What sources do you look to when solving complicated problems?
This question centers around how resourceful you are, how quickly you think on your feet, and how you approach risk. The interviewer is curious whether you are able to think outside the box, or even ask for help when you are stuck on a complicated problem. They are also curious whether the stress in such situations dictates your behavior or impacts your reaction time when acting fast is required.
"I am proactive with this. I am always asking questions, tuning into useful information, and out of curiosity reading through resource materials, manuals, and company bulletins to stay up to date. I also have a keen sense of those who are the go-to people for valuable information at our office. When I am faced with a complicated problem, the answer is almost always in there. If it's more of a moral dilemma vs. a knowledge-based dilemma, worst case, I'll ask my supervisor for his thoughts and opinion since I value him as a mentor and expert in our industry."
At 3M, they celebrate those employees who are curious, actively listening and learning, and strive to be a go-to resource of information. The more that a trusted employee knows, the more trusted they can be to make the right decisions when they don't have all the answers. At 3M, they celebrate "Curiosity: If you are a naturally curious person, and like to ask a lot of questions, you'll be in good company at 3M. In fact, our employees are so curious that we encourage them to devote 15% of their work time to passion projects that wouldn't fall under their normal job description. What we label 15% Culture is actually how the Post-it Note(R) and other great products were invented!"
