “In my first job, one of the projects I was assigned to work on was organizing a team-building activity for our department. I created an event that involved a geomapping activity at a local theme park. The employees would be divided into teams to locate items throughout the park using clues and GPS devices. Several days before the activity was scheduled to be held, the park announced it had to close due to a strike. I quickly went to work, locating another venue and moving the activity to a professional sports facility. Not only did the employees enjoy having access to the stadium, but they were also able to meet some of the team’s players. This resulted in an ongoing relationship between the local NFL team and our company, and we used the facility for future events, including customer promotions and executive meetings.”

Additional Problem-Solving Questions

Have you ever identified a customer’s need and used a creative idea to satisfy it?

Talk about a time you discovered an error overlooked by a co-worker and how you took the initiative to resolve the issue.

Describe a situation in which you found a unique and creative way to overcome a difficult obstacle.

Tell me about the most innovative new idea you’ve come up with.

Describe a time when you anticipated a potential issue and proactively developed measures to prevent it.

Talk about a time when you faced a big obstacle to an important project and what you did to overcome it.

Give me an example of how you analyze information to make a business recommendation.

Please walk me through the steps you take to research a problem and create a plan to solve it, using an example from your previous work.

Can you describe a situation where you collaborated with colleagues to resolve an issue?

Tell me about the biggest work problem you had this year and how you solved it.

The key to nailing your interview – practice, practice, practice.

As with anything, practice makes perfect. The most common ways to practice are with in-person mock interviews or a list of questions. While these options are a great place to start, they can leave a lot to be desired.

Practicing with In-Person Mock Interviews and Question Lists

One way to get valuable interview practice is to set up in-person mock interviews. Unfortunately, they can be somewhat inconvenient. You have to find someone to conduct the mock interview, and schedule a meeting every time you want to practice.

Question lists offer a much more convenient way to practice interviewing. Unfortunately, they do little to recreate actual interview pressure. In a real interview you’ll never know what’s going to be asked and this is exactly what can make interviews so stressful.

Interview Simulators – The best of both worlds.

With interview simulators, you can take realistic mock interviews on your own, from anywhere.

My Interview Practice offers a dynamic simulator that generates unique questions every time you practice, ensuring you're always prepared for the unexpected. Our AI-powered system can create tailored interviews for any job title or position. Simply upload your resume and a job description, and you'll receive custom-curated questions relevant to your specific role and industry. Each question is crafted based on real-world professional insights, providing an authentic interview experience. Practice as many times as you need to build your confidence and ace your next interview.

	List of Questions	In-Person Mock Interview	My Interview Practice Simulator
Questions Unknown Like Real Interviews
Curated Questions Chosen Just for You
No Research Required
Share Your Practice Interview
Do It Yourself
Go At Your Own Pace
Approachable

Our interview simulator uses video to record your responses, and recreates the pressure you would feel in a real interview. This also allows your to see how you perform and perfect your responses. You can then share your responses with colleagues and mentors so that you can get valuable feedback.

Check out My Interview Practice

Behavioral Interview Questions About Customer Service

Behavioral interview questions about failures.

7 Minute Read

Behavioral Interview Questions About Conflict Resolution

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45+ Behavioral Interview Questions in 2024 (+ Sample Answers)

You’ve been preparing endlessly for that upcoming job interview.

You’ve even memorized the most common job interview questions and prepared answers. At this point, you’re ready for anything the hiring manager can throw at you!

Well, almost ready.

There are still some tricky behavioral interview questions you need to prepare for.

And in this guide, we’re going to teach you how!

Read on to learn about:

What Are Behavioral Interview Questions?

45 Most Common Behavioral Interview Questions

How to Answer Any Behavioral Interview Question

45 Sample Answers for Different Professions and Experience Levels

Behavioral interview questions aim to help the interviewer understand how you acted in a specific situation.

They’re meant to gauge how you react to stress, what your skill level is, and how you conduct yourself in a professional environment.

Like the most common interview questions , they also allow the interviewer to get a much better understanding of you as a candidate.

Just about anyone can answer a question like, “ What are your strengths and weaknesses? ”

But not everyone can answer a question like:

“Can you tell me of a time when you went above and beyond the line of duty?”

You might think that answering a behavioral interview question like that requires some serious work experience and the achievements to back it up but don’t worry.

You don’t need to have a ton of experience to answer these questions right – you just need the right approach.

Now that we’ve got the basics covered, let’s look at the most common types of behavioral interview questions.

45 Common Behavioral Interview Questions

There are tons of behavioral interview questions out there. Hiring managers can give you a question that’s super specific to the job or ask something broader that can apply across different industries and roles.

That being said, most behavioral interview questions can be divided into categories. Let’s take a look:

5 Questions About Time Management

How do you accomplish tasks under a tight deadline? Give me an example.

Describe a long-term project you managed. How did you make sure everything was running smoothly?

Sometimes, it’s almost impossible to get everything done on your to-do list. What do you do when your list of responsibilities becomes overwhelming?

Tell me about a time you set a personal goal for yourself. How did you make sure you would meet your objectives, and what steps did you take?

Can you describe a time when your supervisor or manager just gave you too much work with too little time? What did you do?

8 Questions About Communication Skills

How do you handle a disagreement with your coworkers? Give me an example of a time when you successfully persuaded someone to see things your way.

What would you do if you misunderstood an important task on the job? Give me an example.

How do you handle criticism from coworkers or supervisors?

Tell me about a time you disagreed with a performance assessment you received. How did you handle it?

Have you ever had to work under someone who wasn’t very good at communicating? What happened?

Tell me about a time when you successfully explained a technical problem to a coworker or a customer who didn’t have a tech background.

What do you think about one-on-one meetings? How often do you think they should happen?

Can you tell me about a time you gave a presentation that was particularly successful? Why do you think it went well?

8 Questions About Teamwork

Describe a time when you helped a member of your team succeed.

Tell me about a time when you had to work with someone completely different from you. How did you adapt to collaborate better?

Have you ever had an interpersonal conflict at work ? If so, how did you handle it?

What do you do when your team member refuses to or just can’t complete their part of the work? Give me an example.

Have you ever mentored a coworker or been mentored? Tell me about it.

In your previous roles, did you have a time when you disagreed with a supervisor’s decision? If so, how did you handle it?

Tell me about an experience that helped you feel like part of the team at your previous job.

Do you have experience training new hires? Describe a time when you had to teach a coworker to do something.

3 Questions About Working with Clients and Customers

Sometimes, clients can be difficult to work with. Can you describe a situation when a client was wrong and you had to correct them?

Describe a time you dealt with a frustrating customer or stakeholder.

Everyone makes mistakes they regret. Is there a situation where you wish you had handled things with a client differently?

6 Questions About Adaptability

Tell me about your first job in the industry. What did you do to learn the ropes?

Have you ever had to put in long hours to finish a task? How did you handle it?

Can you give me an example of when you had to adapt to a new and sudden change in the workplace? What happened?

Tell me about a time when you felt extremely stressed out by work. What caused it, and how did you manage it?

Give me an example of when you had to suddenly perform under pressure. What happened, and how did you handle it?

Have you had to switch between an in-office and remote or hybrid work environment? How did you navigate the change?

5 Questions About Leadership

Have you ever led a project?

Tell me about a time when you successfully delegated tasks to your team.

What’s one project or achievement you’re very proud of?

Tell me about a time when you had to perform a task or work on a project you had no previous experience with. How did you approach this situation, and what did you learn?

Have you ever wanted to improve the company culture? What did you do to contribute?

4 Questions About Problem-Solving

Describe a time when you didn’t know how to solve a problem. What did you do to resolve the issue?

Tell me about a time when you solved a problem at your job that wasn’t part of your job description.

How would you solve a specific problem in your line of work?

What have you done to make your work more productive in your previous roles?

6 Questions About Success and Failure

Tell me about a time you went above and beyond at work.

Have you ever contributed something in any of your previous roles that made people congratulate you?

Give me an example of a goal you failed to meet and how you handled the situation.

Tell me about a time when you made a risky decision and it didn’t pay off.

Describe a time you realized you were wrong about something. What happened?

Do you have any work habits you’d like to improve?

The easiest way to answer behavioral interview questions is to follow the STAR method .

According to the STAR method, each interview answer should use the following structure:

(S)ituation. Set the stage for your example by describing the situation where everything happened.
(T)ask. Describe the task you had to complete to address the issue at hand.
(A)ction. Explain what actions you took to complete the aforementioned task.
(R)esults. Talk about the results of your actions, and try to be as detailed as possible.

Let’s take the STAR method from theory to practice. Here’s what a good answer looks like according to the STAR method:

Q: Give me an example of how you handled a challenge in the workplace.

Situation: “Around the time I started working at Company X, the team I was working with was just finishing up a very important project on a tight deadline. They had to review everything before submitting the work to the client, and my manager didn’t have a lot of time to pay attention to me to make sure I was caught up to speed.”

Task: “Everyone around me was constantly working, and because of the timing, they didn’t seem very approachable. So, to make sure I didn’t get left behind, I had to prove myself and take initiative.”

Action: “My plan was simple. I wanted to talk to my manager and a few of my coworkers whenever they had time, such as over lunch or when we got coffee together. Then, I would try to get to know them in a different environment and also learn more about the company. In the meantime, I would always go over my onboarding material and resources to get better at my job.”

Results: “In the end, I’m glad to say everything worked out and I actually made a few good friends too. By the time my manager came around to review my work and talk about the next steps, I already knew most of it and the company’s main clients in detail. And I also knew my coworkers, who I’d be working with too. If anything, he was a bit surprised, but ultimately, he was happy I didn’t fall behind. This saved him a lot of time, something he was very grateful for.”

Want to see more examples of questions where the STAR method can help? Check out this list of other interview questions !

45 Samples Answers for Different Professions and Levels of Experience

Need more inspiration? No worries!

We’ve curated a detailed list where you can see sample answers for each of the behavioral work questions we listed, and you can compare them for different levels of experience.

Question #1

Situation: “Well, typically, I try to never commit to a deadline I don’t think I can meet. But sometimes unexpected things happen, and you’re forced to think on your feet. For example, at my last job, my coworker had to take some time off work because of an emergency, and his project was left without a manager.”

Task: “My supervisor then instructed me to take over his project and complete what work was left. Suddenly, I had a new project on my hands, and I wasn’t really sure how to handle it, as the deadline was in one week.”

Action: “First, I requested a reduction on my own daily sales goals - which I was granted. This way, I could pay more attention to the project and only dedicate a few hours per day to my original tasks. Once I had a consistent schedule and hours set for each of my tasks, it was mostly easy from there.”

Results: “Thanks to my teammates and my good time management skills , I managed to finish up two days before the deadline. And once my coworker came back to work, I was able to review the whole thing with him before submitting it. For what it’s worth, he was thoroughly impressed. And a few months later, I even got promoted based on my performance.”

Question #2

Situation: “When I was at Company X, I was managing the web development team in charge of setting up a new website for one of our biggest clients at the time. With most projects, we had a process set up and we would get most sites done in up to two months. This project, however, was a bit different, as the website was supposed to be more detailed, with a lot of unique pages. So, we had to be a lot more careful with our time management.”

Task: “We had a strict deadline of 15 weeks, and I had to make sure that we used up our time as efficiently as possible.”

Action: Before getting to actual work, I decided that we should plan everything out by the week. After some research and consulting with our team of developers, we decided to split the workload between different stages. We would devote around one week to the discovery phase, five weeks to design, three weeks to initial development, and the rest to any modifications and updates.

Results: “In the end, we actually finished the website with all the promised functionalities in just under three months. The client was very satisfied with the result and eventually ended up recommending partners to our firm.”

Question #3

Situation: “As a senior at University X, there were times when I just couldn’t physically get everything done on time. For example, towards the end of my final semester, I was the Student Council President and I was also writing my thesis. I had to submit my thesis the next day, and I was also working with my fellow student council members to organize the end-of-the-year ceremony for the university.”

Task: “If I had tried to multitask both, I would just have done a poor job. Now, for me, the University thesis was clearly higher up on my list of priorities. After all, this was what my studies had been building up to for so long. But I couldn’t just abandon my council members either. With 24 hours until my thesis deadline, I had to think fast.”

Action: “I decided that the best approach was to send all of my notes and outlines for the event to the Student Council Vice President, who was also a close friend of mine. Luckily, he understood my situation and took over my event-management responsibilities. Then I had just enough time to edit and finalize my paper.”

Results: “Thanks to the VP, I was able to fix and finalize my thesis. Fortunately, the event went without a hitch too. In the end, I learned a valuable lesson on time management and how important it is to have a team you can rely on.”

Question #4

Tell me about a time you set a personal goal for yourself. How did you make sure you would meet your objectives, and what steps did you take?

Situation: “I think the most recent, and important, personal goal that comes to mind is that I managed to teach myself web development from scratch. You see, I wasn’t very satisfied as a sales rep at Company X. My coworkers were nice, and the pay was decent too, but I just didn’t see myself growing there.”

Task: “So, I decided that I wanted a career change in a field I’ve always been interested in - web development. Now, because I was working full-time, I had to be very efficient with my time management skills.”

Action: “I did some research, and all that was left to do was just follow my routine and stay committed. I set up a personal calendar and made sure to study HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for at least 2 hours every day. I gathered a list of beginner-friendly books to start with, and once I was done with those, I paid for some advanced online courses to improve my React and Vue.js skills. When I felt comfortable, I started working on some personal projects for my portfolio and did some freelance work part-time while I was still working at Company X.”

Results: “In the end, I’m glad I stuck to my plan and continued with my set curriculum. If I hadn’t had my calendar planned out with specific objectives, I definitely would have been overwhelmed. Sure, at times, it felt like I was basically working two jobs and that a lot of the material wasn’t making sense. But I just kept moving forward, and then I got my first real break as a junior web developer at Company Y.”

Question #5

Situation: “I had a pretty rocky start with my manager at Agency X, as we had different expectations for my workload. Normally, I don’t have a problem with a fast-paced working environment, and I tend to thrive when I’m thinking on my feet. But at the agency, I had just finished onboarding, and I was already bombarded with tasks and weekly reports. For the most part, I was managing to get everything done on time, but I realized the quality would suffer if my list of tasks kept getting longer.”

Task: “So, I had to take up my work schedule issue with my manager and let him know about my concern. I decided that being direct and respectful was the best approach, and I booked the meeting.”

Action: “During the meeting, I remained calm and just went straight to the point. I explained how I liked my work, but the heavy workload was really impacting the quality of the work.”

Results: “Luckily, he was understanding. I was the first in-house graphic designer they’d hired, and they weren’t 100% sure what was a lot of work, and what wasn’t. We ended up working together to better define my responsibilities. From then on, I was, for the most part, only getting the workload I could handle without diminishing the quality of my work.”

Question #6

Situation: “When I was working as a recruiter at Company X, I noticed that one of the candidates who had sent in their application was perfect for the role. Though he didn’t have a university degree and his resume wasn’t too polished, reading his cover letter, it was obvious he knew the industry and had delivered clear results.”

Task: “I thought it was worth giving him a shot, but my supervisor didn’t see it that way. She skimmed through the resume and told me not to waste time and just discard the candidate.”

Action: “I was, however, still pretty confident in the candidate, so I talked to the supervisor over lunch. I took a bit of an indirect approach, though. Instead of trying to directly pitch the candidate, I asked her to clarify the job description a bit more. We went a bit in-depth on what, exactly, we were looking for in the candidate, and once we were done discussing it, I told her that we happened to have a candidate who possessed all the relevant experience, but his resume was a bit weak.”

Results: “Convinced, the supervisor decided to give the candidate’s application a more in-depth look and realized that they were, in fact, very qualified. She thanked me for bringing it up and agreed with me that the candidate was worth calling in for an interview.”

Question #7

Situation: “At my previous internship at Company X, I underestimated the amount of time it would take me to finish a presentation for a team meeting. The deadline my boss gave me was around a week, which was completely fair and I didn’t think it would be a problem. However, apparently, we had some miscommunication about what he meant with the deadline. I thought it was the date when we would go through the presentation, edit it together, and submit it like that. Apparently, what he’d meant, though, was to have the presentation 100% ready on that date.”

Task: “So, I had to submit a draft presentation first, edit it based on my manager’s comments, and then present the report, all within two days.”

Action: “I booked a meeting with the manager for the following day and spent four extra hours at the office to make sure that the first draft of the presentation was spotless . We held the meeting the next day and went through the presentation together to make sure it was spotless.”

Results: “The manager loved the work, and it only took us around 30 minutes to finalize the whole thing.”

Question #8

Situation: "Early in my role at Company X, during a quarterly review, my project manager said that some of my project reports weren't as detailed as we needed them to be. This took me by surprise since I had been receiving praise from my immediate team."

Task: "But the timing was crucial. These reports were going to shape our strategy for the next quarter, so I needed to quickly improve. I had to make sure my reports met the higher standards expected by senior management."

Action: "I decided to schedule extra meetings with my project manager to go over the reports in depth. I also sought advice from a couple of coworkers who I knew made detailed reports. Then, I dedicated some time each day to reviewing past reports that were praised, so I could figure out what I was missing and adopt the best practices."

Results: "My efforts paid off - my reports became more thorough, and they were well received. We enhanced the decision-making for our next quarter's strategy and I got to strengthen my relationship with the team. My project manager was especially grateful for how quickly I took his feedback to heart and ended up ultimately contributing to a more streamlined process."

Question #9

Situation: "At my last annual review at Company X, my supervisor marked me as 'meeting expectations' in some areas where I honestly felt I had gone above and beyond. I had even taken on extra projects throughout the year.”

Task: "I knew I needed to clear this up. On one hand, my career’s progression depended on it, but I also needed to feel valued and appreciated at work."

Action: "I requested a follow-up meeting with my supervisor to discuss the assessment in more detail. Before the meeting, I put together a clear summary of my additional projects and the positive feedback I had received from different teams. Then, I shared everything during our meeting to highlight my contributions over the past year.”

Results: “The meeting went really well. My supervisor appreciated the detailed overview and, after discussing my achievements , agreed to adjust my performance rating. My contributions were reflected more accurately, and we also made an agreement to sync up more frequently so we could better align our expectations moving forward.”

Question #10

Situation: “Yes, at my last job as a tech recruiter, the hiring manager I was working directly with was somewhat more difficult to communicate with. He had very strict and precise requirements for the types of candidates he wanted to invite for interviews. He wasn’t open to much communication on the matter or trying new things, even when the company desperately needed new hires. This one time, I got a candidate that was a pretty good fit for the job but was lacking in a few aspects.”

Task: “I wanted to make sure that we got the person in for an interview, but I was 100% sure that my hiring manager would shut me down.”

Action: “So, before running the candidate through him, I called them and collected his biggest strengths to present to the hiring manager.”

Results: “The hiring manager did indeed end up liking the candidate and calling them in for an interview.”

Question #11

Situation: “I’ve worked as a tech support specialist before, so I really excel at this. I’ve had to explain complex concepts to customers on a regular basis, but to give you one single example, I’ve had to explain to customers with next to no understanding of computers how to delete a virus on their computer, which usually requires at least some computer skills .”

Task: “After trying to give basic instructions to the customer, they still didn’t really understand much, so I had to come up with a smarter solution.”

Action: “So what I did was walk them through the entire thing step by step while explaining it simply but in no condescending terms. Instead of making them do most of the work, I walked them through the process of getting me to connect with their computer, and then I explained to them what, exactly, I did.”

Results: “The customer was very happy with my work, and we managed to fix the issue with their computer.”

Question #12

Situation: "I think one-on-one meetings are great. When I was at Company X, at first our team rarely had scheduled one-on-one meetings. That sometimes left us unsure about project details or personal performance feedback."

Task: "I saw the need for more consistent communication to help myself and the whole team stay on track and feel supported."

Action: "So, I suggested to our team leader that we start having one-on-one meetings every other week. I explained how these could help clarify our project roles and give us each a regular opportunity to voice concerns and receive feedback."

Results: "After we started the bi-weekly meetings, I noticed a real change. My projects ran smoother because I had clearer expectations, and it was easier to discuss any issues when they appeared. Plus, it’s helped me build a stronger relationship with my manager, which made work feel more collaborative and the environment more supportive."

Question #13

Situation: “Sure thing. As the business development manager at Firm X, there were quite a few opportunities when I had to speak in front of a crowd. The most recent and successful one was for the new project we were launching. “

Task: “I was called on to speak for a two department-wide meeting of up to 50 people. Now, I had never delivered a presentation to this many people, but luckily, I knew most of them quite well after years of working with them.”

Action: “Working with two other members of my team, I decided to take a more creative approach and create a short video, a skit, to hook the audience. That was the intro, and then we used PowerPoint and hands-on examples to show what to expect from the new project launch. And finally, we dedicated the last five minutes to a Q&A session.”

Results: “It felt longer, but the whole speech took about 15 minutes in total. We got great feedback from the audience, and I was later asked to present at the all-hands meeting the next month. I knew my colleagues well enough and I tried to make the speech as if I were having a one-on-one conversation with a friend - with a few jokes in-between.”

Question #14

Situation: "When I was working at Company X, I noticed that one of my team members, who was new to the role, was struggling with our project management software, which was crucial for keeping track of our assignments."

Task: "I saw an opportunity to help improve their comfort with the tool and enhance their overall contribution to our projects."

Action: "I offered to spend some time with them after work to go through the features of the software. We set up a few training sessions where I could show them tips and tricks that weren’t covered in the standard onboarding process."

Results: "These sessions helped them become more proficient with the software, which significantly boosted their confidence and performance on the project. They were able to manage their parts of the projects more effectively, and it also helped them integrate better with the rest of the team . It was rewarding to see their growth and how it positively impacted our team’s workflow."

Question #15

Situation: “Sure, I always enjoy working with new and different people. Because, usually, they bring something new to the table. At Company X, there was a particularly young developer who was assigned to work with me on a new software development project, and I was to run him through what our typical coding process was like.”

Task: “It was also my job to get to know him and find common ground so that we could effectively work together. The fact that he was younger wasn’t an issue for me, but because he was completely self-taught, he didn’t know a lot about the industry methodologies we used.”

Action: “Teaching him everything from scratch would take too much time. So, instead, I briefly explained the development process—the waterfall model—that we were using for that specific project and taught him how to write tests for our code base. Writing tests is the number one way to learn what code does. After all, that’s how I got started with development.”

Results: “I also sat down and helped him go through the material at times, but in the end, he surprised me by how much of a fast learner he was. He just needed a bit of encouragement and guidance. Through this approach, he learned our whole routine in less than a week, while most of our new hires needed at least up to two weeks. In return, I learned a lot about multitasking and time management from him. The whole thing was a win-win situation, and it was all smooth sailing the next time we worked together, which was quite often.”

Question #16

Have you ever had an interpersonal conflict at work? If so, how did you handle it?

Situation: "At Company X, I once found myself in a disagreement with a coworker over the allocation of resources for a critical project. Both of us felt strongly about our proposed strategies, which led to some tension."

Task: "I knew it was important to resolve this conflict quickly to maintain team harmony and keep the project on track."

Action: "I suggested that we both present our strategies in a meeting with our project manager to get a third opinion. Before the meeting, I prepared a clear comparison of the potential benefits and drawbacks of each approach. During the discussion, I made sure to listen carefully to my coworker’s points and express my views respectfully."

Results: "The meeting helped us understand each other's perspectives better, and with our project manager's guidance, we combined the best elements of both strategies. This resolved the tension and we agreed on what we should pour our resources into. It was also a great learning experience for both of us - we really learned how important collaboration and open communication are."

Question #17

Situation: “There was one co-worker at Company X who was notorious for being bad at deadlines. But she would always end up delivering exceptional work, just a few hours, or worse - even days late. For some reason, the company was okay with this since her work was just too good. So, this one time, the management put us together to work on a time-sensitive project.”

Task: “Our task was to turn in a sales presentation together and have our manager go over it before sending the client the final version. Because of how important the project was, I didn’t want to risk going over the deadline - as this would also directly impact other people. Either way, for everyone’s sake, I had to somehow get her to hurry up with the project. So, I decided to try and push her a little and see what would happen.”

Action: “I started regularly checking in on her to see where she was with work. I would bring it up at times over lunch, send a quick Slack message, and so on. She wasn’t taking this quite well, but it did get her to work faster and more efficiently.”

Results: “In the end, the constant check-ins and pushing did have a positive effect, even though the co-worker didn’t particularly like me too much once we were finished with the work. We even managed to submit the final version of the presentation two days before the deadline.”

Question #18

Situation: "At Company X, shortly after I was promoted to a senior position, I was given the opportunity to mentor a new team member who was just starting their career in our field."

Task: "My goal was to help them integrate into the team and speed up their learning process so they could become effective more quickly."

Action: "I set up weekly meetings to discuss any challenges they were facing and shared resources that I had found valuable when I was new. I also made myself available for quick chats whenever they felt stuck on a particular issue."

Results: "The one-on-one guidance really paid off. Within a few months, they were not only comfortable with their role but also actively contributing ideas in meetings and taking on more responsibilities. It was rewarding to see their growth and know I played a part in their development."

Question #19

Situation: "In my previous role at Company X, there was a moment when my supervisor decided to implement a new software system across the department. The problem was that I didn’t think it was compatible with our current workflows."

Task: "I felt it was important to address my concerns because the decision could potentially affect our team's efficiency and morale."

Action: "I was respectful and I requested a meeting with my supervisor to discuss the potential impacts of the new software. I prepared a detailed analysis comparing the proposed system with our current one, and I made sure to highlight the challenges and potential disruption it could cause."

Results: "My supervisor appreciated the initiative I took and how thorough my analysis was. After a constructive discussion, we agreed to a trial period for the new software alongside our existing system. This allowed us to objectively assess the pros and cons without fully committing. Eventually, this led to some modifications to the system so it could suit our needs better."

Question #20

Situation: "At Company X, when I first joined the marketing department , the team was in the middle of a major campaign launch. Everyone was busy and I felt like I couldn’t really find my place there."

Task: "But I wanted to integrate into the team and really contribute to the campaign."

Action: "So, I volunteered to take on a task everyone was overlooking—managing the outreach for user feedback, which was critical for the campaign's next phase. I coordinated with different team members to gather the necessary information and crafted a strategy to collect feedback."

Results: "This let me work closely with different team members and helped me learn about their strengths and working styles. I feel like my success there allowed me to contribute to the campaign and really solidified my position on the team. It made me feel like a valued member of the group, and the team appreciated my efforts, so it was great."

Question #21

Situation: "At Company X, soon after I was promoted to a team lead role, I was tasked with training a group of new hires who were just starting out in our department."

Task: "My goal was to make sure these new team members were fully up to speed with our day-to-day operations and understood our department's protocols."

Action: "I organized a series of training sessions covering everything from basic procedures to more complex tasks they would encounter on the job. I also included hands-on training exercises and paired each new hire with a mentor from our team for additional support."

Results: "The training really paid off. Within a few weeks, the new hires were handling their responsibilities smoothly and fitting right into the team. They even started bringing fresh ideas to our projects, which was fantastic to see. It was great to hear them say how prepared they felt, and it definitely showed in their work."

Question #22

Situation: “Absolutely. One of our past clients at Agency X came to us because his Facebook advertising strategy wasn’t working. He was driving traffic but wasn’t getting any conversions, so they thought that it was because they weren’t reaching the right audience. We realized, though, that it was actually because their product homepage wasn’t really that convincing. The client, however, was adamant about ‘not fixing what wasn’t broken.’”

Task: “I had to somehow communicate with the client that the service he wanted wasn’t what he needed - there was no way for us to fix his Facebook ads if his homepage wasn’t selling the product.”

Action: “We had to give the client an ultimatum - they either go with our approach or we wouldn’t be able to get the results and hence, work with them.”

Results: “After some back and forth, the client grudgingly agreed to do an A/B test between the existing landing page and one that we’d propose. So, we tested the two landing pages with the same ads he’d been running and ended up getting better results threefold. From then on, the client was a lot more willing to allow us to experiment with whatever we proposed.”

Question #23

Situation: “Working in customer support , you really get to talk with many different kinds of people. I remember having one angry customer call the help desk once to complain. He kept repeating that the product he bought was faulty and demanded that I resolve the situation then and there.”

Task: “Customers calling for refunds happen all the time, but this one was different since he just kept shouting over the phone the whole time. I had to get him to calm down if I wanted the call to go anywhere.”

Action: “Fortunately, I had experience dealing with loud customers and knew the first thing I had to do was listen to his story. Halfway through telling his story, he calmed down once he realized I was trying to help. He explained that the product was supposed to be a gift, and that’s why he was so frustrated. Then, I offered two solutions: a refund or a replacement for his product with express delivery.”

Results: “The customer opted for the replacement option. I called him back once they received the order just to check in if he was happy with the product. He turned out to be happy both with the product and our service, and he thanked me for the help.”

Question #24

Situation: “This one client we worked with was particularly difficult. They were extremely unpleasant to work with, and they treated our staff pretty badly. The management, however, insisted on sticking with them since they made up a good chunk of our income. At one point, though, the client just barged into our office and started yelling at their account manager for a small mistake on their end.”

Task: “At this point, I realized that working with the client was really affecting our staff negatively, and we’d be losing some good employees if we kept working with them. A few people had already put in their two weeks’ notice, including the account manager, and more would probably follow.”

Action: “So, I set up a meeting with the management team and gave them concrete facts and figures about the client. Sure, they were paying us good money, but they were really hurting workplace morale.”

Results: “Unfortunately, even after hearing me out, the management didn’t want to let go of the client. They decided that, overall, the impact the clients had on the team wasn’t worth losing the profit. Looking back, I wish I had talked to management sooner before the company had gotten used to the income from that client. Needless to say, I didn’t stick around long after that.”

Question #25

Situation: “Well, my first job in the field was as a junior DevOps engineer . While I did have extensive knowledge of the field, I didn’t have much experience doing it.”

Task: “This made it very hard for me to get started with the job. While I was working almost all the time, I wasn’t getting too much done.”

Action: “So, what I did was take a lot of my personal time to really work and learn the ins and outs of DevOps. I also made sure to talk to my team and get their input on daily tasks.”

Results: “A few months into the job, I managed to learn the ropes and ended up being a lot more productive.”

Question #26

Situation: "At Company X, right before a major product launch, we realized that the software had a critical bug that could potentially delay the release."

Task: "It was crucial to fix the bug quickly to make sure we met our launch deadline. The pressure was on, but I was determined to resolve the issue without compromising the product quality."

Action: "I decided to stay late for several nights in a row. I was working alongside a small, dedicated team. We systematically tested and retested the software to isolate the issue. Throughout, I made sure to keep everyone motivated and focused by organizing brief update meetings and making sure we took short breaks to stay sharp."

Results: "Our hard work paid off. We identified and fixed the bug just in time for the launch. The product was well-received, and the team's effort saved the release, and we really felt like working together under that pressure helped us bond."

Question #27

Situation: “Sure thing. In my previous position as an account manager at Company X, we had to suddenly change all of our CRM software and move all the data to a new tool. The CRM tool we’d been using till now wasn’t fit for a growing team, and on top of that, they were upping their pricing, so it wasn’t really worthwhile for us.”

Task: “I was put in charge of finding the replacement CRM, as I was the one who knew the previous one inside-out. And this was also an opportunity for me to clean up our outdated info and start fresh. All the while, I still had to handle my daily responsibilities as usual.”

Action: “So, the first thing I did was ask our sales associates and lead generation teams what they thought of the old CRM and if there were any new features they were lacking. After doing a bit of research and asking around, I found the perfect tool that had it all - sales analytics, email integration, and more. And because I typically have no problem with learning new tools, I stayed in one evening, transferred our data to the new tool, and wiped the old account. Finally, I sent a new announcement to the entire team about the new software, along with a video tutorial on how to use it.”

Results: “We completed the transfer with four days to spare, the team was satisfied with the new CRM, and my daily responsibilities as an account manager didn’t suffer.”

Question #28

Tell me about a time when you felt extremely stressed out by work . What caused it, and how did you manage it?

Situation: "In my previous job as a project coordinator, there was a time when two major projects with tight deadlines overlapped. It was during a staff shortage, so the workload was significantly higher than usual. I was honestly overwhelmed and it looked as though there was no end in sight. It was a cycle of trying to hire people while juggling all my responsibilities, so I couldn’t find time to do anything."

Task: "I needed to make sure both projects were completed on time without compromising on their quality but I had really limited resources. So, I had to really push to find a solution."

Action: "First, I prioritized my tasks daily. I needed to focus on the most critical aspects of each project. I made sure to communicate openly with my team and supervisor about the challenges, and I sought out their input so I could distribute tasks efficiently and set realistic expectations. I also made sure to take short breaks throughout the day to clear my mind and maintain my focus. At this point, every second had to be productive, so I did my best to stay on track."

Results: "I’d say things worked out. We met the deadlines for both projects. It was really challenging, but I think that without my organizational skills and clear communication with my team and supervisors, we wouldn’t have made it. Immediately after those projects were delivered, I took a week off work to recover. I just needed some downtime to really find that work-life balance again. Once I was back, I teamed up with management, and we started looking for more staff so we could prevent that whole situation from happening again in the future."

Question #29

Situation: “As a seasonal worker, there have been a lot of times when I had to juggle extra responsibilities. My last position as a line cook at Restaurant X comes to mind. That summer, we were pretty much always full and, sometimes, even understaffed to handle all the customers. To make things worse, we didn’t have the best shift system at the time either. So, if someone were to unexpectedly not show up for their shift, we’d have to put out the fires as they came up.”

Task: “This is exactly what happened when one of our waitresses had to call out due to a personal emergency.”

Action: “So, I stepped up and took her shift as soon as I had clocked out of mine as one of the line cooks. Luckily, I had previous experience working as a waiter .”

Results: “I was tired and a bit uncoordinated at the beginning, but at the end of the day, everything worked out just fine.”

Question #30

Have you had to switch between an in-office and a remote or hybrid work environment ? How did you navigate the change?

Situation: "At Company X, at one point, we had to switch from an entirely in-office setup to a remote work environment almost overnight."

Task: "The challenge was to adapt quickly to maintain productivity and communication without the face-to-face interaction we were used to."

Action: "So, I set up a dedicated workspace at home to mimic my office environment, which really helped me maintain a routine. I also started using digital tools more effectively, like scheduling regular check-ins with my team through video calls and managing projects through shared online platforms."

Results: "My setup allowed me to stay connected with my team and I was just as productive as I was at the office. I’d say the transition was smooth, and we managed to meet all our project deadlines. I learned a lot about how flexible I can be and just how important clear communication is when you’re working remotely ."

Question #31

Situation: "Yes, I led a project at Company X where we were tasked with launching a new product line that was crucial for entering a new market segment."

Task: "My responsibility was to oversee the project from conception to launch. This included coordinating between different departments, managing the budget, and making sure we met all milestones on time."

Action: "I started by assembling a cross-functional team, making sure we had all the necessary skills covered. We held regular planning meetings and I set up a clear timeline with specific goals for each phase of the project. To keep everything on track, I used project management software to monitor progress and address any issues ASAP."

Results: "The project was a success. We launched the product on schedule and within budget. It was well-received in the market, and it significantly boosted our company's visibility in the new segment. I’d say leading that project taught me a lot about strategic planning and the ins and outs of cross-departmental collaboration."

Question #32

Situation: “Well, at my first job as a team leader, I had to really get to know most of my team in order to delegate tasks appropriately.”

Task: “Most team members were new to the company, so I didn’t have much to go with.”

Action: “So, I sat down with each team member individually, really got to know them and their strengths and weaknesses, and distributed tasks based on their personalities.”

Results: “Team members were pretty happy with the tasks they got and started off their relationship with our company on a positive note.”

Question #33

What’s one project or achievement you’re very proud of ?

Situation: "One project I'm particularly proud of was at Company X, where I led the development of a new software tool designed to streamline our inventory management."

Task: "The goal was to reduce the time and effort it required to manage our inventory while also reducing the errors that came with manual entry."

Action: "So, I spearheaded the project. I collaborated closely with the IT and logistics teams to make sure our needs were met accurately. I guided the design, testing, and implementation phases and regularly updated key stakeholders while adapting the project’s scope based on their feedback."

Results: "The new tool significantly improved our efficiency. We cut inventory processing time by 40% and reduced errors by 50%. It was incredibly satisfying to see our work make such a significant impact on our operations. The team's positive reaction to the improvements was also really encouraging, so it’s an experience I’m glad I had."

Question #34

Situation: “In my previous position at Company X, my manager had to leave unexpectedly for about a month due to a medical condition. Fortunately, she was able to give us a week's notice.”

Task: “Because of that, our director asked me to fill in as the interim manager. I was familiar with the basics of management on a theoretical level, and I had worked with my manager closely before, but I certainly wasn’t trained to be a manager yet. Though I wasn’t going to say no, and I, more or less, felt confident about my ability to take on the new challenge.”

Action: “So, I accepted the position. The first thing I did was gather the team and let them know about the situation. I was very open about my lack of experience and asked them to be open about giving feedback when possible. I also asked a manager for an hour of their time to pick their brain and make sure I’m doing everything right.”

Results: “In the end, we managed to get through the month without any problems and we delivered all the projects on time. When my manager returned, she was very pleased with the work, and I even got compliments from our director. Because of my success with the role, I was even promoted to team manager at the end of that year.”

Question #35

Situation: "Well, I don’t have a lot of work experience that’s relevant here, but I do have an example from when I was a student. During my junior year at high school , I noticed that a lot of students felt disconnected from the school as a community, particularly those of us who weren’t involved in sports or any major clubs like theatre."

Task: "So, I wanted to create an opportunity to make everyone feel included. Something that could engage a broad range of people and foster a sense of community for everyone."

Action: "I worked with the student council to organize a 'Culture Week,' where each day was dedicated to celebrating different student backgrounds and interests. We set up workshops, performances, and presentations where students could share about their cultures, hobbies, and unique talents . I also reached out to different groups at our school to encourage them to participate and help them feel like part of the community."

Results: "The event was a big hit and it even became an annual tradition. Students who previously felt left out were now a lot more involved and visibly happier at school. It was really rewarding to see how a couple of new activities can help people connect with each other and find their place among everyone else."

Question #36

Describe a time when you didn’t know how to solve a problem . What did you do to resolve the issue?

Situation: "Hmm, well, for example, back when I worked in customer support, I used to get tasked with solving problems I knew nothing about. One evening, I found myself as the most senior person on shift, despite being relatively new myself. Right then, a customer called with a technical issue that I had never encountered before."

Task: "So, I needed to resolve the customer's issue and make sure they’re satisfied with our support, while at the same time, I had to learn how to fix the problem with no one to help me."

Action: "I was a little tense but kept my composure and assured the customer that I would find a solution and get back to them shortly. So, after hanging up, I did some research. I started by checking our internal knowledge base, then I started searching tech forums for similar issues. It took a bit of time, but I was able to piece together the information I needed to troubleshoot the problem."

Results: "In the end, I called the customer back with a step-by-step solution, which resolved their issue. They were grateful for the help and they were pretty satisfied with how I handled the problem, even though it took longer than it probably should have. I learned how to handle that particular problem like a pro, and I felt a lot more confident at work after that. Now, I feel like I can handle just about any unfamiliar problem that comes my way."

Question #37

Situation: "I was working as a sales associate at a popular clothing store, and one day our point-of-sale system went down. It was a busy Saturday afternoon, and the store was packed with customers."

Task: "Although fixing tech issues wasn’t part of my job description, I knew we needed to get the system back up quickly to avoid losing sales and frustrating customers."

Action: "I remembered a few troubleshooting steps from a previous job where I had seen a similar issue. I decided to try them out. I reset the main router and then restarted the POS system to see if it would clear the error. I also called our tech support line to confirm I was doing everything correctly."

Results: "To everyone’s relief, the system started working again within a few minutes. Customers were able to continue their purchases smoothly, and we avoided a potentially significant interruption on one of our busiest days. So, I managed to help the store that day and I learned how important it is to take initiative, no matter what your role is. I’d say it’s something that’s stuck with me ever since."

Question #38

Situation: "In my role as a video game animator at Company X, we encountered a challenge where the animations for a certain character in our newest game weren’t syncing properly with the game physics engine. So, this basically caused the character’s movements to look unnatural and disrupted the gameplay, especially during some critical action sequences."

Task: "My main goal was to make sure that the character animations were both visually appealing and mechanically in sync with the game’s physics. We were aiming for a seamless and immersive gameplay experience, so we couldn’t risk this coming up later."

Action: "First, I collaborated closely with the physics programmers to really understand the ins and outs of the engine. Then, I adjusted the keyframes in the character’s animation to align them better with the physics calculations. It still needed some refining, so I implemented a middleware tool specifically designed for animation blending and real-time adjustments."

Results: "The adjustments worked well. After the gameplay team and I tested the changes, the character's movements became much smoother and more realistic. We eliminated all the previous glitches, and the game was a success after its release.”

Question #39

Situation: "When I was working as an administrative assistant at a law firm, I noticed that a lot of my time was spent just looking for things. Whether it was a misplaced file on my desk or a lost email in my inbox, it was slowing me down."

Task: "I decided to tackle this problem head-on to make my days more productive and keep everything running smoothly."

Action: "First, I reorganized my desk. I set up a system where the most frequently used items were right at my fingertips. For my digital files, I meticulously organized my bookmarks and online folders, labeling everything clearly and setting up shortcuts for the files I accessed daily."

Results: "These changes really streamlined my workflow. I spent less time digging through drawers or clicking through folders, which gave me more time to focus on the real work. My coworkers and bosses noticed the improvement too, which definitely felt good. It just goes to show that sometimes it's the little things that can make the biggest difference in how productive you are."

Question #40

Situation: "When I was working as a social worker at a community health center, one of the families I was helping was really struggling. They had lost their main source of income and were facing a bunch of issues like not having stable housing and dealing with health problems."

Task: "I knew the usual resources wouldn’t be enough to really help them get back on their feet."

Action: "So, I went beyond what I would usually do. I contacted multiple local charities and community groups to find extra help for them. I managed to secure donations, arrange temporary housing, and fill out a lot of paperwork for more permanent solutions during my own time in the evenings and over the weekends."

Results: "All the extra work paid off. The family got into a stable housing program pretty quickly, received the medical care they needed, and got some financial aid to tide them over. It was a lot of effort, but seeing how much it helped them made it all worth it. It really showed me the impact I can have in this job."

Question #41

Situation: "In my previous role as a sales representative at Company X, we had been trying to land a major client that was known for their extensive market influence. Securing them had been a goal for our team for over a year."

Task: "So, I was determined to win this client. A win like that could boost our company's revenue and enhance our market reputation."

Action: "I took the initiative to thoroughly research the client’s business needs and the challenges they might be facing. Based on this, I tailored our pitch to highlight how our services could uniquely address each. I also coordinated with our product teams to make sure we could confidently deliver on any commitments made in the proposal. After several meetings and discussions, I finally presented our tailored services to their executive board. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a situation as high-stakes as that before or since!"

Results: "Thankfully, the client was impressed with our dedication and the customized approach, and they signed on. This was one of the largest deals our company had ever secured. The success was such a huge morale booster for the team, and I received commendations from our senior management for my involvement. It was incredibly rewarding to see our collective efforts pay off in such a big way."

Question #42

Situation: "Well, I started university with the intention of becoming an engineer . But, during my second year, I realized that, despite my interest in the subject, the academic environment and the course load just weren't the right fit for me. So I made the decision to drop out."

Task: "I was really disappointed in myself, and I felt like everyone else was disappointed in me, too. So, I moped around for a few days, then my immediate goal shifted to finding a stable job while I figured out my next steps. I needed to support myself financially, but I also wanted to use my time to explore other career options that might align better with my skills and interests."

Action: "I took a part-time job at a local tech store, where I ended up becoming the shift leader within a few months. Meanwhile, I spent a lot of time researching different fields and I eventually stumbled into digital marketing . I was drawn to the creative and analytical aspects of it, so I started learning more through online courses and tutorials."

Results: "Working part-time gave me the flexibility to delve into the field and hone my skills. Over time, I built a portfolio by helping friends and local businesses with their social media marketing. It was a pretty good practical experience, and it helped me land a full-time job in a digital marketing agency. So, although I never got that engineering degree, it turned out not to be a huge setback after all. Now I’m in a field I’m passionate about and where I can put my skills to good use ."

Question #43

Situation: "At the organization where I volunteered, we planned a big event to open up more discussions about sustainable energy sources and green transitions in an area where most people worked with fossil fuels."

Task: "We wanted to create a space where we could discuss how the area could transition towards green energy and hear what people’s concerns were, but we knew it could be a touchy subject for some of the locals."

Action: "I took a risk and invited a couple of well-known activists to speak at the event. I was hoping they would draw a big crowd and spark meaningful conversations. Even though a few volunteers at the organization were worried it might cause some backlash, I thought it was worth the risk."

Results: "Unfortunately, I was wrong. It turned out to be too much, too soon. Instead of creating a place for dialogue, the high-profile activists brought out protestors, and we saw lower attendance than we expected. The event didn’t have the impact we were aiming for, and that was tough to see. I realized I made a mistake by not listening to the other volunteers. But I definitely learned how important it is to understand the community you’re based in and to do the groundwork before taking risks like that.”

Question #44

Situation: "Oh yeah, absolutely. One time, during my game design internship , I was super excited to put together a complex puzzle for a new mobile game. I thought it would really impress players with its intricacy."

Task: "I wanted this puzzle to be a standout feature in the game. But during our initial playtests, the reaction wasn’t what I expected at all."

Action: "I sat down to watch the playtest sessions and also got some advice from the senior game designers . They helped me see that my puzzle, while cool, was too complex for the quick gameplay style of our game. Realizing this, I went back to the drawing board to simplify things."

Results: "After I toned down the puzzle, we tested it again and the response was way better. Players enjoyed it more because it fit the fast pace of the game without being too much of a challenge. I really saw how crucial it is to align game elements with the game’s overall vibe and what players are looking for."

Question #45

Situation: "I’m a content writer , and I have a bit of a habit of pushing my work until the last minute. It's something I've managed to get away with because I always meet my deadlines, but it definitely turns into a crunch."

Task: "I realized this isn’t the best way to work, especially when things get really busy. I knew I needed to start spreading out my workload to avoid the stress of last-minute rushes."

Action: "I decided to use a digital planner to keep track of my tasks. I set daily goals for myself and made sure to start on assignments earlier than before. I also started checking in on my progress more frequently during the week."

Results: "It’s been working out pretty well. I’m less stressed, and I think my writing is better for it because I’m not rushing through it, especially when it’s time for editing . I’m still working on making this a consistent habit, but I can already see the benefits."

FAQs on Behavioral Interview Questions

Are you still wondering something about behavioral interview questions? Check out the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions below.

#1. How can I prepare for behavioral interview questions?

The best way to prepare for behavioral interview questions is to think about the experience you have so far and any achievements or unique situations that stand out to you.

Behavioral interview questions tend to look at challenges you’ve faced and experiences you’ve found difficult, whether throughout your career or education. So, think about experiences that show off your most impressive skills or problem-solving abilities.

Reference the job description to see what skills are most relevant for the role, and focus on specific examples that can show the hiring manager how you match what they’re looking for.

#2. How can I say ‘I don’t know’ during an interview?

If you’re asked a question you just can't answer, it's best to be honest. The interviewer will be able to tell if you’re bluffing, so be upfront and show your willingness to learn.

For example, you could say, "I don’t think I’ve been in a situation like that before, but here’s how I would approach it." Alternatively, if you don’t have any work experience , you could relate the question to a similar experience you've had in your academic or personal life.

The interviewer will appreciate your honesty and they’ll still get what they need from your answer.

#3. How can I ace my interview?

The key to any successful interview is preparation. Always start by researching the company and the specific role you’re applying for.

Then, start practicing how to answer common interview questions. Make sure your answers are brief, to the point, and reflect what the company is looking for in an employee.

Take the time to prepare a few more detailed stories about your experiences using the STAR method so you can answer any behavioral interview questions, too.

Beyond that, dress appropriately according to the company culture , and arrive early. Make sure you maintain good eye contact, listen actively, speak confidently about your skills, and show enthusiasm for the role and the company.

Finally, follow up after your interview with a thank-you email that reiterates your interest.

Key Takeaways

You’ve made it to the end of our article!

By now, we’re confident you’re ready to take on any behavioral interview question like a pro.

Before you go, let’s do a quick recap:

Behavioral interview questions are questions based on how you behave in specific situations.
These questions can come down to how you react to stress, what your skill level is, and how you behave in a professional work setting.
The best way to answer these questions is by using the STAR Method. With this strategy, each answer should be structured by a Situation, Task, Action, and Results.
If you don’t have enough relevant work experience, you can give an example from your time as a student.

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Creative Thinking Job Interview Questions + Answers

Updated December 29, 2023
Published September 3, 2019

Employers value creative thinking skills in the workplace. The reason for this is that employees who are innovative, think outside of the box and are forward-thinking in their approach can help their company gain a competitive advantage. Therefore, it’s important to be able to demonstrate your creative thinking skills since they are important in many professions and workplaces.

Usually, interview questions about your creative thinking skills require you to provide the interviewer an example of a situation in which you applied them. Such questions are called behavioral job interview questions . In this case, this type of interview question focuses on work situations that you encountered in the past and how you have used your creativity. The way you respond to such questions tell the interviewer more about your ability to think creatively and outside of the box. For interviewers, the best indicator of your future job performance is by analyzing your behavior in previous positions. The answers you give during a job interview should convince the interviewer that you’re the right person for the position.

Interview questions about how you apply your creativity might sound challenging. However, it’s actually a good opportunity for you to demonstrate that you’re a great fit for the job. With the right preparation, you can use your answers to your advantage by demonstrating how you’re creativity made a positive contribution to the company.

Why the interviewer is interested in your creative thinking skills

So, what exactly is creative thinking, and why is it so important in the workplace? Creativity can mean several things but in general, means looking at something in a different or new way. Think of coming up with new ideas, implementing solutions, developing strategies, improving existing processes, solving problems, or cutting costs. Creative thinkers look at problems and situations from a fresh perspective. They are curious, imaginative, and optimistic in general. Creative thinking skills help the company work more efficiently and productively. You can imagine that employers look for employees who can bring such contributions.

In some professions, you can, for sure, expect job interview questions about creativity and creative thinking skills. For example, jobs in marketing, sales, media, design, advertising, etc. However, when you’re applying for a supervisor, manager, or any other leadership position, you should expect some of these questions as well. The main goal for the interviewer is to find out if you can think creatively with regard to solving problems.

Creative thinking skills involve approaches such as:

Looking for several and different approaches rather than just one.
Besides looking for sensible suggestions allowing out-of-the-box and unconventional ideas as well.
Not ruling out ideas early in the process. It’s important to approach all ideas as if they may be the key to success or at least could grow into something successful.
You are allowing yourself to play with an idea, theory, or suggestion to figure out if it could work.
Not being afraid to make mistakes but always learning from what has not worked, but also what did work in the past.

During job interviews, the interviewer wants to identify the level of creativity of applicants in order to find the right candidate. They are looking for specific skills that indicate that you possess the needed creative thinking skills for the job.

Related : Creativity Interview Questions & Answers

Top skills that indicate creative thinking skills:

Analytical thinking skills.

The skills give you the ability to analyze and understand the situation you’re in. Before you can start to think of creative solutions to a problem or challenge, you need to understand what it actually is that you need to work on. Analytical skills allow you to analyze things closely to fully understand what they mean. Whether you’re working on strategies, processes, data sets, you need to be able to analyze information to problem solve and make decisions.

Organizational skills

This skill regards the ability to stay focus on multiple tasks, and use your energy, time, strengths efficiently and effectively to reach the desired outcome. Organizational skills are a big part of channeling your creative thoughts into a plan of action. Once you have come up with a creative idea to handle a specific situation, you need to be able to convey your plan to others so that they understand your plan as well. The ability to structure an action plan after coming up with a creative idea t that includes goals and deadlines is essential.

Open-mindedness

If you want to innovate you need to be open-minded. Innovation does not only regard coming up with new ideas but also approaching existing things differently. Open-minded means considering alternative approaches to problem-solving while setting aside any assumptions or biases. It requires you to look at things from a different perspective.

Problem-solving skills

Problem-solving skills help you determine what caused a problem or challenge and find an effective solution to solve it. Key problem-solving skills include performing research, analysis, active listening, and decision-making skills. Therefore, it’s important that when you’re discussing creative thinking skills during a job interview that you not only highlight your ability to think creatively but also that you possess the skills to solve problems and challenges.

Communication

Once you have identified a problem and came up with a creative way to solve it, it’s important that you know how to communicate this to others as well whether this is a colleague, supervisor or client. Clear communication is essential in the workplace and helps reduce any confusion, which in turn makes the implementation of an idea easier and more efficient. Active listening is another part of great communication skills. Through active listening, you’re able to process ideas and concepts better. By asking the right questions and thoroughly understanding challenges and problems, you can come up with unique approaches to address these issues.

Behavioral questions about creative thinking

The most effective way to assess your creative thinking skills is by asking behavioral job interview questions . These are strategic questions that require you to provide the interviewer with work situations that you encountered in the past by describing how you handled them. The way you respond to these questions tell the interviewer more about your personality, thought processes, work methods, and ethics.

There are multiple reasons why behavioral interview questions are used. The main objective of an interviewer is to find and hire the best candidate for the position, but also the one that fits the company culture .

Behavioral interview questions often start with:

Give me an example of
Tell me about a time when you
Have you ever
What do you do when
Describe situations where

As you can see, they require more than a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer and ask from you to elaborate on a specific situation. An example of a commonly used creative thinking ability interview question is ‘ tell me about a time you had to develop a creative approach to solve a problem .’ This question requires you to provide an actual situation from your past experience in which you used certain skills to solve a problem at work.

Behavioral interview questions are used to assess key skills such as creative thinking, but also communication , adaptability , leadership skills , and conflict resolution . The questions the interviewer asks relate to the most important characteristics needed for the job that you’re applying for. Your behavior and approach to past situations are the most accurate predictors of your performance in similar situations in the future.

Interviewers consider the following when using behavioral questions in a job interview:

Costs of bad hires

Making wrong hiring decisions is an expensive mistake to make for a company. Not only does it cost time and money to find candidates, once they are hired and turn out not to be the right person for the job, but they can also have a negative impact as well. Bad hires can have an impact on the rest of the team by, for instance, being an underperformer. This can, in turn, impact productiveness. This is the most important reason why interviewers ask you different kind of interview questions to assess your suitability for the job.

Important details of your behavior in the workplace

Behavioral questions require you to provide an example of how you have acted in past work situations. The information that you give in your answers is used to determine how your past performance aligns with the current hiring needs of the company. Furthermore, it gives them insights into your personality, creativity, problem-solving skills, and any other skill that they are looking for.

The best predictor for future performance is how you have acted in the past

The reason that employers are interested in how you handled situations in the past is that it’s the best indicator they can get to gauge your future success. It’s a proven technique that gives more insight into your future work performance . It’s therefore advisable to prepare for the most common interview questions and specific questions that you expect based on the job description and the research you have done on the company. Based on your answers, the interviewer wants to assess if you’re the right person for the position.

Hiring the right candidate and avoiding bad hiring decisions

Ultimately, behavioral interview questions are used by employers to make the best hiring decision. You previous patterns in work-related situations play an important part in this decision. Your answers give more insight into how you handle critical situations. Also, it shows if this approach matches the ones required for the job you’re applying for. If you prepare your interview in the right way, you can make sure that your answers include important aspects of the job’s requirements. As you can imagine, the interviewer is looking for candidates that fit the job description , so make sure to make your answers related.

Why creative thinking skills matter to the interviewer

As described earlier in this article, creative thinking skills are essential for companies to be successful. Employers are, therefore, interested in how you handle certain situations. This is also the reason that during job interviews, you should be able to demonstrate that you have used creative thinking skills in the past. The answers you provide should demonstrate that you can take on the day-to-day tasks required for the job and that you have development potential.

Behavioral interview questions about your creative thinking skills are used to find out who you really are and how you go about handling certain situations. The interviewers want to get the following questions answered:

How well developed are your problem-solving skills, and will they help you in the challenges you will face in the position?
Are you able to adequately analyze and creatively respond to situations when needed?
Can you communicate effectively with others in the workplace?
Are you able to adjust to changing work environments?
Can you perform under pressure?
Are you flexible in your approaches to situations at work?

Frequently asked job interview questions about creative thinking

Tell me about a time you had to think outside of the box to solve a problem.
Describe a time when you took an existing process and used your own creativity to make it better.
When have you had to develop a creative approach to problem-solving to get the job done?
Tell me about a time you had to encourage someone else to be more creative and innovative.
What is the most creative project or idea that you have generated in a previous position? How was it received?
Tell me about a time you worked on the creation of a new product or service.
Give me an example of your creativity.
Tell me about ideas you have created that benefited your current/former employer.
Describe a time where you worked on a project where a conventional approach was not suitable.
Tell me how you go about encouraging ideas in others.

Preparing answers to job interview questions about creative thinking

When you’re preparing your answers, it’s important to consider a couple of important elements during your preparation.

Start by researching the job description and company . By doing so, you can identify the needed skills, abilities, and competences for the job.

Create a list of skills, abilities, and competences

Behavioral questions are a great opportunity for you to demonstrate that you’re a good fit for the position. Based on the skills, abilities, and competences that you found through your research, you can prepare your answers. For a lot of companies, similar skills are important such as creativity, teamwork, leadership, adaptability, taking responsibility, etc. You can rank the skills on importance in relation to the requirements of the position that you are interviewing for.

Think about your greatest achievements

Create a list of your work experiences that include the required skills, abilities, and competences for the job. Highlight successful situations where you demonstrated behavior that shows your suitability. Focus on delivering a to-the-point and concise answer.

Provide successful situations and include challenging ones

It’s obvious that you should highlight situations that had a successful outcome. However, the interviewer might also be interested in challenging situations that you encountered during your previous jobs. It’s therefore important that you prepare to answer such questions.

Describe to the interviewer how you handled a certain situation, what you did, why you did it, and what the results of your actions were. Also, explain what you learned from the situation. Based on the information you give, there’s always a chance that the interviewer will ask follow-up questions. They do this to test your self-awareness by, for instance asking ‘ how you might handle a similar kind of situation differently ‘ now.

Structure your answer according to the STAR method

The interviewer wants you to elaborate on past work situations. Think of a common creative thinking interview questions such as: ‘ Tell me about a time you had to use your creativity to solve a problem at work .’ By preparing example scenarios to questions you’re expecting, you can give answers that the interviewer is looking for. Make sure that you provide the interviewer the situation you were in, your task in that situation, the action you took, and the specific results that can come out of those actions. This is called the STAR-method and is discussed in more detail later on in this article.

The STAR method allows you to provide to-the-point answers that are logically structured if you follow each step. Below the STAR method is discussed step by step.

General elements to consider when you’re preparing your answers:

Already write down your answers in the form of a story and structure it story logically. Use the STAR interview technique to do this. STAR stands for the situation you were in (S), your task (T) in that situation, the actions (A) you took, and what results (R) you got based on your actions. These are always the basic steps you take in your walkthrough.
Display the skills and abilities that are needed for the job you’re applying for and that the interviewer wants to see. Make sure you match your qualifications to the job and skills as mentioned in the job description.
Be honest. Interviewers will notice when you’re making up a story on the spot. Furthermore, they will ask follow-up questions to go more in-depth into the situations you provide them with. Prepare several example answers that demonstrate the skills that you think will be discussed based on your research.

STAR Interview Technique

As stated earlier, most creative thinking questions can be categorized as behavioral interview questions . The best way to answer these questions is by using the STAR method. This method allows you to provide the interviewer with a to-the-point answer of how you handled previous situations. Below the STAR acronym is broken down into steps.

Start by providing context around the situation or challenge that you were facing in your work. Provide the needed relevant details but stick to the essentials and keep it concise.

After you provide the context around the situation, provide the interviewer with information on your task. Discuss your specific responsibilities and what your role was in that situation.

Next, describe the actions that you took to resolve the situation or challenges you faced. The best way to go about this is by providing a step by step description of the actions you took.

After you discussed the situation, your task, and the actions you took, focus on the results. Describe the outcomes of your actions and make sure to take credit for your behavior that led to the result. This part of the answer should include what you accomplished but also what you learned from the situation. Always focus on positive results and positive learning experiences.

Mistakes to avoid when answering creative thinking questions

Below a couple of common mistakes are discussed. Make sure to avoid them during your job interview.

Unrelated answers

Always make sure that your answer relates to the skills needed for the position that you’re applying for. A common mistake that job candidates make when they’re not prepared for such interview questions is providing an unrelated answer. Unrelated answers provide the interviewer nothing that they are looking for and should, therefore, be avoided.

Rambling during a job interview can suggest that you’re unorganized in your thinking. However, it can also indicate that you did not prepare. When you’re walking the interviewer through your story, it’s easy to go into details and start rambling. By doing so, you might actually end up confusing the interviewer. It’s important that you prepare for different interview questions so that you stay on track during the actual interview. Use the STAR method that’s mentioned above to do this.

Not showing confidence

Interviewers look for candidates who are able to demonstrate their abilities in a confident manner. If you’re unsure about your accomplishments or you deliver a half-decent answer, this will hurt your chances of getting the job. It’s, therefore, a smart strategy to think of several example situations that you can use during your interview.

Sample answers to interview questions about creative thinking

Below some example answers to commonly asked creative thinking questions are discussed. However, these are only ‘general’ examples for your inspiration. Do not forget to structure your own answers and relate them to the requirements of the job to demonstrate your suitability.

Creative thinking interview question example 1:

The first question requires you to discuss a time when you had to think outside of the box to solve a problem. It’s important that you talk the interviewer through your creative process that brought you the positive results.

‘Tell me about a time you had to think outside of the box to solve a problem.’

‘In my current position as a business development manager, I’m responsible for a team of five and was tasked with identifying new business opportunities and maintaining relationships with existing clients. Last year, a client approached me who was looking for an additional service in our software that we did not yet provide at the time. For me, this was a great opportunity because it was a request for a new product on top of our current service that came from a client.

I told our client that we did not offer that service at the time but that we could develop it fairly quick. I asked them how they used our product and how the new service in our software would benefit them in order to get a better understanding of their request and help them improve their business. After that, I contacted our development department, and we made a plan to develop the service within the next couple of months.

I presented the plan to our client and discussed that they could use the service for free on a trial basis to help us finetune the software. This allowed us to test the new features with an actual user of the product to get it ready to launch in the market. The client was impressed by our efforts in order to satisfy them and happily agreed with our solution. We were able to develop the new feature within three months and made it available for other clients after six. For our team, this was a great achievement that did not only help satisfy an important client but also generated additional turnover.’

Why is this a strong answer?

The answer demonstrates that you are creative in problem-solving and discusses the strategy of how you approached the problem.
Also, the answer has a positive outcome, which is important when discussing your skills. Satisfied clients and additional turnover are always great outcomes. If you can quantify this, it’s even better.
The answer shows that you are willing to take the initiative, that you’re determined, possess analytical thinking skills and that you’re result orientated.

Creative thinking interview question example 2:

This question regards the ‘most’ creative project you have worked on in your career. This is an opportunity to highlight an accomplishment. Furthermore, it allows you to demonstrate that you have what it takes to successfully perform the job.

‘Tell me about the most creative project you have worked on.’

‘I worked on several projects that required creativity, but one really stands out. I had to make a plan to increase market share for our products and present this plan to our board. The company was going through a bit of a rough patch, and there was no room for an increase in the marketing budget. I analyzed several components that ranged from regionally expanding our footprint into new markets, distribution channels, differentiation of products, marketing, customer segments, and pricing structures. I tried to come up with a creative solution to provide the board with real options that would impact sales.

Based on my research, I advised the board to have a closer look at the distribution channels and how we’re currently selling our products. This was the ‘easiest’ way to increase market share without increasing the marketing costs too much. Up until that time, our products were sold through specialized dealers and as the availability at the point of sale is very important to customers, increasing our distribution footprint could offer us the potential to increase our market share. The demand for our product was higher than the availability through our dealers. The board was willing to try this new strategy, and I, together with my team, made a plan to start making the products directly available to customers through online outlets and retail stores.

Through the implementation of our new distribution strategy, we saw the first increase in market share within the first two months. At the end of that year, the sales of that product line were up over 25%, which was a great accomplishment.’

The answer demonstrates your creativity by showing that you can figure out approaches to problems in challenging situations.
Also, the answer demonstrates that you take the initiative and provide creative solutions in complex projects.
The answer has a positive and quantified outcome, which is great to make a good impression on an interviewer.

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Prove Your Problem-Solving Skills: Ace Behavioral Interview Questions
Protected: Job Interviews

So, you’ve scored an interview invitation, but it feels a bit like a confessional, doesn’t it? Well, relax. Interviews aren’t about penance; they’re opportunities to share your success stories. To help you prepare for your next interview, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to behavioral interview questions.

In this guide, you’ll find:

Common behavioral interview questions and expert answers.
Formulas to excel in answering behavioral-based interview questions for M&E sector
Solutions to handle challenging questions during the interview.
Tips for preparing for various categories of behavioral interview questions.

Let’s get started.

What Are Behavioral Interview Questions?

Behavioral interview questions are a specific type of interview query designed to assess a candidate’s past behavior and experiences in various situations. These questions aim to uncover how candidates have handled specific challenges, conflicts, or responsibilities in their previous roles or life experiences. Instead of asking hypothetical or theoretical questions, interviewers use behavioral questions to gain insight into how candidates are likely to act in future situations based on their past actions.

Behavioral interview questions typically follow a structured format and often begin with phrases such as “Can you provide an example of…” or “Tell me about a time when…” Candidates are expected to share real-life anecdotes that illustrate their skills, competencies, and behaviors relevant to the job they’re applying for.

The key to answering behavioral interview questions effectively is to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to provide comprehensive responses. This method helps candidates structure their answers by describing the situation or context, outlining the tasks or challenges they faced, explaining the actions they took to address those challenges, and finally, detailing the positive results or outcomes of their actions.

Behavioral interview questions are widely used by employers across various industries because they provide valuable insights into a candidate’s soft skills, problem-solving abilities, communication style, and how well they align with the organization’s values and culture. By sharing concrete examples from their past experiences, candidates can demonstrate their qualifications and suitability for the job, making their responses more compelling to prospective employers.

Overall, understanding and effectively responding to behavioral interview questions is a crucial aspect of the job interview process, as it allows candidates to showcase their relevant skills and behaviors while helping employers make informed hiring decisions.

Common Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral interviews are becoming increasingly popular as they help recruiters assess your soft skills effectively. These questions aim to uncover your past behavior to predict your future performance. To excel in these interviews, you’ll want to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for answering each question. Here are 40 common behavioral interview questions along with tips on answering them:

1. Stress Management

Describe a time when something urgent came up at the last minute. How did you handle it? Tip: Focus on how you managed stress and prioritized tasks effectively in a time-sensitive situation.

2. Decision Making

Give an example of a tough decision you had to make. Tip: Discuss the process you followed and your critical thinking skills rather than just the result.

3. Adaptability

Describe a situation where you had to do something for the first time. How did you approach it? Tip: Emphasize your ability to adapt to new challenges and learn quickly in unfamiliar territory.

4. Collaboration and Teamwork

Give an example of a time when you relied on someone for information, but they didn’t deliver. What did you do? Tip: Highlight your problem-solving skills and ability to work collaboratively to overcome obstacles.

5. Interpersonal Skills

Describe a situation when you used your assertiveness. How did it go? Tip: Showcase your ability to handle interpersonal conflicts diplomatically and assertively.

6. Communication

Describe a situation when you used negotiation skills. What was the outcome? Tip: Demonstrate your effective communication and negotiation abilities, focusing on a positive outcome.

7. Leadership

Give an example of a situation where you had to delegate a task. How did you approach it? Tip: Discuss your leadership and delegation skills, emphasizing how you empowered your team.

8. Taking Initiative

Tell me about a time when you went the extra mile for someone. Why did you do it? Tip: Highlight your motivation, dedication, and willingness to take initiative to achieve exceptional results.

9. Problem Solving

Describe a situation where you encountered a complex problem. How did you approach solving it?
Give an example of a time when you had to analyze data to make a critical decision. What was the outcome?
Tell me about a situation when you identified an issue before it became a significant problem. How did you prevent it from escalating?

10. Time Management

Describe a time when you had to juggle multiple tasks with tight deadlines. How did you prioritize and manage your time effectively?
Give an example of a project where you completed the work ahead of schedule. What strategies did you use to achieve this?

11. Creativity and Innovation

Tell me about a situation where you proposed a creative solution to a problem at work. How did your idea benefit the team or organization?
Describe a time when you introduced a new process or idea that improved efficiency or productivity.

12. Customer Service

Share an experience where you had to deal with a challenging customer or client. How did you handle the situation, and what was the outcome?
Give an example of a time when you went above and beyond to provide exceptional customer service.

13. Conflict Resolution

Describe a situation where you disagreed with a colleague or team member. How did you resolve the conflict, and what was the result?
Tell me about a time when you had to mediate a conflict between two coworkers. How did you facilitate a resolution?

14. Goal Achievement

Give an example of a professional goal you set for yourself and successfully achieved. How did you stay motivated and track your progress?
Describe a situation where you faced obstacles while working toward a goal. How did you overcome those obstacles and reach your objective?

15. Adherence to Policies and Procedures

Share a scenario where you had to ensure strict compliance with company policies or industry regulations. How did you ensure adherence among your team or colleagues?
Describe a time when you identified a policy violation or non-compliance issue. How did you handle it while maintaining professionalism?

16. Handling Criticism

Tell me about a situation when you received constructive criticism from a supervisor or coworker. How did you react, and what actions did you take to improve?
Give an example of a time when you had to provide feedback to a colleague about their performance. How did you approach the conversation?

17. Ethical Decision-Making

Describe a situation where you faced an ethical dilemma at work. How did you determine the right course of action, and what were the consequences of your choice?
Share an experience where you had to report unethical behavior by a coworker or superior. How did you handle the situation while maintaining your integrity?

18. Customer Satisfaction Improvement

Give an example of a time when you identified opportunities to enhance customer satisfaction. What actions did you take, and how did it impact the customer experience?
Describe a situation where you received positive feedback or recognition from a customer for your service. How did you achieve this level of satisfaction?

19. Handling Rejection

Tell me about a time when you faced rejection or failure in your career. How did you cope with it, and what did you learn from the experience?
Share an experience where you were initially rejected for a project, promotion, or opportunity but later succeeded. How did you turn the situation around?

20. Change Management

Describe a situation when you had to adapt to a significant change in your workplace. How did you navigate the transition and support your team through it?
Give an example of a time when you proactively embraced change and helped others adjust to a new process or system.

21. Crisis Management

Share an experience where you had to respond to a crisis or urgent situation at work. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?
Describe a time when you played a key role in disaster recovery or business continuity planning. How did your actions contribute to a successful outcome?

22. Project Management

Give an example of a complex project you successfully managed. How did you plan, execute, and monitor progress to ensure its completion?
Describe a situation where a project you were leading faced unexpected challenges. How did you adjust your approach to overcome these obstacles?

23. Delegation

Tell me about a time when you had to delegate tasks to team members. How did you assign responsibilities and ensure successful project completion?
Describe a situation where you entrusted a colleague with a significant responsibility. How did you ensure they were well-prepared for the task?

24. Self-Motivation

Share an experience where you had to stay motivated and productive while working independently or remotely. How did you maintain your focus and meet your goals?
Give an example of a personal or professional achievement that required self-motivation and determination.

25. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Describe a situation where you had to collaborate with colleagues from different departments or teams to achieve a common goal. How did you foster effective cross-functional teamwork?
Give an example of a project that involved multiple departments or stakeholders. How did you ensure everyone was aligned and working together harmoniously?

26. Mentorship and Coaching

Tell me about a time when you mentored or coached a junior colleague. How did you help them develop their skills or achieve their goals?
Describe a situation where you received mentorship or guidance from a more experienced coworker. How did it impact your professional growth?

27. Cost Reduction

Give an example of a cost-saving initiative you implemented in your role. How did you identify areas for improvement and execute your plan?
Share a situation where you had to make budgetary decisions to optimize resources or reduce expenses. What was the outcome?

28. Innovation Implementation

Describe a time when you introduced a new technology, process, or idea to your organization. How did you gain buy-in from stakeholders and ensure successful implementation?
Give an example of how your innovative approach improved efficiency, productivity, or customer satisfaction.

29. Sales or Revenue Growth

Tell me about a situation where you significantly contributed to sales or revenue growth in your role. What strategies or actions did you implement to achieve this?
Describe a time when you identified and pursued new business opportunities that resulted in increased revenue for your company.

30. Safety and Risk Management

Share an experience where you played a role in promoting safety or risk management in your workplace. How did you ensure a safe and compliant environment?
Give an example of a situation where you identified and mitigated a potential safety or risk issue before it caused harm.

31. Supplier or Vendor Management

Describe a situation where you improved relationships with suppliers or vendors to benefit your organization. How did you negotiate or collaborate to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes?
Tell me about a time when you had to address a significant issue or dispute with a supplier or vendor. How did you resolve it while maintaining a positive business relationship?

32. Crisis Communication

Give an example of a crisis communication situation you managed, either internally or externally. How did you ensure timely and effective communication during a crisis?
Describe a time when you had to deliver difficult or sensitive information to stakeholders. How did you handle the communication to minimize negative impacts?

33. Data Collection and Analysis

Describe a project where you were responsible for collecting and analyzing data. How did you ensure the data’s accuracy and relevance to the evaluation process?
Give an example of a situation where you had to use statistical or data analysis tools to draw insights from a large dataset for an M&E project.

34. Performance Metrics

Tell me about a time when you developed key performance indicators (KPIs) for an M&E project. How did you choose the most relevant metrics, and what impact did they have on decision-making?
Describe a situation where you had to track and report on the performance of a program or project using M&E frameworks and metrics. What challenges did you encounter, and how did you address them?

35. Stakeholder Engagement

Share an experience where you effectively engaged with stakeholders in the M&E process. How did you ensure their input and feedback were integrated into the evaluation?
Give an example of a time when you had to communicate evaluation findings to diverse stakeholders with varying levels of technical knowledge. How did you tailor your communication to each group?

36. Quality Assurance

Describe a situation where you implemented quality assurance measures in an M&E project to ensure data integrity and reliability. What steps did you take, and what was the outcome?
Tell me about a time when you identified errors or inconsistencies in M&E data. How did you rectify the issues and prevent them from recurring?

37. Continuous Improvement

Give an example of how you contributed to the continuous improvement of M&E processes within your organization. What changes or enhancements did you suggest, and how were they implemented?
Describe a situation where you conducted a review of an existing M&E system and recommended innovative solutions or technologies to enhance its effectiveness.

38. Adapting to Changing Requirements

Tell me about a time when you had to adjust an M&E plan or framework due to changing project requirements or unexpected challenges. How did you adapt, and what were the results?
Describe a situation where you successfully aligned an M&E strategy with evolving organizational goals or external demands. What strategies did you use to ensure alignment?

39. Capacity Building

Share an experience where you played a role in building the capacity of team members or partners in M&E practices. How did you design and deliver training or mentoring programs?
Give an example of a time when you helped colleagues or stakeholders improve their data collection and reporting skills, leading to more effective M&E outcomes.

40. Innovation in M&E

Describe a situation where you introduced innovative techniques, technologies, or methodologies to enhance the M&E process. How did these innovations benefit the evaluation efforts?
Tell me about a time when you collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to incorporate emerging trends or best practices into M&E strategies.

These questions should help you prepare for a behavioral interview in the M&E sector by addressing specific aspects of the field. Remember to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) when structuring your responses to provide a clear and compelling answer to each question.

Behavioral interview questions: Expert Advice for the Stressed Out

If you find yourself struggling to provide an immediate response to a behavioral question during an interview, don’t panic. It’s okay to take a moment to gather your thoughts and share a well-thought-out answer. Quality is more important than speed. Additionally, remember to:

Read the job description carefully to identify the key competencies and qualities the employer is seeking.
Reflect on both job-related and non-job-related experiences when preparing for behavioral questions.
Use the STAR method to structure your answers effectively.
Be honest, and if you need more time to formulate your response, don’t hesitate to ask for it.
Practice answering behavioral questions to build confidence and improve your responses.

Cracking the Code: Behavioral Interview Questions Unveiled for M&E Sector

Behavioral interviews in the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) sector present a unique set of challenges and opportunities. In this specialized field, recruiters aim to assess not only your soft skills but also your ability to navigate the intricacies of data analysis, project management, and performance evaluation. Let’s explore how to decipher the behavioral interview code specifically tailored to the M&E sector.

Understanding the Significance: In the M&E sector, behavioral questions go beyond assessing general competencies. Recruiters are keen to evaluate your experience in handling real-world scenarios related to data collection, analysis, reporting, and project management. Your responses should showcase your ability to make data-driven decisions and ensure the success of M&E initiatives.
Situation: Set the stage by describing the specific project, evaluation, or data-related situation you encountered. Provide context regarding the goals and challenges.
Task: Explain the tasks and responsibilities assigned to you within that situation. Highlight the importance of data collection, analysis, and reporting in achieving project objectives.
Action: Detail the actions you took to address data-related challenges or ensure the success of the M&E project. Emphasize your analytical skills, attention to detail, and ability to collaborate with teams.
Result: Conclude by outlining the positive outcomes and impact of your actions. Share how your data-driven decisions contributed to project success or improved processes.
Showcase Your Data Expertise: M&E roles often require proficiency in data management tools, statistical analysis, and reporting software. Be prepared to discuss your experience with these tools and how you’ve used them to derive insights and drive decision-making.
Highlight Project Management Skills: In the M&E sector, effective project management is essential. Share examples of how you’ve coordinated and executed M&E projects, ensuring they stayed on track, met deadlines, and delivered actionable results.
Demonstrate Adaptability: The M&E field is dynamic, with evolving methodologies and technologies. Illustrate your adaptability by discussing instances where you had to adjust your approach to accommodate changes in data collection methods or project requirements.
Ethical Considerations: Given the sensitivity of data in the M&E sector, be prepared to address questions about ethical dilemmas you may have encountered. Discuss how you upheld ethical standards while collecting, managing, or reporting data.
Quantify Your Impact: Whenever possible, quantify the impact of your actions. Use metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to illustrate how your data analysis or M&E efforts led to improvements, cost savings, or informed decision-making.
Stay Informed: Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in the M&E field. Demonstrating knowledge of emerging methodologies or technologies can set you apart during interviews.
Team Collaboration: Emphasize your ability to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams. M&E projects often require coordination between data analysts, program managers, and stakeholders.
Prepare for Technical Questions: Expect technical questions related to data collection methodologies, statistical techniques, and data visualization tools commonly used in the M&E sector. Brush up on your technical knowledge to confidently address these queries.

By mastering the art of answering behavioral interview questions tailored to the M&E sector, you’ll not only impress prospective employers but also convey your expertise in driving data-driven decision-making and ensuring the success of M&E initiatives.

Crafting Compelling Responses to Behavioral Queries

Behavioral interviews are all about showcasing your past experiences and behaviors as indicators of your future performance. To stand out in these interviews, you need to craft responses that not only highlight your skills and abilities but also leave a lasting impression on the interviewer. Here’s how you can create compelling responses to behavioral questions:

Understand the STAR Method: The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is your go-to framework for answering behavioral questions. Start by describing the situation or context, then outline the task or challenge you faced, detail the actions you took to address it, and finally, highlight the positive results of your actions.
Choose Relevant Examples: Tailor your responses to the specific competencies and qualities the job requires. Use examples from your professional, academic, or personal life that directly relate to the skills sought by the employer.
Quantify Your Achievements: Whenever possible, use quantifiable data to support your claims. Numbers, percentages, and specific outcomes provide credibility to your responses. For instance, mention how you increased sales by 20% or reduced project turnaround time by 30%.
Highlight Your Role: Emphasize your contributions within a team context. Even if the question is about a team accomplishment, explain your role and how it contributed to the overall success.
Be Concise and Structured: Keep your responses concise and to the point. Avoid rambling or providing unnecessary details. Structure your answers logically, following the STAR method, to make them easy for the interviewer to follow.
Show Growth and Learning: It’s okay to discuss situations where you faced challenges or made mistakes. However, focus on how you learned from those experiences and used them as opportunities for growth.
Emphasize Soft Skills: In addition to technical skills, highlight your soft skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and adaptability. These qualities are often highly valued by employers.
Practice, Practice, Practice: Practice your responses to common behavioral questions with a friend, family member, or in front of a mirror. Rehearsing your answers will help you feel more confident during the actual interview.
Stay Positive: Maintain a positive tone throughout your responses. Even when discussing difficult situations, frame them in a way that demonstrates your ability to overcome challenges and achieve positive outcomes.
Ask for Clarification if Needed: If you don’t fully understand a question, don’t hesitate to ask the interviewer for clarification. It’s better to seek clarification than to provide an irrelevant response.

Remember, the goal of crafting compelling responses is to leave the interviewer with a clear understanding of your capabilities, accomplishments, and how you align with the company’s needs. By following these guidelines and practicing your responses, you’ll be well-prepared to excel in any behavioral interview.

Strategies for Tackling Common Behavioral Questions in the M&E Sector

Behavioral interviews are particularly relevant in the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) sector, as they provide insight into how candidates have applied their skills and expertise in real-world situations. To effectively navigate these interviews and impress potential employers in the M&E field, consider the following strategies:

Align with M&E Competencies: Review the key competencies and skills required for M&E roles in the job description. These often include data analysis, report writing, project management, and attention to detail. Tailor your responses to highlight experiences where you have demonstrated these competencies.
Emphasize Data-Driven Decision-Making: M&E professionals are expected to make informed decisions based on data and evidence. Showcase instances where you collected, analyzed, and utilized data to drive improvements or inform project strategies.
Highlight Impact: M&E is ultimately about measuring the impact of programs and initiatives. Share stories of how your work directly contributed to positive outcomes, whether it’s improved program effectiveness, cost savings, or enhanced decision-making.
Discuss Challenges and Solutions: Expect questions about how you’ve handled challenges in data collection, analysis, or project implementation. Describe the specific challenges you faced, the actions you took to address them, and the results of your efforts. Emphasize your problem-solving skills.
Collaborative Projects: Many M&E roles involve collaborating with cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and partners. Use examples that demonstrate your ability to work effectively with others, communicate findings, and ensure data accuracy.
Adaptability to New Technologies: Given the evolving nature of data collection and analysis tools, showcase your adaptability and willingness to learn new technologies or software relevant to the M&E field.
Ethical Considerations: Discuss ethical aspects of your work, especially if you’ve dealt with sensitive data or vulnerable populations. Highlight your commitment to maintaining confidentiality and adhering to ethical guidelines.
Continuous Learning: M&E professionals should stay updated on industry trends and best practices. Mention any certifications, training, or courses you’ve completed to enhance your skills and knowledge.
Use the STAR Method: Structure your responses using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Start by describing the context, outline your responsibilities, detail the actions you took, and conclude with the positive outcomes or impact.
Practice Mock Interviews: Conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors, focusing on common behavioral questions in the M&E sector. This will help you refine your responses and build confidence.
Research the Organization: Familiarize yourself with the organization’s projects, goals, and recent achievements in the M&E field. Mention specific projects or initiatives that align with your experiences and interests during the interview.

By implementing these strategies and tailoring your responses to the unique demands of the M&E sector, you’ll demonstrate your suitability for M&E roles and increase your chances of success in behavioral interviews.

Concluding Thoughts on Navigating M&E Behavioral Interviews with Confidence

In conclusion, behavioral interview questions are a common and effective way for employers in various sectors, including Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), to assess a candidate’s suitability for a role. By using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and preparing thoughtful examples from your experiences, you can confidently navigate these questions and showcase your skills, competencies, and achievements.

This guide has provided a comprehensive list of behavioral interview questions, with a focus on those relevant to the M&E sector. These questions cover key areas such as stress management, decision-making, adaptability, collaboration, interpersonal skills, communication, leadership, and taking initiative. Additionally, we have emphasized the importance of honesty, clarity, and effective communication in your responses.

To excel in a behavioral interview, it’s crucial to review the job description, reflect on your past experiences, and practice delivering your responses clearly and concisely. Moreover, remember that behavioral interviews are an opportunity to highlight your problem-solving abilities and demonstrate how you have contributed to the success of projects, teams, and organizations.

By using this guide to prepare for your behavioral interview, you can confidently approach the process, impress your interviewers, and increase your chances of securing the Monitoring and Evaluation position you desire. Good luck with your interview preparations!

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Everything You Need to Know About Answering Behavioral Interview Questions

two people talking at a conference table during a job interview open laptop on table faced away from screen phone on table

Interviews can be high stakes. I get that. But bear with me here for a minute when I say this next thing: Some interview questions can actually be fun. And I don’t mean in the zany-but-realistically-kind-of-stressful “ How many golf balls will fit in a bus? ” kind of way. I mean that some interview questions are really just asking for a good story starring you as the main character.

Behavioral interview questions are non-technical, focused on you, and 100% something you can prep for in advance. You actually have the answers already. We just need to find the right stories and polish them up a bit.

Here’s your ultimate go-to guide for answering behavioral interview questions—including common behavioral questions you might hear and example answers.

What are behavioral interview questions?

Behavioral interview questions are questions or statements that ask job candidates to share examples of specific situations they’ve been in. Usually interviewers want to know about an experience where you had to use certain skills— soft skills especially—or had to navigate certain types of scenarios. (Read: It’s the “Tell me about a time when…” genre of questions .)

Why do interviewers ask behavioral questions?

Interviewers like these questions because it can help them get a more realistic and nuanced sense of how you work. It’s a way for them to see what you’re capable of accomplishing based on your actual past professional performance. Think about it: What would convince you of someone’s ability to work on a team better—them saying they totally love working on a team or them telling a story that shows exactly how they worked on a team of five for several months to implement a website redesign for a major client?

30 common behavioral interview questions

As much as I wish I could tell you exactly which behavioral questions you’ll get, I sadly cannot. But this list will give you an idea of the types of questions you might be asked. As you read through, think of stories you can share in response to each subset of questions—they can often be tweaked on the spot to answer any variation an interviewer might throw at you.

Teamwork questions

Almost any job requires you to work with others, so be prepared to talk about your experiences as part of a team. You’ll want a story that illustrates your ability to work with others under challenging circumstances. Think resolving team conflicts, dealing with project constraints, or motivating others.

Tell me about a time when you had to work closely with someone whose personality was very different from yours.
Give me an example of a time you faced a conflict with a coworker. How did you handle that?
Describe a time when you had to step up and demonstrate leadership skills.
Tell me about a time you made a mistake and wish you’d handled a situation with a colleague differently.
Tell me about a time you needed to get information from someone who wasn’t very responsive. What did you do?

Customer service questions

If you’d be working with clients, customers, or other external stakeholders in this role, definitely be ready for one or more of these. Be prepared with at least one story about a time you successfully represented your company or team and delivered exceptional customer service.

Describe a time when it was especially important to make a good impression on a client. How did you go about doing so?
Give me an example of a time when you didn’t meet a client’s expectation. What happened, and how did you attempt to rectify the situation?
Tell me about a time when you made sure a customer was pleased with your service.
Describe a time when you had to interact with a difficult client or customer. What was the situation, and how did you handle it?
When you’re working with a large number of customers, it’s tricky to deliver excellent service to them all. How do you go about prioritizing your customers’ needs

Adaptability questions

Times of turmoil are finally good for something! Think of a recent work crisis you successfully navigated. Even if the outcome didn’t ideal, find a lesson or silver lining you took from the situation.

Tell me about a time you were under a lot of pressure at work or at school. What was going on, and how did you get through it?
Describe a time when your team or company was undergoing some change. How did that impact you, and how did you adapt?
Tell me about settling into your last job. What did you do to learn the ropes?
Give me an example of a time when you had to think on your feet.
Tell me about a time you failed. How did you deal with the situation?

Time management questions

When an interviewer asks about time management , get ready to talk about a specific instance when you had a few things in the air, prioritized, scheduled, organized, and completed everything—preferably before the deadline.

Give me an example of a time you managed numerous responsibilities. How did you handle that?
Describe a long-term project that you kept on track. How did you keep everything moving?
Tell me about a time your responsibilities got a little overwhelming. What did you do?
Tell me about a time you set a goal for yourself. How did you go about ensuring that you would meet your objective?
Tell me about a time an unexpected problem derailed your planning. How did you recover?

Communication questions

You use communication skills so regularly you’ll probably have plenty of stories to choose from. Just remember to talk about your thought process or preparation.

Tell me about a time when you had to rely on written communication to get your ideas across.
Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully persuade someone at work to see things your way.
Describe a time when you were the resident technical expert. What did you do to make sure everyone was able to understand you?
Give me an example of a time when you had to have a difficult conversation with a frustrated client or colleague. How did you handle the situation?
Tell me about a successful presentation you gave and why you think it was a hit.

Motivation and values questions

A lot of seemingly random interview questions are actually attempts to learn more about what motivates you. Your response would ideally address values and motivations directly even if the question didn’t explicit ask about them.

Tell me about your proudest professional accomplishment.
Describe a time when you saw a problem and took the initiative to correct it.
Tell me about a time when you worked under either extremely close supervision or extremely loose supervision. How did you handle that?
Give me an example of a time you were able to be creative with your work. What was exciting or difficult about it?
Tell me about a time you were dissatisfied in your role. What could have been done to make it better?

How to answer behavioral questions

So how do you go about actually answering behavioral questions? It’s actually pretty simple.

Quickly identify the hard or soft skill or quality the interviewer is trying to learn more about.
Choose a relevant story.
Share your story while emphasizing the details that speak to the relevant skills.
Sum up your answer with how you generally approach situations like the one the interviewer presented.

Example answers for top behavioral questions

Check out these example questions and answers to see our advice in action and get more specific tips on some of the most common behavioral questions.

1. Give me an example of a time you faced a conflict while working on a team. How did you handle that?

Ah, the conflict question. It’s as common as it is dreaded. Interviewers ask because they want to know how you’ll handle the inevitable: disagreements in the workplace. But you might be nervous because it’s hard to look good in a conflict even when you’re not in the wrong. The key to getting through this one is to focus less on the problem and more on the process of finding the solution.

For example, you might say:

“Funnily enough, last year I was part of a committee that put together a training on conflict intervention in the workplace and the amount of pushback we got for requiring attendance really put our training to the test. There was one senior staff member in particular who seemed adamant. It took some careful listening on my part to understand he felt like it wasn’t the best use of his time given the workload he was juggling. I made sure to acknowledge his concern. And then rather than pointing out that he himself had voted for the entire staff to undergo this training, I focused on his direct objection and explained how the training was meant to improve not just the culture of the company, but also the efficiency at which we operated—and that the goal was for the training to make everyone’s workload feel lighter. He did eventually attend and was there when I talked to the whole staff about identifying the root issue of a conflict and addressing that directly without bringing in other issues, which is how I aim to handle any disagreement in the workplace.”

2. Tell me about a time you needed to get information from someone who wasn’t very responsive. What did you do?

Hiring managers want people who can take initiative and solve problems . Many workplace problems boil down to a communication breakdown, which is what this question is getting at. Try not to get too bogged down in the nitty-gritty details of the story and make sure to finish with a clear lesson learned.

A good answer to this question might be:

“Back when I was just starting out as an assistant to a more senior recruiter, I once needed to book interview rooms for several different candidates with a few sessions each, all on the same day. The online system the company used to schedule conference rooms was straightforward enough, but the problem was that it allowed more senior people to bump me out of my reservations. I had to scramble to get them back. When I didn’t get responses to my emails, I literally ran around the office to find the people who took my rooms and explain why I needed them. It was stressful at the time, but it all worked out in the end. Most were happy to move to a different room or time to make sure the interviews went smoothly. I also met a bunch of people and earned early on that talking to someone in person when possible can often move things along more quickly than an email can.”

3. Describe a time when it was especially important to make a good impression on a client. How did you go about doing so?

A perfect answer to this question has an outstanding outcome and illustrates the process of getting to that result. But even if you only have a decent outcome to point to instead of a stellar one, spelling out the steps you took will get you a strong answer.

For instance:

“One of the most important times to make a good impression on a client is before they’re officially a client. When the sales team pulls me into meetings with potential clients, I know we’re close to sealing the deal and I do my best to help that along. That’s probably why I was chosen to represent the research team when we did a final presentation for what would become our biggest client win of the year. I spoke with everyone on the sales team who had met with them previously to learn as much as possible about what they might care about. The thing I do that sets me apart is that I don’t try to treat all the clients the same. I try to address their specific questions and concerns so that they know I did my homework and that I care enough to not just give the cookie-cutter answers. In this case, having the data pulled and ready for every question they had made all the difference in building their confidence in our company.”

4. Describe a time when your team or company was undergoing some change. How did that impact you, and how did you adapt?

Interviewers want to know how you handle organizational change. Your story doesn’t necessarily need to be about some massive company reorg, it could even be about a new system for sharing files. The key is to make sure you clearly describe the steps you took to adapt and then generalizing your experience.

So you might say:

“This past year my manager left and the company was unable to fill her position for several months. This completely upended the way our team operated since she’d been the one who made sure we were all on the same page. After a couple of weeks of missed deadlines and miscommunications on the team, I sheepishly suggested we do a quick daily check-in. It took no more than 10 minutes a day, but it helped us get back to working efficiently again and really reduced the frustrations that had started brewing. It helped me understand that adapting to change requires understanding the gaps a change creates and thinking creatively about how to fill them.”

5. Tell me about a time you failed. How did you deal with the situation?

For broad questions like this, it can be helpful to narrow the scope a bit. For a question about failure , you can do that by defining what it means to fail in your own words before sharing your example.

For example:

“As a team manager, I consider it a failure if I don’t know what’s going on with my staff and their work—basically if a problem catches me by surprise then I’ve failed somewhere along the way. Even if the outcome is ultimately fine, it means I’ve left a team member unsupported at some point. A recent example would be this training we do every year for new project managers. Because it’s an event that my team has run so many times, I didn’t think to check in and had no idea a scheduling conflict was brewing into a full-on turf war with another team. The resolution actually ended up being a quick and easy conversation at the leadership team meeting, but had I just asked about it sooner it would never have been a problem to begin with. I definitely learned my lesson about setting reminders to check in about major projects or events even if they’ve been done dozens of times before.”

6. Give me an example of a time you managed numerous responsibilities. How did you handle that?

Multitasking. It’s impossible and yet we’re all expected to do it. Your job is likely going to involve more than one responsibility and the hiring manager is going to want to know how you plan on juggling a number of tasks, projects, or deadlines.

You could say:

“This is almost a cliché, but being part of an early-stage startup meant I wore a lot of different hats. One second I was recruiting, the next I’d be in front of potential clients, and then I’d be meeting with the cofounders about the product. Switching gears so quickly often felt like getting whiplash. I realized that it wasn’t necessarily the juggling that was the problem, it was the constant switching back and forth. I started chunking my work so I could spend several hours focused on similar tasks. One block for recruiting. One block for sales. One block for product. Once I figured out the secret to multitasking was to not multitask, it got a lot more manageable.”

7. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully persuade someone to see things your way at work.

No matter your role, communication skills are critical and interviewers are going to keep asking related questions until they’re sure yours are up to snuff. When asked about persuasion, emotional intelligence and empathetic listening can be good pieces of your communication skill set to emphasize.

A good answer could sound like:

“I once was tasked with pulling the plug on a project. Of course, this can be incredibly disappointing for those affected. Done poorly it could destroy a team’s morale. I can’t discuss the project too much, but suffice it to say that everyone on it worked really hard and it took some serious convincing for them to agree this was the right choice. Rather than letting the idea take hold that months of their work was being scrapped, I proactively shared with everyone all the ways their work would still be utilized by different parts of the company. It’s not what they had intended, but seeing that their work wasn’t wasted softened the blow and allowed me to share the hard truth that we wouldn’t be able to realize our original goals. Taking the time to consider what negative reaction they might have and making the effort to be empathetic allowed me to directly address their concerns and show them that this was the best way forward.”

8. Tell me about a successful presentation you gave and why you think it was a hit.

You can probably predict whether or not you’ll get this question based on the job description . If the job requires frequent public speaking , be sure you have an example ready to go. For questions like this that have an “and why” part, make sure you give evidence for how you know you did a good job. In this case, an engaged audience is pretty good evidence you gave a strong presentation.

“Presenting is definitely something I’ve gotten better at over time. At my previous lab, I presented pretty often at the weekly research meeting where we all kept each other up-to-date on the progress of our work. When I first started, I would just pick up where I left off last time and spoke like I was talking to a room full of experts—which I was, but they weren’t necessarily experts in my specific project. It’s obvious in hindsight. The nature of research is that it’s inherently novel. I started doing more in my presentations to give context, like a more compact version of a conference presentation. It was more work, but I could tell everyone was engaged based on the questions I got. They were more thoughtful and challenging and actually helped push my work forward. Now, whether I’m presenting formally or informally, I try my best to scaffold my conclusions with relevant context.”

9. Tell me about your proudest professional accomplishment.

This question can sometimes make people freeze up. Proudest? Like literally the thing I am proudest of ever? It’s a lot. A more manageable way to think about it is that it’s essentially a freebie to talk about anything. So you can choose a story that showcases a relevant skill, passion, or experience you haven’t been able to talk about yet or want to emphasize more and set it up as one of your proudest accomplishments! If you’re applying to an entry-level role, feel free to talk about school accomplishments.

“There’s a lot that I’ve done over the last few years at Major Telecom that I’m proud of, but one thing we haven’t had a chance to talk too much about is my work in the parents employee resource group. As the company has become more family friendly, I’ve worked hard to guide the conversation as the co-lead of the parents ERG. This year, I spearheaded an effort to improve our flexible work policy, first writing a letter on behalf of the ERG to the leadership team and then later drafting a proposal which ultimately led to a better work environment and more flexible work for everyone, not just parents.”

10. Tell me about a time when you worked under either extremely close supervision or extremely loose supervision. How did you handle that?

This question is getting at how you like to be managed, but it’s phrased in a way that may tempt you to speak negatively of a previous employer. Stay focused and keep your response neutral to positive.

So you could say:

“As an intern at Online Content Co., I felt like my every move required approval, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I really appreciated it back when I had no idea what I was doing. I actually credit the close supervision I got for helping me pick things up so quickly. After I officially joined the team as a staff writer though, it started to feel a bit restrictive. I thought once I “proved myself” it would get better, but after a few more months with no significant change a mentor helped me see that I wasn’t being proactive about communicating with my manager. Rather than going to my one-on-one meetings with nothing prepared and being peppered with questions, I started arriving with an update of all my ongoing work. All the same information got conveyed, but instead of feeling micromanaged, I felt empowered and it made all the difference in my experience.”

4 tips to prep for—and ace—a behavioral interview

I’m taking my own advice and concluding this article with a few general takeaways. If you remember nothing else, make sure you do the following when you’re getting ready for an interview:

1. Prepare a few stories based on the job description.

Maybe you’ll use them, maybe you won’t, but trust me that you’ll feel more prepared and less nervous if you’ve spent some time thinking about this. Scan the job description for anything that seems to be mentioned more than once or is otherwise emphasized—say, “takes initiative,” or, “works independently.” Then come up with some stories about those things!

2. Brush up on the STAR method.

Stories can get big and unwieldy, especially when we’re nervous. It’s important to keep your answer concise and relevant to the question. Using the STAR interview method can help you to craft job-landing responses to many interview questions that require a well-structured example story.

3. Wrap up your answers with a conclusion.

Some stories don’t fit super neatly into the STAR method and that’s fine. In any case, just make sure to wrap up your story with a nice summation so that the interviewer knows what they were supposed to learn from it. In other words, tell your story and then tell them what to think about it. “I did this to solve the problem, so in general, this is the process I use for solving problems.”

4. Practice aloud before your real interview.

I’ve worked with thousands of job seekers and written hundreds of job search articles, and my advice on interviewing can pretty much be summed up with one word: practice. To be more specific, practice answering possible interview questions out loud. Do not memorize your answers. Just say them a few times. If you want to be fancy, do it in front of a mirror to get a better sense of how you’re presenting yourself.

Brushing up on your interview skills in general will also help you to answer these questions with ease and sail through to the next round. So get those stories ready and—I’m going to say it one more time for good luck—practice!

Regina Borsellino also contributed writing, reporting, and/or advice to this article.

25 Important Behavioral Interview Questions (and Example Answers)

“Would I have a beer with this person?” It’s the interview question Steve Jobs asked himself during the hiring process. Jobs understood the power of behavioral-based interviewing and used the “beer test” to break through a candidate’s scripted answers. He wanted to be able to drop the formalities and chat with potential employees, and believed that opportunities like that would be the best indicator of their strengths and weaknesses.

What’s the best part about behavioral interview questions as an interviewee? You already know all of the answers. Prepping ahead of time by revisiting stories and experiences from your previous work ensures that you’re ready to answer these types of questions effectively.

Key Takeaways

What are behavioral interview questions.

Behavioral interview questions are commonly used by job interviewers to assess a candidate’s past experiences, skills, and behaviors. Because past behaviors are strong predictors of future performance , asking about specific situations helps potential employers understand how a candidate has handled various challenges, what their thought processes are, and how they work on a team or deal with difficult situations. Plus, many of these are fun interview questions because they allow candidates to inject their personality and professional experiences into the answers.

Recruiters report spending approximately 66% of their hiring time on interviews, making it the most important aspect of the process. Using behavioral-based interview questions is useful in obtaining essential information, requiring candidates to provide concrete examples from their past experiences to demonstrate their skills and abilities.

Using the STAR Method

When it comes to responding to behavioral interview questions, the STAR method is a popular technique used to help candidates provide structured and meaningful answers to behavioral questions. It serves as a framework to organize responses in a clear and concise manner, enabling candidates to showcase their skills and competencies effectively.

Why a Hiring Manager Asks Behavioral Questions

Hiring managers ask behavioral questions to help them gain a deeper understanding of a candidate’s skills, abilities, and personal qualities that might not be evident from their resume or cover letter alone. Interviewees are looking for key indicators in a candidate’s response that reveals how they would align with the company’s values and needs.

25 Common Behavioral Interview Questions

1. what is the best idea you’ve contributed to a team project.

What they’re looking for: Ability to engage in productive teamwork, solve problems, and think outside the box

Example response: At my previous company, we were working on streamlining the customer service process. Our team was responsible for reducing response time and improving overall customer satisfaction. After analyzing the current process, I noticed the flaws in our current process and researched a new categorization system to automate this system. I knew this would free up valuable time for our team to focus on addressing customers more effectively. Once we had the system in place, we were able to reduce the average response time by 40% and increase our customer satisfaction ratings by 20%.

2. Tell me about a time you made an unpopular decision. How did you implement it?

What they’re looking for: Effective communication and leadership skills

3. Tell me about a time you had to solve a complex problem.

What they’re looking for: Problem-solving, conflict resolution, adaptability, and management skills

4. Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult colleague.

What they’re looking for: Teamwork, communication, and conflict resolution skills

5. Give me an example of a time when you had to manage multiple priorities.

What they’re looking for: Time management and organization skills

6. Tell me about a time when you had to adapt to a significant change in your work environment.

What they’re looking for: Adaptability and flexibility skills

7. Describe a situation when you took on a leadership role.

What they’re looking for: Leadership, management, and communication skills

8. Give me an example of a time when you had to handle a conflict between two team members.

What they’re looking for: Conflict resolution, management, and communication skills

9. Tell me about a time when you had to communicate complex information to a non-expert audience.

What they’re looking for: Client relation, communication, and interpersonal skills

10. Tell me about a time when you had to handle a difficult customer or client.

What they’re looking for: Customer service and client relations skills

11. Can you give an example of a professional decision that you regret?

What they’re looking for: Self-awareness, integrity, and a growth mindset

12. Can you give me an example of a time when you showed initiative at work?

What they’re looking for: Initiative, motivation, and leadership skills

Example response: In my previous role, I noticed that our team was struggling with time management due to frequent and disorganized meetings. I took the initiative to propose and implement a streamlined meeting structure that included time-blocked segments and specific protocols. This meeting organization change resulted in more efficient and productive meetings and improved time management for the entire team.

13. Share a situation where you had to handle multiple tasks or projects simultaneously.

14. tell me about a time when you had to deal with a sudden change in priorities..

What they’re looking for: Adaptability, organization, and management skills

15. Describe a situation where you had to persuade someone to see things your way.

What they’re looking for: Communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills

16. How have you handled a situation where you disagreed with a coworker?

What they’re looking for: Adaptability, flexibility, communication, and interpersonal skills

17. Can you share an example of a time when you had to give constructive feedback?

What they’re looking for: Leadership, communication, and management skills

18. Tell me about a time when you had to learn a new skill quickly.

What they’re looking for: Management and problem-solving skills

19. Describe a situation where you had to deal with a tight deadline.

20. describe a situation where you had to make a decision with limited information. .

What they’re looking for: Problem-solving and decision-making skills

21. Describe a project where you had to collaborate with a diverse group of people.

What they’re looking for: Teamwork, collaboration, and leadership skills

22. How have you handled a situation where you disagreed with your manager’s decision?

What they’re looking for: Communication, interpersonal, and ethics skills

23. Provide an example of a time you made a mistake at work. How did you handle it?

What they’re looking for: Growth mindset and integrity

24. In the past, how did you handle interruptions and distractions at work?

What they’re looking for: Time management, organization, and motivation skills

25. Describe your professional goal-setting process.

What they’re looking for: Motivation and organization skills

How to Prepare for Behavioral Interview Questions

Preparing for an interview with behavioral questions involves reflecting on your past experiences and organizing your thoughts to effectively showcase your skills and abilities.

20+ Behavioral Interview Questions and Answers

By Laura-Ann Burgess

Published: June 16, 2023

Interview Preparation

Laura-Ann Burgess

Writer & Career Coach

Behavioral interview questions have become increasingly common in today’s competitive job market. These questions are designed to go beyond assessing qualifications and experience to gain deeper insights into a candidate’s personality, skills, and potential fit within an organization. By evaluating past behavior with behavioral questioning, employers can predict future performance. That’s what makes behavioral interviewing so much more effective for businesses!

In this article, we’ll explore the significance of behavioral interview questions and provide a curated list of 20+ questions (with sample answers) to help you ace that next interview.

What are behavioral interview questions?

Behavioral interview questions evaluate how candidates have behaved in past circumstances as an indicator of their likely future performance. Unlike hypothetical questions, behavioral questions focus on concrete examples from your professional or personal history.

They allow hiring managers to assess your actions, behaviors and thought processes in real-life scenarios. Employers believe that past behavior is a reliable predictor of future behavior, helping them gauge your potential for success and cultural alignment within their organization.

The purpose of behavioral interview questions

Behavioral interview questions serve several important purposes during the hiring process.

Assess past performance: These questions evaluate how you have approached and handled situations in the past, providing insights into your abilities, decision-making skills, and problem-solving capabilities.
Predict job fit: Employers want to ensure they are hiring candidates who align with the skills and behaviors required for the position. Behavioral questions help assess your fit by examining your past experiences and accomplishments.
Evaluate soft skills : Behavioral questions provide insights into your interpersonal skills, communication abilities, teamwork, adaptability, and leadership potential. They help employers gauge your emotional intelligence and overall fit within the organization’s culture.
Promote authenticity: By drawing from real-life situations, behavioral questions allow interviewers to gain an accurate understanding of who you are as a candidate. They help differentiate authentic responses from rehearsed or fabricated ones.
Compare candidates: Behavioral questions provide a standardized approach for comparing candidates objectively. By asking each candidate the same or similar questions, employers can evaluate and compare their responses side by side.

Types of behavioral interview questions

Behavioral interview questions can be categorized into different types, each aiming to uncover various aspects of your skills and experiences.

There are hundreds of behavioral questions that might be asked, dependent on the role you’re applying for, the interviewer, and more.

For the sake of this comprehensive guide, let’s explore four primary categories of behavioral interview questions and provide five sample questions with answers for each category.

1. Situation-Based Questions

Describe a time when you faced a challenging deadline. how did you prioritize tasks and ensure timely completion.

Sample Answer:

“As a project manager , I faced a challenging deadline where I needed to deliver a complex design project before we closed for December. I broke down the project into smaller milestones, created a detailed timeline, and delegated responsibilities to team members. By closely monitoring progress, addressing roadblocks, and fostering collaboration, we successfully met the deadline.”

Share an experience where you had to handle a difficult team member or coworker. How did you approach the situation and resolve conflicts?

“I once experienced friction with a colleague when I was promoted to a position in the team that she had had in mind for herself. I initiated a conversation with the individual privately, actively listened, acknowledged their concerns, and worked together to find common ground. By facilitating team-building activities and open communication channels, we resolved conflicts and improved overall productivity.”

Tell me about a time when you had to adapt to a significant change at work. How did you approach the situation and ensure a smooth transition?

“During a major software system upgrade, I educated myself about the new system, organized training sessions, provided ongoing support, and communicated regularly about the progress and benefits of the change. By fostering a positive mindset and maintaining open lines of communication, we navigated the transition successfully.”

Describe a situation where you had to make a difficult decision with limited information. How did you approach the decision-making process, and what was the outcome?

“During a product development project, I was faced with a critical decision regarding the selection of a key feature, but I had limited information about customer preferences and market trends. I gathered available data, consulted stakeholders, weighed risks and benefits, and considered the impact on other projects and team members. Making an informed choice based on the available information, I prioritized the best interests of the company and achieved a successful outcome.”

Share an example of a project or initiative you led that did not go as planned. What were the challenges, and how did you handle them?

“I led a product launch that faced unexpected supply chain disruptions, leading to delays. I quickly identified alternative suppliers, coordinated with the production team, and communicated the revised timeline to stakeholders. By managing expectations and maintaining transparency, we minimized the impact and successfully launched the product.”

2. Problem-Solving Questions

Describe a time when you had to take the initiative to solve a complex problem. what steps did you take, and what was the result.

“When our customer service department experienced a high volume of complaints, I proactively analyzed the root causes, implemented process improvements, and provided additional training to the team. As a result, customer satisfaction increased by 20% within three months.”

Share an experience where you had to resolve a challenging technical issue. How did you approach the problem, and what was the outcome?

“When our company’s website experienced a critical functionality issue, I collaborated with the development team, conducted a thorough investigation, and identified the root cause. By implementing a solution and performing rigorous testing, we successfully resolved the issue, resulting in improved website performance and user experience.”

Tell me about a time when you had to find a creative solution to a problem. How did you approach the situation, and what was the impact of your solution?

“In a marketing campaign, our budget was significantly reduced. I brainstormed with the team and proposed an innovative social media strategy that leveraged user-generated content. By utilizing cost-effective methods and engaging our audience, we achieved a 30% increase in brand awareness within the limited budget.”

Describe a situation where you had to handle a dissatisfied customer or client. How did you address their concerns and ensure their satisfaction?

“I had an issue once with a customer who became heated regarding an order that was repeatedly filled incorrectly. I actively listened to the customer, empathized with their frustrations, and offered a solution tailored to their needs. By promptly resolving their issues and following up to ensure their satisfaction, I turned their negative experience into a positive one and retained their business.”

Share an example of a time when you had to work under pressure or meet tight deadlines. How did you stay focused and ensure the quality of your work?

“During a client presentation, unexpected technical difficulties arose. I remained calm, quickly assessed the situation, communicated the issue to the team, and identified a workaround. By adapting to the circumstances and maintaining composure, we successfully delivered the presentation and received positive feedback.”

3. Teamwork and Collaboration Questions

Describe a situation where you had to collaborate with a diverse group of individuals. how did you ensure effective communication and collaboration.

“In a cross-functional project with a number of diverse departments, I established regular communication channels, clarified roles and responsibilities, encouraged open dialogue, and recognized and respected diverse perspectives. By fostering an inclusive environment, we achieved successful collaboration and delivered the project on time.”

Share an experience where you had to work as part of a team to achieve a common goal. How did you contribute to the team’s success?

“As a member of a sales team, I actively participated in brainstorming sessions, offered creative ideas, and supported team members in implementing strategies. By leveraging our collective strengths and maintaining open communication, we exceeded our sales targets.”

Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a conflict within a team. How did you approach the situation, and what was the outcome?

“I was the leader of a design team, but two members seemed constantly to be in conflict. I organized a team meeting to address the conflict, allowed each team member to express their concerns, and facilitated a constructive discussion to find common ground. By promoting understanding and encouraging compromise, we resolved the conflict and strengthened team dynamics.”

Describe a situation where you had to delegate tasks to team members. How did you ensure clarity, accountability, and the successful completion of the project?

“As a project leader for a digital marketing team, I clearly communicated the project goals, individual responsibilities, and deadlines to team members. I regularly checked progress, provided support and resources when needed, and held team members accountable. By fostering a sense of ownership and providing guidance, we achieved successful project completion.”

Share an example of a time when you had to provide constructive feedback to a team member. How did you approach the situation, and what was the impact of your feedback?

“I once led a team on which one individual consistently failed to pull their weight. scheduled a one-on-one meeting with the team member, framed the feedback constructively, and highlighted specific areas for improvement. I also offered guidance and support to help them develop the necessary skills. By providing actionable feedback and mentoring, the team member showed significant growth and improvement in their performance.”

4. Leadership and Initiative Questions

Describe a situation where you took the initiative to implement a new process or improve an existing one. what steps did you take, and what were the results.

“Recognizing inefficiencies in our project management system, I conducted research, proposed a new software solution, and gained buy-in from key stakeholders. By leading the implementation process and providing training to team members, we streamlined our workflow, resulting in a 20% increase in project efficiency”.

Share an experience where you had to lead a team through a challenging project or task. How did you motivate and guide your team to achieve success?

“As a project leader, I once had to revise a complex project from which a significant portion of funding had been withdrawn. I established clear goals, communicated expectations, and provided continuous support and feedback to team members. By recognizing their contributions, fostering a positive team culture, and addressing challenges proactively, we successfully innovated to complete the project within the new budget and received accolades from stakeholders.”

Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision that had a significant impact on your team or organization. How did you approach the decision-making process, and what were the outcomes?

“When our department faced budget cuts, I analyzed various cost-saving measures, consulted with team members, and made the difficult decision to restructure our operations. By communicating transparently, minimizing job losses, and reallocating resources strategically, we maintained productivity and achieved a 15% cost reduction.”

Describe a situation where you had to lead a team through change or transition. How did you manage resistance and ensure a smooth transition?

“During a company-wide rebranding initiative, I established a clear vision, communicated the rationale behind the change, and actively involved team members in the decision-making process. By addressing concerns, providing support, and celebrating milestones, we successfully navigated the transition and embraced the new brand identity.”

Share an example of a time when you mentored or coached a team member to help them achieve their full potential. How did you approach the mentoring process, and what were the outcomes?

“I identified a team member with untapped potential, provided guidance, and assigned them challenging projects to foster growth. I also offered constructive feedback, encouraged continuous learning, and supported their professional development. As a result, the team member gained new skills, took on leadership roles, and received a promotion within the organization.”

Tips for answering behavioral interview questions

Prepare by reviewing your past experiences and identifying relevant examples. According to a number of studies over the past decade, the use of storytelling techniques in interviews can significantly enhance candidates’ chances of success.
Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers.
Be specific and provide detailed examples to demonstrate your skills and abilities.
Highlight your actions and contributions in each situation.
Focus on positive outcomes and lessons learned from challenges.
Showcase your ability to collaborate, problem-solve, and take initiative.
Tailor your answers to align with the job requirements and company values.
Practice your responses to gain confidence and articulate your thoughts effectively.
Listen actively to the interviewer’s questions and provide concise and relevant answers.
Follow up with a thank-you note after the interview to express your appreciation.

Behavioral interview questions offer valuable insights into a candidate’s past behavior, allowing employers to assess their potential fit, problem-solving abilities , interpersonal skills, and leadership qualities .

By preparing well-crafted answers based on your experiences, you can demonstrate your capabilities and stand out during the interview process. Remember to provide specific examples, highlight your actions and outcomes, and showcase your ability to learn from challenges and successes.

With thorough preparation and confident delivery, you can ace your behavioral interviews and increase your chances of landing that dream role!

You are one of a kind, and offer a unique combination of strengths and skills to the roles you fill, all of which are a result of your past experiences and who you really are. Telling your story and sharing your truth during a behavioral interview is your one and only chance to shine–use it!

About the Author

Problem solving behavioral interview questions

, Director at Gingko Bioworks, ex-BCG

Published: February 23, 2022

Case questions | Behavioral questions | Sample questions

Problem solving is a key set of skills tested in behavioral interviews. And most companies will test this in both behavioral *and* case interviews.

Cases interviews evaluate specific problem solving attributes: logic, focus, rigor, process .

Behavioral problem solving questions evaluate another: intuition, proactiveness, scrappyness, impact-oriented .

Both cohorts of qualities I listed above are valued in candidates and this is why there are two ways to test:

Case questions -> testing the more intellectual attributes
Behavioral questions -> testing the the creative problem solving attributes

Intellectual & creative problem solving: Why both?

Problem scenarios that require intellect and technical skill are a critical aspect of the types of jobs you are likely applying for. That’s why case studies are incorporated into the hiring process. It’s a sure-fire way to test technical ability and skill in addition to how well someone may talk about a skill - i.e., “Can this candidate walk the talk in the way that we need them to?”

However, case-study-style problems do not represent the full reality of what it takes to excel in a role and add unique value to the company (which is what top companies want from their hires). There are problem-solving opportunities that occur in between assignments that can really move the needle for a team, a product line, and a business!

This duality in problem solving exists across Consulting, Product Management, Product Marketing, and Strategy & BizOps…among other fields and roles too.

Let’s dive in.

Problem solving through a case question (Top)

Not every role type will have case studies as part of the interview process, but most of the roles that we cater to in the RocketBlocks modules will.

Example case interview question #1: How would you improve the experience at Instagram for Content Creators?

As an open-ended case question, this one does not have a singular correct answer. What the interviewer looks for here is how well you would structure an approach to solving this problem well.

Let’s look at how a good response to this can exemplify each of the following attributes of an intellectual problem-solver:

Breakdown of how an intellectual problem solver approaches a case interview question.

By bringing these qualities to life through your case response, the more likely the interviewers will believe that you have what it takes to do the role exceptionally well.

Problem solving in behavioral interviews (Top)

Case interviews do not illuminate the problem-solving scenarios that show up more organically, in between discrete assignments and “business as usual”. Creative problem-solving is how you proactively bring an energy to the table that catalyzes positive change around you.

As you’ve probably figured out by now, these behavioral modules (i.e., Leadership, Collaboration, and Problem-solving) are not mutually exclusive. For example, being a great creative problem solver is oftentimes an attribute of a great leader. The “in-between” problem-solving is really what separates candidates from the pack. These moments can exist in so many different ways - both inside of a job in your professional life and outside of a job in your personal life. Both are fair game in answering behavioral interview questions, unless the interviewer is specifying on-the-job moments. Even in that instance, if your strongest example of exceptional instinct and impact was how you managed a family situation, you could run with that in an interview and be crafty in how you tie that back to how you approach things in your work.

Most likely, you have some great examples in the arsenal, even if you aren’t fully aware of it yet. Check out some examples of behavioral questions below and the response notes in the table to get the juices flowing.

Examples of problem solving behavioral questions: (Top)

Example question #1: tell me about a time you convinced leadership to take action on a specific problem that you identified in the organization., example question #2: tell me about a time you had to lead a project you knew very little about., example question #3: tell me about a time when you found a particularly innovative solution to a problem that your team or company was facing., example question #4: give an example of a project you worked on where the scope changed significantly. how did you handle it.

Let’s look at how responses to these types of questions bring out the attributes of a creative problem-solver:

Breakdown of how a creative problem solver approaches behavioral questions.

All of the attributes I highlighted within both intellectual and creative problem solving are a general guide. Thinking in this direction should help you bring out the best in your problem solving skills, and you may discover that you have unique attributes that have led to success in the past that aren’t mentioned here: make them shine! While intellectual problem solving is likely more tightly defined by the role and responsibilities, there are many ways you can exemplify creative problem solving, which is what makes these behavioral questions fun!

P.S. Preparing for behavioral interviews?

Get sample interview questions & example answers from PMs and consultants at Bain, Microsoft, BCG & more. Plus, guidance on how to structure your answers!

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Behavioral Interviews

40+ Behavioral Interview Questions (Tips + Sample Answers)

If you have a job interview coming up, you’re guaranteed to hear behavioral interview questions.

Behavioral interview questions assess candidates’ behavior and skills in specific situations. You’ve probably heard them a million times without even knowing: “Describe a situation when…” or “Can you recall a time when…”.

Each question aims to evaluate several skills important for the position you applied for — and the best way to answer and showcase those skills is to use the STAR (Situation–Task–Action–Result) framework.

In this article, you’ll get:

A list of 40 behavioral interview questions
Sample answers to the 10 most common behavioral interview questions
Tips on how to anticipate any behavioral question (and answer them with ease)
What to do when you’ve never experienced a situation they’re asking about

Big Interview: the best interview preparation tool

Don’t waste days compiling overused interview techniques. Get original answers to every single question you could expect.

Full List of Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral questions about teamwork and conflict resolution, describe a time when you had to handle a conflict at work..

Can you share an instance where you went over and above to help a team member?
Tell me about a time when your team achieved a significant goal.
Share an example of when you had to adapt to a team member’s working style.
How have you handled a situation where a team member was not pulling their weight?
Can you give an example of a time when your team disagreed with your decision, and how did you manage it?
How have you handled personality clashes in your team?
Talk about a time when you had to motivate a demotivated team member.

Behavioral questions about problem-solving and decision-making

Describe a situation where you had to make a tough decision with limited information.

Tell me about a time when you solved a complex problem at work.

Can you share an instance where your initial solution to a problem didn’t work, and what did you do?

Give an example of a decision you made that was a failure. What happened and why?

How did you approach a situation where you had multiple problems to solve at the same time?
Discuss a situation where you implemented a creative solution to an issue.
Can you describe a time when you had to choose between two viable solutions?
Share an instance where you relied on your analytical skills to solve a problem.

Behavioral questions about leadership and management

Can you describe a situation where you led a project or a team to success?
Tell me about a time when you needed to get a team to improve its performance.
Share an experience of leading a team through a major organizational change.

Discuss a situation when you had to lead under pressure or a tight deadline.

How have you handled a non-performing team member?
Can you give an example of a time when you had to address an angry client or customer?
Describe how you have delegated tasks effectively in a past position.
Tell me about a time when you mentored or coached someone.

Behavioral questions about communication

Tell me about a time when you had to simplify complex information for a team or a client..

How have you persuaded someone to see things your way at work?
Give an example of how you handle communicating negative news to a team or a client.
Share an example where you had to give a presentation or a speech.
Can you share an instance where your communication skills helped avoid or resolve a situation?

Can you describe a difficult conversation you’ve had at work and its outcomes?

Describe a time when you effectively used written communication.
How have you handled communicating with a diverse group of individuals?

Behavioral questions about initiative, ownership, and motivation

Can you provide an example of when a project or an idea you initiated benefited your team or organization.

Describe a time when you volunteered to expand your knowledge at work, without being asked.
Tell me about a time when you worked under close supervision or without supervision.
Talk about a project or task you started on your own initiative.
Tell me a situation when you saw some problem and took the initiative to correct it rather than waiting for someone else to do it.
Can you detail a situation when you had to go above your normal duties to get a job done?
Share an instance where your self-motivation helped you achieve a professional goal.
Describe a time when you stayed motivated despite a challenging work situation or environment.

10 Most Common Behavioral Questions with Sample Answers

Sample answer (all-purpose):.

For more tips on how to answer questions about conflict, check out this video:

Tell me about a time when you or your team achieved a significant goal.

Sample answer (hospital administrator):, sample answer (accountant):, sample answer (hr):, sample answer (graphic design):.

Here are some more behavioral questions about leadership you might hear:

Sample answer (Retail):

Find more customer service questions here:

Sample answer (Marketing):

Sample answer (sales):, sample answer (executive assistant):, sample answer (graphic design), how to answer behavioral interview questions: tips and tricks, anticipate behavioral questions.

There are a lot of different behavioral questions. Preparing for every single one is not possible — but there’s a way to narrow down and anticipate which behavioral questions you’ll hear.

The key is in the job description.

Study the job description and think about the role in order to predict the type of interview questions you might hear.

What skills would a person need to have to be successful in this role? How would their working day look? Which roles and departments would they work with?

Let’s take a look at this Customer Representative job ad. Underlined in red are some key skills and responsibilities of the role.

They match the skills listed for the position:

So, here are some keywords from this job ad:

Customer service
Highly motivated
Ability to multitask
Strong organizational and follow-through abilities
Superior communication skills
Time and task organization

Following that, you can expect questions based on examining these skills.

Here are some behavioral questions you might hear when interviewing for this position:

Can you share an example of a situation where you had to adjust your plans due to unforeseen circumstances? How did you manage to stay organized and ensure the project’s completion?

More tips below:

✅ AI Hack:

We tested AI for predicting behavioral questions based on a job ad. It was a success – it accurately predicted the majority of the questions we asked candidates in an interview.

Here’s how you can use AI to predict what behavioral questions you might hear in an interview.

You’ll need to provide it with the job description and write a good prompt.

If you’re using a GPT proxy via API such as Chatbotui or YakGPT, you can set the “system prompt” that will be valid for all the questions you ask AI. This is also possible with the paid OpenAI ChatGPT account. Just go to Settings (when you click on the circle with your name) and click Customize ChatGPT.

Paste this paragraph here:

If you don’t have this option, you can just type it as a pre-prompt in the text editor.

And then use the prompt:

I’m preparing for a job interview for a [job title] role. I’m expecting to be asked some behavioral interview questions. I would like to prepare for the ones most likely to be asked. Give me a list of possible behavioral interview questions based on the job description pasted below.

Here’s the job description:

[paste the job description here].

Create a list of situations

Think about the situation in question: have you ever experienced it? How did you behave and what skills did you display?

For example, for the question in the example above “Can you give an example of a time when you had to address an angry client or customer?”, you’ll need to:

Think of a story when you had to interact with an angry customer, including details on why they were angry, what happened, how you handled the situation, and what was the result.
Think of key skills this question is trying to assess: great communication skills, persuasiveness, patience, staying calm under pressure, empathy, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and accountability.

✅ Pro tip: When you create a list of interesting stories related to your successes, failures, and skills, you don’t have to tie them to a single interview question. In case you don’t get this exact question, the story will be useless.

Instead, make it flexible enough so that it reflects several important skills you can use for several questions.

Of course, you can’t use the same story more than once in an interview, but if you keep this in mind, you’ll have more options to choose from, and you’ll be covered for just about any scenario.

Now, let’s learn how to craft an answer using the elements we covered so far.

Use the STAR method

Great news: there’s an easy template you can use to answer behavioral questions.

It’s called the STAR method. For a detailed guide with a bunch of useful sample answers, check out this article: The STAR Interview Method: How to Answer + Examples .

STAR stands for Situation–Task–Action–Result. Following this formula will help you create informative but concise, structured, and interesting answers.

Situation – This is the beginning of each answer, and here you have to set the context. Describe only the factors relevant to the story, and aim for this part to make up for 15% of the answer.
Task – Here, you introduce the problem and your role in the situation, as well as how you intended to solve that problem. This part takes up 10% of the entire answer.
Action – Here, you detail, step-by-step, exactly what you did to solve the problem. Be specific and provide details about how you did it. The “Action” part makes up for around 60% of your answer. It is by far the most important element, so pay close attention to it and display your problem-solving skills .
Result – In this final part of your answer (15% of the entire STAR answer), outline the results of your efforts. Quantifying it will bring you bonus points, but qualitative results are fine too. You also need to include the lessons you learned from the experience. This is particularly important when answering tricky questions about conflict, failure, or weaknesses. By including the lessons learned, you’re showcasing you’re a mature individual open to feedback who learns from their experiences and is easy to work with.

More details about the STAR format here:

Deliver your answers with confidence

Practicing your STAR answer for each question 2-3 times will make you confident, as you’ll know how to form your answer and how to deliver it in an interesting way.

You can practice with your friend, in front of a mirror, or if you want objective, career coach backed advice, use our Mock Interview Simulator .

You can practice by choosing different competencies and skill groups (leadership, critical thinking, communication skills, and much more).

You’ll get tailored, actionable feedback to help you get better in no time:

Inside Big Interview's mock interview tool

For more details on how to answer behavioral questions, check out this video:

Mistakes to avoid

Now that you know what to do to properly answer behavioral questions, here’s what to avoid.

Giving vague answers

This will be a red flag to interviewers and they’ll suspect you’re making the story up because you can’t provide details on the spot. So make sure to be honest, use real-life examples, and provide as many details as you can using the STAR method.

Coming unprepared

Interviewers will not hunt you down – you’ll reveal yourself instantly if you come to a job interview unprepared. Stuttering, avoiding eye contact, jitters, nervous leg shaking, inability to provide details, incoherent answers, all of this will hint you didn’t take the time to do your homework. To avoid this, learn how to prepare for an interview in 8 steps .

Using AI-generated responses

Using AI to create an answer and then learn it by heart is not a good idea. AI doesn’t have your unique experience, points of view, and personality. It will never be able to come up with a good enough story. You will get generic, soulless stories that interviewers have already heard a thousand times – and once your interview is over, they won’t remember you.

Using AI can be helpful to think of skills to focus your story around, but it’s best to come up with genuine responses by yourself. That’s the only way to show your authenticity and personality. Plus, if interviewers start asking additional questions, it will be difficult for you to elaborate on something AI thought of. You’ll become inconsistent with your answer and raise a bunch of red flags.

What to Do If You Never Experienced a Situation They Ask You About

Afraid you won’t know how to answer a question because you’ve never been in that situation before? Here’s what to do.

Say you’ve never been in that situation before

If you try to play it cool and think of a fake story on the spot, you’ll end up confused and your answer won’t be convincing.

That’s why you need to be honest and openly say you never had such an experience before.

This doesn’t mean you don’t have to answer that question, or make this the main focus of your answer – it’s just you making sure they understand you can’t give them a real-life situation.

After this, you can continue with your answer. Here’s how.

Give a hypothetical scenario

It’s simple: imagine you’re in the situation from the question, show that you understand the complexity of the situation, and then describe, step-by-step, how you would behave.

If you can, you can use the STAR answer. If not, it’s not the end of the world.

Just make sure you’re specific and detailed, and discuss your approach to the problem in question.

Finally, try to figure out what skill this question is trying to assess and make sure to display that skill in your answer.

Btw, there’s a separate group of questions called situational or scenario-based questions. They typically begin with “Imagine that…”, or “What would you do if…”, give you a scenario, and you have to come up with an answer.

Although they’re obviously not the same as behavioral questions, if you get a behavioral question and you never experienced a situation from it – it becomes a scenario-based question for you. Fun, huh?

Read a detailed guide on these questions and how to answer them here: Situational Interview Questions: Sample Answers & Tips .

Draw from a similar experience

In this case, you can tell them that you experienced something similar, but not quite the same.

Then, you should go on and describe how you reacted in that situation, including details and a step-by-step explanation.

Just like for the hypothetical scenario, figure out what skills they’re trying to assess and focus on that.

You can also draw parallels between that scenario and the scenario from the behavioral question, outlining similarities and discussing your behavior, or acknowledging the differences and saying how you’d react.

It’s also possible to base your answer on someone else’s story. If your friend, a coworker, or a family member had that (or similar) situation before, you can briefly describe it. Then, you can go on and explain if you agree with that approach, what you think about it, if you would do something differently and why, etc.

Summary of the Main Points

Behavioral interview questions are the questions that begin with “Tell me about a time when…” “Can you recall a situation in which…” “Talk about a time when…” “Give an example of a time when…”
These questions focus on your past behavior in order to predict how you’ll behave in the future.
Each question aims to assess one or several skills important for the position – and you can roughly predict the questions you might hear based on the job description.
Create a list of stories/situations in which you displayed a skill, achieved something, avoided something, failed, etc. It will make it easier to come up with answers.
Use the STAR method to answer behavioral interview questions.
Avoid being too vague in your answers, making up stories, and coming to the interview unprepared.
If you’ve never been in a situation they asked about, be honest and openly tell them.
Then continue by giving a hypothetical scenario, outlining how you would react or why; or you can draw from a similar experience, find parallels and differences with the situation in question, and discuss them.

_____________________________

Need a hand? There’s 3 ways we can help you:

Learn how to answer “What are your salary expectations?” .
Learn how to calm interview anxiety before your next interview .
Getting invited to interviews but not landing the job? Discover actionable lessons and interview practice here (Rated with 4.9/5 by 1,000,000 users).

What are scenario-based questions, and are they any different from behavioral questions?

Scenario-based interview questions are different from behavioral interview questions because they focus on hypothetical situations (“What would you do if…”) while behavioral questions focus on things that actually happened (“Tell me about a time when…”). For this reason, it might be easier to answer behavioral interview questions because you will base them on your actual experience, making the answer more detailed and credible.

Which behavioral questions are the most difficult to answer?

That depends on your experience, communication skills, and level of preparedness. If you get a question about a situation you’ve never been in, it might be tricky to answer. If you don’t prepare for behavioral questions in advance, it will get even harder. Additionally, candidates usually find behavioral questions about conflict, failures, and weaknesses to be difficult. But we provided useful tips for successfully answering these questions nonetheless — just scroll up.

How can I answer a behavioral question if it refers to a situation that never happened to me?

You can openly say that you’ve never been in that situation, but you’ll give a prediction on how you’d react. Then you can talk about what you would do and how you would react. Additionally, you can mention related experiences from the past that demonstrate the skills the initial question is trying to test. You can also emphasize transferable skills: for example, if you get a leadership question, but you’ve never been in a leadership position, you can talk about a time when you displayed problem-solving, decision-making, and communication skills — all of which are crucial for a leadership position.

Can I use examples from my professional career to answer behavioral questions?

Yes, you should base all your answers on your professional career. Alternatively, if you don’t have years of experience, you can use examples from your academic past or personal life, if they illustrate relevant skills that behavioral questions are trying to assess.

What if I don’t understand a behavioral question I’m being asked?

Ask for clarification — it’s much better than giving a weak, vague answer that will prove you didn’t understand the question in the first place. You can also rephrase the question to make sure you understand it, take your time to think about it, and stay calm and confident.

Do I have to use the STAR method for answering all behavioral questions? Are there alternatives?

The STAR method is the most suitable method for answering all behavioral questions, as it covers key aspects you need to talk about. Some STAR alternatives you can use are called the SOAR (Situation–Obstacle–Action–Result) approach, SAO (Situation–Action–Outcome) method, or PAR (Problem–Action–Result) framework. But if you think about it, they are very, very similar to the STAR (Situation–Task–Action–Result) method — all those techniques are based on providing context, explaining what you did, and showcasing the final result.

Maja Stojanovic

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Problem solving behavioral interview questions

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Problem solving behavioral interview questions was originally published on RocketBlocks .

Case questions | Behavioral questions | Sample questions

Problem solving is a key set of skills tested in behavioral interviews. And most companies will test this in both behavioral *and* case interviews.

Cases interviews evaluate specific problem solving attributes: logic, focus, rigor, process .

Behavioral problem solving questions evaluate another: intuition, proactiveness, scrappyness, impact-oriented .

Intellectual & creative problem solving: Why both?

Problem scenarios that require intellect and technical skill are a critical aspect of the types of jobs you are likely applying for. That’s why case studies are incorporated into the hiring process. It’s a sure-fire way to test technical ability and skill in addition to how well someone may talk about a skill – i.e., “Can this candidate walk the talk in the way that we need them to?”

This duality in problem solving exists across Consulting, Product Management, Product Marketing, and Strategy & BizOps…among other fields and roles too.

Let’s dive in.

Problem solving through a case question (Top)

Not every role type will have case studies as part of the interview process, but most of the roles that we cater to in the RocketBlocks modules will.

Example case interview question #1: How would you improve the experience at Instagram for Content Creators?

As an open-ended case question, this one does not have a singular correct answer. What the interviewer looks for here is how well you would structure an approach to solving this problem well.

Let’s look at how a good response to this can exemplify each of the following attributes of an intellectual problem-solver:

By bringing these qualities to life through your case response, the more likely the interviewers will believe that you have what it takes to do the role exceptionally well.

Problem solving in behavioral interviews (Top)

As you’ve probably figured out by now, these behavioral modules (i.e., Leadership, Collaboration, and Problem-solving) are not mutually exclusive. For example, being a great creative problem solver is oftentimes an attribute of a great leader. The “in-between” problem-solving is really what separates candidates from the pack. These moments can exist in so many different ways – both inside of a job in your professional life and outside of a job in your personal life. Both are fair game in answering behavioral interview questions, unless the interviewer is specifying on-the-job moments. Even in that instance, if your strongest example of exceptional instinct and impact was how you managed a family situation, you could run with that in an interview and be crafty in how you tie that back to how you approach things in your work.

Examples of problem solving behavioral questions: (Top)

Let’s look at how responses to these types of questions bring out the attributes of a creative problem-solver:

Back Next: Culture fit interviews

8 Problem-Solving Interview Questions You Should Ask

“In today’s fast-paced digital world…” blah blah blah. We get it. We’re all living it. The world is changing so fast . And while you might be tired of hearing it, it does affect your business and the people who work daily to move it forward.

90% of the world’s data was generated within the past two years alone, and employers need professionals who can cope with that kind of change. It’s part of the reason why problem-solving skills are more critical now than ever.

Of course, having the right people starts with who and how you hire.

To find the best problem solvers, hiring managers rely on problem-solving interview questions and skills tests. In the interview, asking various behavioral-type questions can help assess a candidate’s ability to analyze complex situations, think critically, and develop innovative solutions.

Unsure what to ask and how to identify great problem solvers who aren’t afraid of the changes ahead? We’re about to explore eight different types of problem-solving interview questions and answers, how to identify any red flags in candidate answers, and a quick-fire list of tips to ensure you bring the best aboard your organization.

TL;DR — Key Takeaways

Problem-solving interview questions are designed to assess a candidate’s ability to think critically, analyze situations, and find innovative solutions.
Hiring managers use problem-solving questions in the job interview to evaluate critical skills and competencies such as analytical thinking, decision-making, adaptability, creativity, collaboration, and communication.
A predictor of future job performance is past performance. By understanding how they have dealt with problems in the past, you can get a better picture of how they might apply those skills to your organization.
Red flags to watch out for during the job interview include a lack of specific examples, vague or generalized answers, limited adaptability, poor decision-making, lack of collaboration or communication skills, and limited initiative or creativity.
Tips for using problem-solving questions to screen candidates include asking job-specific questions, encouraging candidates to use the STAR method, asking different types of problem-solving questions, and preparing responses.
Interviews are great for top-level evaluation of problem-solving skills, but if you want to get to the bottom of candidates’ job-specific competencies and have reliable data to compare top candidates, try skills assessments instead!

People with strong problem solving skills will structure their answers, for example, using the STAR method.

Problem-solving interview questions to ask candidates

We’ll explain more about why each question is important to ask and how to assess candidate answers below, but if you’re in a hurry and need questions now, here are eight great problem-solving questions to ask candidates:

Recall a difficult problem or challenging situation you encountered in a previous role. How did you analyze the problem, and what steps did you take to arrive at a solution?
Walk me through your problem-solving process. Explain your personal approach to problem-solving by taking me through the steps you typically follow.
Share an instance where you needed to make a quick decision to resolve an urgent problem. How did you decide on a course of action, and what was the outcome?
Give me an example of a time when you had to think outside the box to solve a problem. How did you approach the situation differently or creatively, and what was the outcome?
Describe a situation where you had to work with a team to solve a complex problem. Detail your role and contributions to the team’s overall success in finding a solution.
Can you share an example of a project or task where you had to overcome unexpected obstacles or challenges? How did you adapt and find a solution?
Give me an example of a time when you identified a recurring problem in a process or system. What steps did you take to address the issue and prevent it from happening again?
Tell me about a situation where you had to prioritize multiple tasks or projects with competing deadlines. How did you prioritize and allocate your time to ensure the successful completion of all tasks?

Weave these questions naturally into the interview flow. When evaluating a candidate’s response, look for clarity, creativity, and logical reasoning.

What are problem-solving interview questions?

Problem-solving interview questions are a type of behavioral question used to assess a candidate’s ability to think critically, gather and analyze data, and work through logical solutions. There often is no right or wrong answer , but a strong answer will check the boxes by explaining how they would come to a solution by walking through all the relevant steps.

questions can take many different forms, but they all share a common goal: to evaluate an individual's problem-solving skills in a specific context

For example, a problem-solving question might ask the candidate to describe a time when they had to change their planned course of action at the last moment. The interviewer is interested in not only hearing about how the candidate solved the specific problem but also in learning more about their problem-solving approach and what they did to manage the unexpected change.

It is often thought that past employee behavior can predict the future. That’s why problem-solving interview questions are often designed to elicit specific examples from the candidate’s own work experience. By talking through concrete examples, interviewers can better understand the candidate’s problem-solving abilities and how they might apply those skills to the job at hand.

Why interviewers ask problem-solving interview questions

For most hiring managers, the interview is a critical step in the hiring process. In addition to using skills assessments to screen candidates for problem-solving skills, they need to ask problem-solving interview questions to get a deeper understanding of this skill.

Probing questions help hiring managers evaluate candidates’ critical thinking skills , providing insight into how well they might perform on the job. This approach enables interviewers to understand the candidate’s problem-solving competency and the methods that they adopt.

What can you expect as a candidate? Interviewers will likely be looking to understand your capacity to analyze information, generate innovative ideas, adapt to unexpected obstacles, make sound decisions, collaborate with others, and effectively communicate your ideas.

Overall, most effective problem-solvers demonstrate a range of other important skills, too, such as analytical thinking, decision-making, adaptability, creativity, collaboration, and communication.

8 examples of common problem-solving interview questions and answers

You didn’t think we’d leave you with just some basic information, did you? Nah. We’ve been helping teams hire effortlessly for years, and we’ve used our experience to create a list of eight types of example problem-solving questions that you can use during interviews to find the right hire.

1. The challenging situation

“ Recall a difficult problem or challenging situation you encountered in a previous role. How did you analyze the problem, and what steps did you take to arrive at a solution? “

The reason: Assesses a candidate’s ability to handle complex and challenging situations as well as their problem-solving approach, communication, and decision-making skills.

The answer: The candidate should share a specific instance of a problematic situation they faced in a previous role and describe their problem-solving approach. Specifically, they should describe how they analyzed the problem, including what information they gathered and resources they used to arrive at a solution.

Bonus points: If they can highlight any obstacles they faced and how they overcame them, as well as the positive outcomes of their solution.

2. Problem-solving process

“ Walk me through your problem-solving process. Explain your personal approach to problem-solving by taking me through the steps you typically follow. “

The reason: To better understand a candidate’s problem-solving approach and methodology.

The answer: A solid answer consists of a brief description of the candidate’s personal problem-solving approach , highlighting the steps they typically follow, different options they would consider, and resources used to make informed decisions.

Bonus points: They also mention any tools or techniques , such as the scientific method or SWOT analysis, and provide examples of times when their approach was successful.

3. Decision-making

“ Share an instance where you needed to make a quick decision to resolve an urgent problem. How did you decide on a course of action, and what was the outcome? “

The reason: Test a candidate’s decision-making and problem-solving skills in stressful and unexpected situations.

The answer: The interviewee should describe how they gathered relevant information quickly, considered various options, and arrived at an informed decision, all within a limited time frame.

Bonus points: If they can demonstrate competence in handling stressful situations , especially if the role may require it.

4. Creative thinking

“ Give me an example of a time when you had to think outside the box to solve a problem. How did you approach the situation differently or creatively, and what was the outcome? “

The reason: Understand a candidate’s ability to think creatively and innovatively when faced with a problem.

The answer: The interviewee should describe a specific situation where they used creative thinking to solve a problem. They should explain their unique approach and any unconventional ideas or solutions they came up with.

Bonus points: If they can demonstrate exactly how their creative solution contributed to a successful outcome.

5. Teamwork

“ Describe a situation where you had to work with a team to solve a complex problem. Detail your role and contributions to the team’s overall success in finding a solution. “

The reason: Understand a candidate’s ability to work collaboratively and effectively with others when solving difficult problems.

The answer: How do they narrate a particular scenario in which they worked with a team to collectively solve a complex problem, specifying their role and that of the team in arriving at a solution?

Bonus points: If they can recognize the role of others and the strength of the team over the individual in solving the problem.

6. Overcoming obstacles

“ Can you share an example of a project or task where you had to overcome unexpected obstacles or challenges? How did you adapt and find a solution? “

The reason: Handling unexpected obstacles or challenges and their problem-solving skills.

The answer: To answer this question, the interviewee should share a particular project or task where they faced unforeseen challenges or obstacles or how they adapted to the situation and found a solution.

Bonus points: If they emphasize any creative or innovative methods they employed.

Strong problem solving answers will showcase a candidate's past experience.

7. Dealing with recurring problems

“ Give me an example of a time when you identified a recurring problem in a process or system. What steps did you take to address the issue and prevent it from happening again? “

The reason: This question assesses a candidate’s ability to identify and solve recurring problems and improve processes.

The answer: The job seeker should recount a specific instance of a recurring problem they detected in a process or system .

Bonus points: If they can explain exactly how they got to the root of the problem and the steps or measures they took to prevent its recurrence .

8. Multi-tasking

“ Tell me about a situation where you had to prioritize multiple tasks or projects with competing deadlines. How did you prioritize and allocate your time to ensure the successful completion of all tasks? “

The reason: Tests a candidate’s capacity to organize, prioritize, and multitask to complete multiple assignments or tasks in a timely manner.

The answer: The interviewee should illustrate a specific instance where they successfully managed multiple projects or tasks simultaneously , elaborating on how they prioritized their workload and managed their time efficiently.

Bonus points: If they highlight any project management tools or techniques used and if the project or task was delivered on time.

Red flags for interviewers assessing problem-solving skills

Unfortunately, assessing problem-solving skills doesn’t stop at asking questions and taking notes as the candidate answers. As the hiring manager, you should be aware of red flags during an interview that could indicate weakness in a candidate’s problem-solving skills.

A lack of specific examples

If a candidate has a hard time recalling specific past problem-solving examples, this may signal they lack relevant experience they’re claiming to have or have difficulty remembering events. The latter isn’t as big of an issue, but trying to exaggerate or flat-out lie about the experience is.

Vague or generalized answers

Candidates who give vague, general, or unclear answers without describing the specifics of their problem-solving process may lack the ability to solve problems effectively. Is the candidate trying to avoid the question? When probed further, are they able to get more specific?

Limited adaptability

If the individual is unable to describe situations in which they persevered through obstacles or utilized alternate solutions, they may display an absence of resilience, unwillingness, or incapacity to be adaptable.

Poor decision-making skills

Candidates who lack the ability to explain their thought process, take into account alternative perspectives, or make unwise decisions likely possess weak decision-making skills. Look for candidates who contemplate decisions carefully, consider the pros and cons, and can articulate their reasons for choosing their final course of action.

Lack of collaboration or communication skills

Poor communication, collaboration, and teamwork skills can hinder problem-solving, especially in situations where input or feedback from stakeholders is required. This is honestly hard to gauge in just one interview, as it’s normal for candidates to feel nervous (which could come off as them lacking confidence or not being able to communicate well), so ask other questions to gauge collaboration skills.

Limited initiative or creativity

Problem solvers who stand out demonstrate initiative, creativity, and a drive to think unconventionally. Those who cannot offer examples of inventive problem-solving or use only traditional techniques may not possess the ability to come up with creative solutions.

Tips for using problem-solving questions to screen candidates

Before you run off and start asking all of the above problem-solving interview questions, there are a few more factors to consider. To be specific, context is king when it comes to speaking to interviewees during the job interview.

The tips below will help you to understand them better.

Always be sure to ask job-specific questions
Start with a robust, written job description that details all the required skills, competencies, and experience to compare with the candidate’s answers
Keep a look out for generic answers
Do they use the STAR method to structure their thinking/answers?
Ask different types of problem-solving questions
Reword the question if a candidate is having trouble answering it
Ask how they handle a situation that doesn’t have an easy outcome or answer
Inquire if they have ever had disciplinary action taken against them and how they handled it
Ask them team-related questions
Prepare responses that you can play off of their answers
Check if they have ever tried to inspire their team
It’s not out of the ordinary to ask the candidate out-of-the-box questions (How would you escape a blender?) to understand how they solve problems

You’re almost ready to integrate problem-solving questions into your job interview workflow, but there’s just one last topic to cover: Is there any pre-made test or software that can help you streamline the problem-solving interview process?

Yes, yes, there is.

Toggl Hire is the only full-cycle hiring platform purpose-built for skills-based hiring . Our candidate assessment tools are one of our most loved features. Our skills tests specifcially help you assess candidates for role-specific skills while also helping you reduce hiring bias and make confident hiring decisions.

Here’s what our expert-made problem-solving skills test looks like in our recruitment software.

Evaluating problem-solving skills beyond the interview

While interviews are a useful tool for recruiters and hiring managers to gauge candidates’ competence, they’re not quite sufficient for assessing candidates’ full skill set. That’s especially true when the role requires mastery of a certain technical or power skill, like problem-solving.

A better, more effective way to evaluate candidates ‘ abilities is to combine structured interviews with job-specific skills assessments. Here are some of the reasons why:

It allows for more objective evaluation. Interviews inherently favor candidates with advanced communication skills, charisma, and confidence. But! Just because a candidate interviews well doesn’t mean they have what it takes to succeed in the role. Sadly, the interviewer’s perception of a candidate is almost always highly influenced by the candidate’s interviewing skills. Incorporating a skills assessment can help you assess candidates’ actual abilities in role-specific tasks.
It offers a practical demonstration. Interviews often rely on a candidate’s self-reporting of their skills and past experiences. However, candidates may overstate their abilities or have difficulty articulating their skills in an interview setting. Skill-specific assessments give candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in a practical, real-world context. This allows hiring managers to see the candidate’s skills in action, which can be a more reliable indicator of their ability to perform in the role.
It guarantees consistent metrics. Assessments provide a consistent set of metrics to compare all candidates. This can help to eliminate bias and ensure fairness in the hiring process. Interviews can be more subjective and may vary greatly depending on the interviewer or the specific questions asked. Having a standardized assessment ensures that all candidates are evaluated on the same criteria.
It helps to predict job performance. Research has shown that work sample tests, which are a type of skill-specific assessment, are one of the best predictors of job performance. They can provide valuable insights into how a candidate might perform in the job beyond what can be learned from an interview alone.
It makes the hiring process more efficient. Skill-specific assessments can also make the hiring process more efficient. If a candidate performs poorly on an assessment early in the process, this could save time for both the candidate and the company by indicating that the candidate may not be the right fit for the role.

Interested in exploring a skills-based hiring approach? Get started with a free account to browse all available assessment templates and other full-cycle hiring features.

Juste loves investigating through writing. A copywriter by trade, she spent the last ten years in startups, telling stories and building marketing teams. She works at Toggl Hire and writes about how businesses can recruit really great people.

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Problem solving behavioral interview questions

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Case questions | Behavioral questions | Sample questions

Problem solving is a key set of skills tested in behavioral interviews. And most companies will test this in both behavioral *and* case interviews.

Cases interviews evaluate specific problem solving attributes: logic, focus, rigor, process .

Behavioral problem solving questions evaluate another: intuition, proactiveness, scrappiness, impact-oriented .

Intellectual & creative problem solving: Why both?

Problem scenarios that require intellect and technical skill are a critical aspect of the types of jobs you are likely applying for. That’s why case studies are incorporated into the hiring process. It’s a sure-fire way to test technical ability and skill in addition to how well someone may talk about a skill – i.e., “Can this candidate walk the talk in the way that we need them to?”

This duality in problem solving exists across Consulting, Product Management, Product Marketing, and Strategy & BizOps…among other fields and roles too.

Let’s dive in.

Problem solving through a case question

Not every role type will have case studies as part of the interview process, but most of the roles that we cater to in the RocketBlocks modules will.

Example case interview question #1: How would you improve the experience at Instagram for Content Creators?

As an open-ended case question, this one does not have a singular correct answer. What the interviewer looks for here is how well you would structure an approach to solving this problem well.

Let’s look at how a good response to this can exemplify each of the following attributes of an intellectual problem-solver:

By bringing these qualities to life through your case response, the more likely the interviewers will believe that you have what it takes to do the role exceptionally well.

Problem solving in behavioral interviews

As you’ve probably figured out by now, these behavioral modules (i.e., Leadership, Collaboration, and Problem-solving) are not mutually exclusive. For example, being a great creative problem solver is oftentimes an attribute of a great leader. The “in-between” problem-solving is really what separates candidates from the pack. These moments can exist in so many different ways – both inside of a job in your professional life and outside of a job in your personal life. Both are fair game in answering behavioral interview questions, unless the interviewer is specifying on-the-job moments. Even in that instance, if your strongest example of exceptional instinct and impact was how you managed a family situation, you could run with that in an interview and be crafty in how you tie that back to how you approach things in your work.

Examples of problem solving behavioral questions:

Let’s look at how responses to these types of questions bring out the attributes of a creative problem-solver:

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COMMENTS

Top 20 Creative Problem Solving Interview Questions & Answers
This experience reinforced the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and iterative experimentation in creative problem-solving.". 2. Describe your process for generating innovative ideas under tight deadlines. When under pressure, the ability to harness creativity systematically is crucial, especially in creative roles.
Top 20 Problem Solving Interview Questions (Example Answers Included)
MIKE'S TIP: When you're answering this question, quantify the details. This gives your answer critical context and scale, showcasing the degree of challenge and strength of the accomplishment. That way, your answer is powerful, compelling, and, above all, thorough. 2. Describe a time where you made a mistake.
7 Behavioral Interview Questions About Your Creative Thinking Skills
2. Can you give me an example of a situation where you used creative or innovative thinking to eliminate frustration with a product or process. Sample answer to show how you can develop creative solutions to a frustration problem. 3. Tell me about a time when you have had to develop a creative approach to problem solving in order to get the job ...
Problem-Solving Interview Questions: How-to + Examples
To put these skills to the test, recruiters use "problem-solving" job interview questions, also known as analytical questions. Here are some common ones: Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem. Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
Behavioral Interview Questions About Problem Solving
9. Tell us about a time when you identified a potential problem and resolved the situation before it became a serious issue. Sample answer to show you can identify problems and solve them. 10. Give a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem. Sample to show how you use logic to solve work problems.
Top 20 Creative Thinking Interview Questions & Answers
9. Provide an instance where your creative solution did not work as intended and how you addressed it. Setbacks are part of the creative journey. Discuss how you handle failures and pivot effectively, showcasing your capacity for self-reflection and your ability to manage the unexpected in dynamic work environments.
8 Common Problem-Solving Interview Questions and Answers
2. Tell me about a time when you faced an unexpected challenge at work. Tip: For this question, you'll want to choose a specific example from your work history to demonstrate your ability to be flexible while solving problems. To stay focused, you can use the STAR method to answer this question.
6 Common Problem-Solving Interview Questions and Answers
6 Common Problem-Solving Interview Questions and Answers. As you walk into a problem-solving interview, it's normal to feel nervous about what to expect. These interviews are aimed at assessing how well you can analyze a problem, develop an approach, and arrive at a solution. Employers want to see how you think, break down complex situations ...
10 Proven Problem-solving Interview Questions [+Answers]
Problem-solving interview questions show how candidates: Approach complex issues. Analyze data to understand the root of the problem. Perform under stressful and unexpected situations. React when their beliefs are challenged. Identify candidates who are results-oriented with interview questions that assess problem-solving skills. Look for ...
Problem Solving Interview Questions and Answers
You can identify behavioral questions when the interviewer starts the question with something like, "Tell me about a time …" or "What steps did you take …". Questions About Problem Solving. The best way hiring managers can learn about how organized you are is to ask you questions about your previous experiences.
Problem-Solving Interview Questions & Answers
A job interview is a great moment for interviewers to evaluate how candidates approach challenging work situations.They do this by asking problem-solving questions. These types of questions are commonly asked during interviews since problem-solving skills are essential in most jobs. In any workplace, there are challenges, and when hiring new personnel, hiring managers look for candidates who ...
45+ Behavioral Interview Questions in 2024 (+ Sample Answers)
Learn how to answer behavioral job interview questions with this article! Read on for 45+ sample questions and answers! ... 4 Questions About Problem-Solving. ... Action: "Working with two other members of my team, I decided to take a more creative approach and create a short video, a skit, to hook the audience. That was the intro, and then ...
Creative Thinking Job Interview Questions + Answers
Behavioral interview questions about your creative thinking skills are used to find out who you really are and how you go about handling certain situations. The interviewers want to get the following questions answered: ... The answer demonstrates that you are creative in problem-solving and discusses the strategy of how you approached the ...
Prove Your Problem-Solving Skills: Behavioral Interview Questions
These questions aim to uncover your past behavior to predict your future performance. To excel in these interviews, you'll want to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for answering each question. Here are 40 common behavioral interview questions along with tips on answering them: 1. Stress Management.
The Top 30 Behavioral Interview Questions to Prep For
Quickly identify the hard or soft skill or quality the interviewer is trying to learn more about. Choose a relevant story. Share your story while emphasizing the details that speak to the relevant skills. Sum up your answer with how you generally approach situations like the one the interviewer presented.
25 Important Behavioral Interview Questions (and Example Answers)
Some common topics covered by behavioral interview questions include: Problem-solving and decision-making. Leadership and management. Conflict resolution. Teamwork and collaboration. Time management and organization. Adaptability and flexibility. Communication and interpersonal skills.
20+ Behavioral Interview Questions and Answers
There are hundreds of behavioral questions that might be asked, dependent on the role you're applying for, the interviewer, and more. For the sake of this comprehensive guide, let's explore four primary categories of behavioral interview questions and provide five sample questions with answers for each category. 1. Situation-Based Questions.
Problem solving behavioral interview questions
Problem solving is a key set of skills tested in behavioral interviews. And most companies will test this in both behavioral *and* case interviews. Cases interviews evaluate specific problem solving attributes: logic, focus, rigor, process. Behavioral problem solving questions evaluate another: intuition, proactiveness, scrappyness, impact ...
40+ Behavioral Interview Questions (Tips + Sample Answers)
Summary of the Main Points. Behavioral interview questions are the questions that begin with "Tell me about a time when…" "Can you recall a situation in which…" "Talk about a time when…" "Give an example of a time when…". These questions focus on your past behavior in order to predict how you'll behave in the future.
Problem solving behavioral interview questions
Behavioral problem solving questions evaluate another: intuition, proactiveness, scrappyness, impact-oriented. Intellectual & creative problem solving: Why both? Problem scenarios that require intellect and technical skill are a critical aspect of the types of jobs you are likely applying for.
8 Problem-Solving Interview Questions You Should Ask
5. Teamwork. " Describe a situation where you had to work with a team to solve a complex problem. Detail your role and contributions to the team's overall success in finding a solution. The reason: Understand a candidate's ability to work collaboratively and effectively with others when solving difficult problems.
Problem solving behavioral interview questions
Problem solving is a key set of skills tested in behavioral interviews. And most companies will test this in both behavioral *and* case interviews. Cases interviews evaluate specific problem solving attributes: logic, focus, rigor, process. Behavioral problem solving questions evaluate another: intuition, proactiveness, scrappiness, impact ...
Problem-Solving Behavioral Interview Questions
Answers to problem-solving behavioral interview questions that explore a candidate's ability to understand and analyze a problem in order to develop solutions should include these 5 steps: detect the problem and recognize a problem exists. gather all relevant information on the problem including facts, inferences and opinions.

Top 20 Problem Solving Interview Questions (Example Answers Included)

By Mike Simpson

What Is Problem-Solving?

How to Answer Problem-Solving Interview Questions

Get Our Job Interview Questions & Answers Cheat Sheet!

Top 3 Problem-Solving-Based Interview Questions

1. Can you tell me about a time when you had to solve a challenging problem?

2. Describe a time where you made a mistake. What did you do to fix it?

3. If you identify a potential risk in a project, what steps do you take to prevent it?

17 More Problem-Solving-Based Interview Questions

Putting It All Together

FREE : Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet!

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Behavioral Interview Questions About Problem Solving

Basic Questions About how You Go About Problem Solving:

Specific Behavioral Interview Questions About Problem Solving:

1. Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem. What did you do? What was the outcome? What do you wish you had done differently?

2. Describe a situation in which you recognized a potential problem as an opportunity. What did you do? What was the result? What, if anything, do you wish you had done differently?

3. What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision? Why?

4. Give me an example of a time you discovered an error that been overlooked by a colleague. What did you do? What was the outcome?

5. What problem solving strategies do you use to stay aware of problems and resolve them in your work area? Can you give me an example of how this has worked for you in your current role?

6. Describe the biggest work-related problem you have faced in the past 12 months. How did you handle it?

7. Can you tell me about a time where you have been caught unaware by a problem or an obstacle that you had not foreseen? What happened?

8. Tell about a time when you were able to develop a different problem-solving approach. What steps did you follow?

9. Tell us about a time when you identified a potential problem and resolved the situation before it became a serious issue.

10. Give a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.

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Top 20 Creative Thinking Interview Questions & Answers

Common Creative Thinking Interview Questions

2. Describe a situation where your unconventional idea significantly benefited a project.

3. What strategies do you employ to foster creativity in a team setting?

4. Share an example of how you’ve incorporated feedback into a creative process that fundamentally changed the outcome.

5. Can you recount a time when you had to sell an innovative concept to a skeptical audience?

6. In what ways have you measured the success of a creative initiative?

7. Detail a scenario where you applied creative thinking to solve a complex problem.

8. What is your approach to balancing creativity with practical constraints, such as budget or timelines?

9. Provide an instance where your creative solution did not work as intended and how you addressed it.

10. When given complete freedom on a project, how do you decide which direction to take creatively?

11. Tell us about a trend you predicted before it became mainstream within your industry.

12. How do you ensure originality in your work while being inspired by existing ideas?

13. Give an example of a risk you took based on a creative hunch that paid off.

14. Illustrate how you adapt your creative methods when working across different mediums or platforms.

15. What’s your process for generating new ideas under tight deadlines?

16. Describe a piece of constructive criticism you received on your creative work and how you implemented it.

17. In what way have you leveraged technology to enhance your creative output?

18. How do you prioritize tasks when multiple projects require your creative input simultaneously?

19. Share a moment when you successfully integrated user experience considerations into a creative design.

20. What methods do you use to keep up-to-date with emerging creative techniques and tools?

Top 20 Manufacturing Process Interview Questions & Answers

6 Common Problem-Solving Interview Questions and Answers

Common Problem-Solving Interview Questions and Answers

“Share a time when you had to think creatively to overcome a challenge.”

“How do you approach handling tight deadlines and multiple tasks?”

“Tell me about a time when your team faced a conflict, and how did you help resolve it?”

“What steps do you take to identify and prioritize issues when problems arise?”

“Describe an instance where you used your analytical skills to find a solution.”

Types of Problem-Solving Interview Questions

Logic and Reasoning Questions

Creative Thinking Questions

Issue Resolution Questions

Crafting Effective Responses

Creating a Plan

Implementing Solutions

Reviewing Outcomes

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Not Enough Detail

Failing to Relate to Job Role

Misunderstanding the Question

Problem-solving interview questions and answers

10 good problem-solving interview questions

1. Describe a time when you had to solve a problem without managerial input. How did you handle it, and what was the result?

Sample answer:

2. Give an example of a time when you identified and fixed a problem before it became urgent.

3. Share a situation where you predicted a problem with a stakeholder. How did you prevent it from escalating?

4. Describe a time when you faced challenges in doing your job efficiently. How did you overcome them?

5. Recall a time when you successfully used crisis-management skills.

6. How would you handle a new project with great revenue potential but potential legal implications for the company?