The expectations on employees are as high as ever. It’s no longer sufficient to simply obey orders, perform your duties on a daily basis, meet your goals and objectives, and adhere to the job description. They want you to be proactive, approach everything with a proactive mindset, provide exceptional customer service, and be a doer. That’s the new norm in many successful companies. As always, workers pay the price….
However, it is pointless to debate whether this is a good or bad strategy. It is expected of you, and they won’t hire you if you aren’t prepared to show initiative in an interview. Here are seven examples of responses to this challenging interview question. Don’t forget to read my notes after the solutions to grasp the nuances of this question.
- What would you do in your first month of working here? …
- Tell me about a time you took initiative. …
- Tell me about a time you improved a process or system. …
- What do you know about our company? …
- What are your interests outside of work?
“WHEN HAVE YOU SHOWED INITIATIVE AT WORK?” (Interview Question and TOP-SCORING ANSWERS!)
Example: “Some people hesitate to take action because they fear making mistakes, but I think that’s a lame justification,” You’ll never know if you didn’t try something new whether it would have been successful. Another factor is that some individuals are preoccupied with their own tasks and fail to notice when others need assistance. To solve this problem, I always make sure to be open and honest with my coworkers about any projects I’m working on so they can provide support when necessary. ”.
Later that day, I approached those two workers and requested to see what they were working on. I told them that I understood why they were hesitant to ask for assistance after observing their development. I did, however, also let them know that I would be happy to assist them if they needed anything. The following week, they contacted me again to thank me for my offer and request my opinion on the project. I helped them finish the project earlier than expected in the end. ”.
As an illustration, “I feel that one of the best ways to encourage staff to take initiative is to demonstrate your support for them. I began my career by working for a small business with only five employees. Even though we were all close friends, we weren’t always aware of what our coworkers were working on. I once overheard two workers discussing a joint project they were both working on. Because they were unsure if their coworker would be able to contribute as much as they had anticipated, they said it was taking longer than they had anticipated.
As an illustration, say, “In my previous role as a marketing manager, I observed that our social media accounts weren’t operating to their full potential. I therefore made the decision to develop a new strategy for all of our platforms. Unfortunately, I didn’t seek my supervisor’s approval before making these changes, which led to some unfavorable comments from customers. My boss was initially angry with me, but she eventually accepted my reasoning and valued my initiative. ”.
Example: “When I worked as an administrative assistant in my previous position, I observed that our CEO was having trouble locating crucial documents for meetings. I took the initiative and put all of his documents into folders according to their content. This made it easier for him to find what he needed and gave him more time to devote to other tasks. He even told me later that he was grateful for my assistance. ”.
For experienced candidates, here is an illustration of how to best respond to this inquiry: “On my recent project, we hit a roadblock with the use of a third party vendor tool, which was resulting in ongoing issues for everyone on our team. I made the initiative to contact the vendor to inquire about possible substitutes that we could use. We were given a free upgrade to the most recent version by the vendor, which resolved the technical problems we were having.
Here’s an example of how you shouldn’t respond to this inquiry: “I’m not big on meetings of any kind.” We just sit around talking and don’t really accomplish anything. I therefore took the initiative to inform my boss that I would no longer be attending any meetings so that I could accomplish something worthwhile while everyone else was in pointless meetings. Naturally, that made my boss unhappy, which is why we’re chatting now. Always respond behaviorally to all interview questions, regardless of whether they are behavioral in nature. Use an instance from your background and experience to demonstrate this; it’s the simplest method. Use the S-T-A-R method to make your response a STAR by discussing the situation or task you were given, the action you took, and the outcomes you saw. This is what distinguishes your interview response as being uniquely yours and turns it into a hit!
Why the interviewer is asking this question: It is a behavioral question that is focused on the competency (taking initiative) and asks, “Give me an example of…” Therefore, the interviewer will use it as a way to test both your ability and willingness to take initiative.
The best way to respond to this query is to concentrate on a situation where you had to exercise initiative in your work or projects. The ideal solution would also involve other people, but it can also just be acting independently on your own. The best response is one in which you independently initiated the action without being prodded by others.
Similar interview questions: Describe your process for moving forward and completing tasks at work. Where would you say you rank on a 1 to 10 scale for taking initiative? Give me an example of when you took the lead in finishing a stalled project? When have you had to step out in your work to move things forward?
7 sample answers to “Give an example of a situation when you showed initiative in work” interview question
* Required reading: A comprehensive list of all behavioral interview questions with examples.
When you inquire about a job candidate’s behavior, you should receive a response that not only addresses your inquiries but also demonstrates their skills and potential. You’re looking for a response that details precisely how their expertise was put to use and the kinds of outcomes it produced. Additionally, you want to look for a degree of self-awareness that demonstrates the applicant is capable of reflecting on their own past.
Sometimes the process a person uses to respond to a question is just as significant as the response itself. //.
It’s crucial to pay attention to how your candidate responds to behavioral interview questions. You want to see how they respond so you leave it up to them to fill in the blanks.
First, decide which fundamental traits you want your candidates to exhibit. You can then choose your specific inquiries from the following list.
Interviewers may inquire during behavioral questions how a candidate reacted to particular situations in the past. The interviewer can then extrapolate the candidate’s abilities to determine how they would behave in the future.
FAQ
How do you answer the initiative interview question?
- went above and beyond to assist someone or see that a problem was resolved
- Worked well on your own even without supervision.
- suggested a novel concept or method that was implemented
- Started a new project that took off.
What is the ability to take initiative give examples?
Taking initiative means noticing opportunities and taking action. Another word for taking initiative might be “ownership. For instance, at BetterUp, “radical ownership” refers to taking full responsibility for your work and embracing the chance to learn from mistakes and make improvements.
How can you best demonstrate your initiative?
- Do more than what is expected of you.
- Make your career plan.
- Work on your confidence.
- Develop a team mentality.
- Actively request feedback and follow it.
- Always keep a positive attitude.
- Be prepared for any opportunity.
Can you describe a situation where you took initiative?
I collaborated on a project with two other individuals who were both new to the organization. They didn’t seem to know what they were doing, so I decided to take the initiative and take charge of the project—the first time I had the chance to do so.
