What are the most effective interview questions to assess creativity and innovation?

Creativity and innovation are two important traits one should look out for in employees. How can the employee solve problems and react to new challenges. These are important hence it should be part of the interview questions that determines who the company needs to hire.

In my opinion, posing creative and innovative questions during a job interview serves the purpose of gaining deeper insights into a candidate. It provides an opportunity to understand the candidate's individuality, including their problem-solving abilities, what drives them, and how they might infuse fresh thinking into our organization.

If you could live a thousand years, what do you imagine your life would be like? If you granted unlimited resources for your projects, what kind of ideas you would like to focus on.

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior or past performance in a similar situation. Therefore, competency based interview questions where you ask candidates about past real situations are an effective tool for evaluating not only creativity & innovation but also other competencies. This approach provides valuable insights into a candidate's abilities and their potential for success in future roles. Competency based interviews offer a comprehensive way to assess a wide range of competencies and make informed hiring decisions. Example: Tell me about a time when you implemented a creative solution to address a complex problem or improve a process. What was the situation, what approach did you take, and what were the results?

During mock interviews, I always like to ask my clients if they ever failed at anything. If and how candidates overcome their initial inclination to answer in the negative can be a great way to measure their creativity.

As a tech recruiter, I find that the best way to gauge creativity and innovation isn't just through technical questions. I often ask: Describe a project where you thought outside the box? to see their creative approach.How do you stay updated with tech trends?gives insight into their passion and drive. Situational scenario questions like, How'd you handle a project with a better, but time-consuming solution?reveals their innovative spirit. Lastly, Tell me about a time you faced resistance for a new idea? shows resilience. It's a blend of these questions that truly uncovers a candidate's creative prowess. Also my questions varies as per the role and level I'm hiring for hence they are not standard.

If you mention the words “creativity,” “innovation,” or “outside the box’” in your question, you are setting a bias. You must understand that many people don't see themselves as creative or innovative. So, intentionally designing your questions to get what you're looking for is the best way. “Tell me about an unusual problem you've faced?” “what’s been the boldest solution you've crafted that even surprised you with the outcome?”

Creative interview questions assess problem-solving and innovation. Examples include behavioral queries about handling unexpected challenges, scenario-based questions on innovative strategies, and problem-solving challenges. These questions reveal a candidate's ability to think creatively and outside the box, ability to adapt and align with company's culture, as well as unanticipated industry changes.

Design Thinking Questions: These questions challenge candidates to apply design thinking principles to real-world scenarios. For instance, you might ask a candidate how they would redesign a common household item to make it more efficient or user-friendly. Future-Oriented Questions: These questions encourage candidates to envision the future and anticipate trends or developments in their field. For example, you could ask a candidate in the technology sector how they see the industry evolving in the next decade and what innovations they believe will be crucial. Future-oriented questions gauge a candidate's forward-thinking mindset.

Since as recruiters we always hire with the purpose in mind, that purpose being the actual job that needs to be done, my take on it is that questions should always be exploring creativity in the light of the position we are hiring for. I can think of two approaches for the creativity & inovation segment: 1. Imagining we are hiring a recruiter for an agency, I would ask in detail about the project of interest from the past, focusing on restraints they had, how they tackled the whole process, what affected their decisions. 2. I would provide a case for them to plan the search, tools to use, how to implement the plan. These two tap into both previous exp. as well as the imagination / creativity / planning aspect, aplicable for any position.

What I do, is actually do any a podcast and invite people on. Which is a good ice breaker to connect them with the Hiring manager. But to get people talking, I normally ask to show a personal project, could be in code or something they love outside of the working environment. People love talking about their own hobbies or passions, great way to open the conversation up.

To ask creative and innovative interview questions: Understand job requirements Use open-ended questions Start with behavioral queries Apply STAR method for past experiences Ask real-time challenges. Adapt questions as needed Engage in active listening - you can't do all the talking. Assess thought processes

Ah, the art of asking creatively innovative questions! ???? Simply ditch the usual "Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses" routine. Instead, try something like, "If you were a superhero, what would your 'innovation' power be, and how would you use it to improve our company's coffee machine?" ??? Remember, we're after candidates who can bring the espresso of innovation to our office! ??

My advise to candidates preparing for creative interview questions are: Research the company and job Research the industry the company operates and recent trends Reflect on your past experiences Practice STAR method - choose your stories wisely Brainstorm scenarios Consider teamwork and cultural alignment Highlight your soft skills Engage in creative thinking exercises Use mock interviews in preparing Stay confident, ask for clarification, and keep answers concise Review your portfolio if applicable Express enthusiasm for the role and company Be calm With these, you will succeed

Research the Company and Role: Understanding the company's mission, values, and recent innovations can provide valuable context for crafting creative responses. Practice Creative Thinking: You can do this by brainstorming ideas for various scenarios, challenges, or improvements related to your field or industry. Try to think beyond conventional solutions and consider how you can approach problems from different angles. Prepare Relevant Examples: Reflect on your past experiences and identify instances where you've demonstrated creativity, innovation, or problem-solving skills. These examples can be drawn from your work, academic projects, or volunteer activities.

When I ask questions to discover the candidate’s creative potential, besides asking to give examples of how they have been creative in their work/project until now, I also like to put them in unfamiliar contexts or mix different situations. Here are a few examples: 1. How would you manage a project where you don’t have enough resources (people, financing, time, etc.)? 2. How would you get across a revolutionary idea to a reluctant board or decision makers? 3. What would you change in your current organization/role to make it better (for you, others, for the business)? Starting from here I personalise the questions to role, industry, organisation or other specific requirements. Maybe use some information about the current challenges.

"If you were a fruit, what would you be and how would your fruity prowess revolutionize our business strategy?" "Imagine you're stranded on a creativity-starved island. What three books, one song, and a propeller beanie would you bring to survive and thrive?" "We're searching for someone who can think outside the box. So, can you tell us what shape this 'box' is, and why it's so darn restricting?" "In a world full of ordinary job candidates, how would you prove you're the 'James Bond of Innovation'? Martini-shaking skills optional." Remember, a sprinkle of irony can make the interview process both entertaining and revealing! ????

Questions: Anything related to uncovering problems or a “plot twist” in the problem being solved. Answers: Use of HMW, co-creation, user shadowing, human-centered design approach.

**1. Creative Question: "If you were tasked with designing a new feature for a popular social media platform, what would it be and why?" Sample Answer: "If I were to design a new feature for a social media platform, I would create a 'Mental Well-being Hub.' This feature would focus on fostering a positive online environment by providing users with tools to manage their mental health. It could include features like mood tracking, mindfulness exercises, and curated content that promotes well-being. With the increasing importance of mental health awareness, such a feature would not only engage users but also contribute to a healthier and more supportive online community."

**2. Innovative Question: "Can you share an example of a time when you introduced a process improvement in your previous role, and what impact did it have?" Sample Answer: "In my previous role as a project manager, I noticed that our team was spending a significant amount of time manually updating project timelines and tracking progress. To address this, I introduced a project management software that automated these tasks and provided real-time insights into project status. As a result, our team's efficiency improved by 20%, and we were able to complete projects ahead of schedule. This not only saved time but also enhanced client satisfaction and contributed to the company's reputation for delivering projects on time and within budget."

I prefer to ask candidates: If you were writing your book: I am the #1 Expert in the World at X - What would "X" be? And what unique or innovative insight would you discuss? This question lets me tap into a candidate's creative potential.

One question we have found incredibly insightful is 'you've been given ￡100,000 to create a business of your choice, what would it be and how would you do it?'. This has helped us to understand a candidate's passion, uncovers creative approaches and has helped candidates to relax.

Keep flexible and open minded. It is beneficial to get a candidate from the same field. Unfortunately, most of the time, it is not that easy to get candidate from the same field. Thus, with being flexible and open minded, you can create a welcoming environment from the candidates and, on the other hand, dig deeper the candidates potentials and experiences.

When asking creative questions during an interview, don't forget that a company's values and mission are like fruits in a smoothie. They should blend and complement each other, creating the perfect taste. So, let's make sure your fruit blend with the business is excellent!