When have you shown initiative?

Soph1990

I'm expecting this question to come up in an interview I have soon.
Does anyone know the best way I could tackle/answer this question? I've only worked in the cinema/as a waitress before, I've shown initiative in small ways (such as ensuring everything is stocked up) but are they really worth mentioning?
I can't just say "I haven't ever shown initiative" haha!

Reply 1

Denzer

Yeah i failed a John Lewis interview on a similar question :frown:

theres something ironic about not having the initiative to answer such a question.
If you could give a recent example even something trivial, like you ran out of milk for cereal in the morning so used cream and water instead (don't actually do this, cream and water doesn't mix well), then they like it.

Reply 2

Nya

In your jobs, have you ever helped to improve on something? It doesn't have to be a huge thing, even sometimes working as a waitress you might notice a quicker/better way to do something and suggest it etc, without really thinking about it as a big initiative-showing thing. I recently modified a spreadsheet at an internship that the team used, to suit what I was doing, and later got praised for showing initiative and improving it (at the time I just did it to make my own life easier, and didn't think anyone would pay attention to it). Just think back very carefully about anything that could be seen as initiative; something you've done that isn't maybe a part of your usual role and has been positive for the firm you've worked for.