A dream employee certainly doesn’t exist. Just like a dream employer, or a perfect job. However, hiring managers still try to choose candidates with a certain set of values, with a certain attitude to work and life. And showing initiative (what it exactly means depends on the job you are trying to get) while others keep their head down and simply do the bare minimum they get paid for, is exactly the kind of attitude they dream of finding while talking to you in the interview. The most common question here is “Tell us about a time when you showed initiative at work?”. I will analyze the questions, show you some great sample answers, and also explain some mistakes you should avoid while dealing with this situation in your interview. Let’s dive into this.
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The Basics
- Most common interview questions belonging to this area: Give an example of a time when you showed initiative at work.
- Less common questions belonging to the area: Tell us about a time when you stepped up for someone or something at work. What does showing initiative mean to you?
- Out of 10 random jobs, in how many cases will this area be tested during the hiring process: 3/10. While questions about showing initiative aren’t as common as many other questions we discuss on DifferentInterview.com, you will face at least one in roughly every third interview. The tricky part is that these questions make sense in an interview for any job. Waitress, manager, analyst, gardener, warehouse worker, teller, teacher. Regardless of your occupation and place of work, opportunities to show initiative will always come. And so can the question about it in your interview.
- Difficulty: 3/5. A tricky behavioral question. The hard part is finding, or making up, a fitting example of such a situation from your work or personal life. And to demonstrate right attitude with it. The easy part is that obviously we know what the hiring managers want to hear from you, what attitude they are seeking.
- Main goals of the hiring managers with questions belonging to this area: Learning more about your attitude to work. Do you always do just the bare minimum, or only what others (your superiors or colleagues) tell you to do? Or can you actually show initiative in appropriate moments at work? Interviewers are trying to find the answers to these questions.
- Your main goals with answers to questions belonging to this area: Convincing the hiring managers that you work with your eyes open and are ready to show initiative–be it with some task, for your colleague, or even when trying to solve some issue on a level of the entire company.
7 sample answers
Sample answer no. 1: A seemingly trivial initiative in a corporate role:
It may seem like a trivial thing, but in my last job I noticed the we missed flowers in the office, something green. The space was rather dull, and since I believe that such things impact the productivity negatively, I suggested to my manager that I will bring some flowers and plants, and that I will take care of them. Gardening and growing plants is my hobby, so I didn’t find it as something hard to do. They really liked the idea, and it made the office much more beautiful. I do not work for the company anymore, but I believe I left my mark there, and that the plants are still in place, and make the workplace nicer for everyone.
- Quick thing to notice with this answer: You do not have to talk about something groundbreaking. Your attitude matters, that you actually show initiative, take action. Notice how nicely the applicant connected their act with a desire to improve productivity at work (“…I believe that such things impact the productivity negatively…will bring some flowers and plants…”). A great answer overall.
Sample answer no. 2: Improving processes in a smaller company:
In my last corporate job I came to a conclusion that some processes were rather outdated, and that we actually wasted time with certain tasks. You know, it was a smaller company, family run, not some big corporation where many process managers work and make sure everything works as effectively as possible. Instead of complaining and following the processes in place, I came out and suggested improvements. Prepared a presentation for the owners and managers, and clearly demonstrated that we can save a lot of time with a few simple changes. They liked some of my ideas and did not like others, but I am still happy that I was proactive and tried to change something in the company for the better.
- Quick thin to notice here: Suggesting an improvement to a process (in any job), is always a great way of showing initiative. Notice that the final outcome is not important (“They liked some of my ideas and did not like others…”). What matters is that the applicant took action, and did something outside of their standard working duties.
Sample answer no. 3: Applicant without any previous working experience:
This is my first job application, but I want to ensure you that I am someone who shows initiative. At school I participated in organizing the yearly carnival, and also volunteered as a resident assistant. What’s more, I am the one of my friends who comes up with ideas on how to spend the evening, or where to go for a trip. You can be sure that once you have me in your team, I will show initiative, from day one in the job.
- Quick thing to notice: You can show initiative at school, with friends or family members, at home. Obviously an example from work is ideal, but when you do not have such, tell us about situations from other areas of your life.
Sample answer no. 4: Making a first step in a simple job of a cashier:
Up to this point I had only simple part-time jobs, like cashier for example. However, even there I showed initiative. For example, where there weren’t any customers waiting in front of my stand, I went and helped the stock clerks with their job, or took a broom and cleaned the floor. I am someone who likes to be busy at work, someone who doesn’t like wasting time or playing with their smart phone. It is also true that time flies more rapidly when you are working, and that’s why I always try to work on the shift, or at least help someone else, regardless of how busy the store is at the moment.
- Quick thing to notice here: The applicant used the opportunity to actually show an excellent attitude to work in general (“I am someone who likes to be busy at work … doesn’t like wasting time or playing with their smart phone…”). Helping colleagues when you have no work yourself is a great way of showing initiative at the workplace.
Sample answer no.5: An athlete talking about showing initiative in their sporting career:
I’ve never worked anywhere, but I believe my sporting career is a good example. When others were already in the showers after the training, I stayed on a pitch for a bit longer, practicing the throws, running sprints. I also trained on my own, in my free time, just to make sure that I will maximize my potential as an athlete, and get the desired result. It still wasn’t enough to reach the professional level, and now I am looking for a job, but I can assure you that I am one of those guys who always gives his 110% to anything they devote themselves to. And I want to do the same in the job.
- Quick thing to notice here: The attitude you show while doing sports and other free time activities is a good indication of the attitude you’ll show at work. Do not hesitate to use positive examples from these activities while dealing with any interview question.
Sample answer no. 6: Nurse calling her job a personal mission:
Working as a nurse, I consider my job more as a mission than only as a profession. I believe this reflects in the way I treat the patients, my colleagues, and basically everyone I come in contact with in the place where I work. What I try to say here is that I do not limit my activities to the list of my working duties. If I have some spare minutes, I will go and talk to the patients, trying to make their time at least a bit better. Or I see something that’s not well cleaned and I pick a mop and clean it myself. I do not know if you call this showing initiative, but it is what I do at work, and what I enjoy doing. It just gives you a good feeling from the job.
- Quick thing to notice here: Calling your job your calling, or your personal mission, is an attitude that’s hard to beat. When you decide to do so, however, you should be able to demonstrate this attitude on practical situations from your work. Just like this nurse did.
Sample answer no. 7: A book clerk showing initiative with simple acts in their everyday job:
In my last job in a book store I showed a lot of initiative to make sure people get the best possible level of customer service. You know, just approaching them, praising some books they were looking at, giving recommendations, being nice. I did not have to do it, it wasn’t on the list of my duties. Could have just waited until people approached me with their questions. But I opted for a different approach, and believe that it showed on the number of sales I generated while working there. Books are my passion, and it is definitely one of the reasons why I want to work in a library now, applying for a job with you.
- Quick thing to notice with this answer: Notice how the applicant talks about what people normally do in similar jobs (“Could have just waited until people approached me with their questions”). Sometimes it may not be obvious to the hiring managers, so it isn’t a bad idea showing what people normally do in your field. It makes it easier for us to understand how your attitude differs to theirs, and why it makes sense hiring you.
Advanced information
Mistakes people make while answering questions about showing initiative in the interviews
- Failing to describe the situation properly for the hiring managers. While in some cases it is obvious for us that you showed initiative with this or that action, other situations may be more foreign to us, simply because we have no experience with the given job field, or consider a standard behavior something that’s actually extra ordinary. Hence it is better saying what is/was the norm in your job (what other employees did or did not do), and on that demonstrate how with your conduct you actually showed initiative and did something extra. It is a mistake thinking that each hiring manager will figure it own on their own.
- Downplaying the situation. You should not forget that we care mostly about your attitude. And that doesn’t change with the scope of the situation. Bringing two green plants to an office to make it nicer, and suggesting an innovative way to improve an effectiveness of a process that can save the business thousands of dollars each year, are two very different situations in which you actually showed the same attitude: to do something for the employer out of your free will, to make the first step, to show initiative. They are both excellent for an interview answer, and downplaying the first one is a mistake. Regardless of how insignificant your actions seem to you, as long as you showed initiative they are good for your interview answer.
7 keywords to remember when answering questions belonging to this area
- There’s nothing like a trivial situation here, explain how your conduct differs from the norm or the standard, examples from school or sport or personal life are great, calling your job a personal mission is a hard-to-beat attitude, any suggestion for process improvement will work, we care about your attitude and not the situation, declare desire to continue showing initiative in your new job.
So that’s it! You’ve just covered area no. 19 out of 25 areas that cover 99% of questions you may ever get in the interviews. Just 6 areas left! Check the next one: Dealing with ambiguity, or go back to homepage for the full list of 25 areas and pick one you want to learn about and practice right now.
