26 IDEO Interview Questions & Answers
Below is a list of our IDEO, Inc. interview questions. Click on any interview question to view our answer advice and answer examples. You may view 5 answer examples before our paywall loads. Afterwards, you'll be asked to upgrade to view the rest of our answers.
1. If you were to join IDEO in this role, you will be counted on to lead projects. Talk about a time you had to lead a team of individuals. What leadership skills do you have that you will bring to the table here?
How to Answer
The ability to lead others in project work or any other aspect of a business comes down to the fine details and traits of being a great leader. The experience you have can come from many different areas and can include project management, supervising/managing or even mentoring others. When you answer this question, be sure to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively, bring unity, lead by example and empower/teach others and talk about how you will use these skills if hired at IDEO.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"In my current role, I've been asked on numerous occasions to lead finance projects for my organization and I always do so with open arms and an open mind. On a recent project, I pulled together a team that included members of sales, production and upper management. to make this project successful, it was up to me to know each team member's area of expertise and delegate tasks based on their knowledge. A great part of the teams success was due to my ability to lead in a manner that promoted communication among individuals who never had the chance to work together and I accomplished this through fun ice breaking activities with the team and regular email communications outside of our in-person meetings."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"As you can see from my background, I have extensive experience as a Sales Manager and Director and I know that the skills I honed in these roles will transfer nicely to this position. I have always found that leading teams is best accomplished by leading by example and walking the talk that I put out to my staff. I feel that I've also developed great skills in mentoring and coaching my staff and I've been commended on these skills by both sales leadership peers and my team. In this role, I would bring this same approach when working with clients."
2. What roles are you comfortable assuming in working as part of a larger team?
How to Answer
Coming to work for a consulting business requires the ability to work as part of a larger team on the projects you will be heading. Teamwork in this setting requires versatility and your interviewer will be looking to hear that you have that versatility in your answer to this question. Many times, you will be taking the bull by the horns and leading the way. Other times, you will be the worker bee researching behind the scenes. You may be tasked with being the organizer of projects behind the scenes as well. Make sure that you highlight your ability to be flexible when working as part of a team here.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"I am really comfortable working in any role within a team and I think my experiences throughout my career demonstrate this well. At many times in my career, I've been the legwork of team operations and have easily taken direction on projects and been able to hit pre-established deadlines. As well, I've lead many projects and have shown my ability to lead others in a team effort and the ability to delegate tasks and set milestones for projects. If hired for this position, you can be rest assured that I have the ability to be a key team players with your clients in helping better their business."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"From a very young age in my career, I've always been a natural leader in a team based environment. My excellent communication skills, honesty, critical thinking and decision making skills have proven time and time again that I can lead others in the most effective way possible. And while being a leader comes naturally to me, I can easily let others take the lead on projects."
3. If you are hired for this position here at IDEO, what do you think the biggest hurdle for you would be from the start?
How to Answer
For this question, you can showcase your research that you've done on both IDEO and the role you are interviewing for by being upfront and honest about what you feel would be the biggest learning curve for you if hired for the position and giving your plan for how you would approach this hurdle. In your answer, make sure that you highlight your skills and abilities in making a molehill out of a mountain on your way to success in this role.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"As you can see from my resume, most of my career experience is in the food industry. If fortunate enough to be hired for this position, the biggest area for learning for me would be the finance side of other industries like technology, telecommunications and healthcare. From day one, I would begin by thoroughly research the clients here at IDEO and speaking with as many industry experts that I know through business networking. While learning the ins and outs of other industries is the biggest learning curve for me, I see it as a great opportunity for me to become more proficient and effective in the work that I'd be doing for you."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"While this may sound funny to you at first, I think the biggest challenge for me from the start will be adapting to the great corporate lifestyle and culture here at IDEO. When I saw this position being open for applicants and I did my research, I was extremely excited to hear about the flexibility and openness to the ideas of your staff members. I've been working for six years in an environment that is very opposite of an open culture for new ideas and for me personally, it will feel foreign for me to bring new ideas to the team here and have them be accepted."
4. Talk about a time that you applied a new technology or new information to your work as an engineer?
How to Answer
During your career as an engineer up to this point, you've likely had to learn and work with new technology or information that has improved the way that you perform your work. Ideally with this question, your interviewer is looking to see that you are flexible in working with new technologies and/or processes as you consults across different businesses and industries. Prior to your interview, think of an example of a time that showed your ability to be open to new ways of doing things through advancements in technology and talk about why this ability is important in a consulting role.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"Having been an engineer for over 20 years, today's digital age has certainly altered the way that we work on a day to day basis and I've loved every minute of being on the forefront of these changes. In my current role, I am utilizing nanotechnology that wasn't available even five years ago to create UV resistant and waterproof glass that just wasn't able to be produced before. I'd love to help bring innovation to the clients here at IDEO in this consultant role."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"As a manufacturing engineer by trade, I've worked with many of the recent advancements in robotic technology to help boost production output and quality. Last year, I helped implement a new production line for light bulbs that utilized a fully automated assembly process where machine tenders were operating all processes from a touch screen. The project required a lot of research and education for my engineering team and we all welcomed that with open arms."
5. As a consultant here at IDEO, helping our clients set growth strategies through both short-term and long-term goals is important. Give an example of a time that you set both short and long-term goals for a growth strategy.
How to Answer
An effective growth strategy has a long-term plan, but the success of the long-term plan is reliant on short-term, tiered goals that help build towards the long-term goals of the plan. In your answer, explain that you know the importance of goal setting and the fact that short-term goals are important in the process. Then, discuss a time where you developed and met goals when helping an organization move toward strategic success.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"A couple of years ago, I helped a healthcare organization on the west coast develop a growth plan that entailed building one new hospital and three new clinic locations over the course of five years. As the liaison for the entire plan, I knew that goal was aggressive, yet very achievable, if the right short term goals were set. In working with high level leadership and then with specific department leaders, goals and timelines were set for obtaining funding, building permits, staffing plans and ribbon cutting from the start. Even to this day, I stay in contact with the leaders on a consultative basis to ensure that any hiccups in the short-term goals help meet the long-term goals. In the end, the success of a long-term goal is always reliant on many smaller short-term goals."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"During my time in manufacturing, I've quickly learned the importance of both short-term and long-term goals in achieving growth goals over time. Hitting short-term goals leads to success in the long-term and I utilize both long and short-term goals when developing growth strategies. This is best shown with my current organization when we developed a fiscal growth strategy to increase overall revenue by 25% over the course of three years. We looked in many directions to help this, but our main focuses were in increased production and reduced waste. By casting such a wide net here, short term goals for each aspect of the project were vital to the end result of increasing by revenue by over 35% in that time frame. What a success!"
6. Strong time management is important at IDEO. How do you manage your time, even on the busiest days?
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to know more about the types of tools you use to stay on task and meet deadlines. Discuss how you prioritize when everything demands your attention at once. Think about the ways you manage your projects and daily tasks and how those will help you to succeed in your role with IDEO.
1st Answer Example
"I manage my time by exercising the idea of 'time-blocking'. This approach means that I won't incessantly check my email; instead, I will allow myself to return emails in 30-minute time blocks, four times per day. Setting calendar alerts and personal deadlines for myself has also helped a lot."
2nd Answer Example
"Very carefully! I prioritize deadlines and work that need to be done. Then work backward from there. When necessary, I utilize my resources and team to pitch in and contribute."
7. An often difficult part about working for IDEO and our clients is the need to be fluent and adaptable to the cultures of our clients. Why would you say that you'd be able to handle this aspect of the job with ease?
How to Answer
In the business consulting world, organizations work with clients that all have different backgrounds, leadership styles, cultures, industries and motivating factors. Consultants hired to come in to these organizations have to possess a chameleon-like ability to ingrain themselves in a new company's culture. For you to be successful in the role that you are interviewing for, you must possess this same ability. In your answer to this question, be sure to point out your fluidity to adapt to new situation in your work by giving an example or two of a time you had to do this to give your interviewer a sense of your ability to be flexible with clients.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"During my career to this point, I've been very fortunate to say that I've worked for one employer for over ten years and the experience that I've gained with them is a huge asset to me personally. But even though all of my relevant work experience is with the same employer, I've worked under six different department managers during my time there and each person had their own unique management style and expectations of me. As well, my organization has undergone three mergers in my time there and each merger brought a new and bigger organization to light with new values and culture. Whether it was a manager change or an organization change, I always prioritized openness and asking questions to get to know new processes better. I would bring this approach with each and every new client that I would work with in this role."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"I would liken this role as a Client Manager to working with my customers in my current job. I approach each new customer with an open slated mind while getting to know their motivations, their needs and their expectations of me to help me get a better understanding of how I can best suit them. If hired for this position working with your clients here at IDEO, this approach would be vital because of the variety of businesses and industries that I would be working with."
8. In our world here at IDEO, our clients rely on real world analytical data versus assumptions and guesswork. What analytical skills would you bring to the table here for our clients?
How to Answer
In the business consulting world, an organization like IDEO is contracted to come in and help a business where they have usually failed in the past. With past failures comes the need for critical analysis of a business and/or process and your job will be to help facilitate this process. Prior to your interview, think about your experiences in data analysis you've had so far up to this point in your career and translate those experiences to helping the clients of IDEO. Be sure to talk about the importance of different programs you have used to assist in data analysis and talk about the importance of communication in the data collection process.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"Working as a Financial Manager over the past 10 years, I have become very experienced and thorough in my use of KPI's to demonstrate key areas like gross profit margin, liquidity ratio and days in accounts receivables. For the clients I'd be working with here at IDEO, I'd be able to use real data from their organization to help provide solutions that are customized to their needs. On top of KPI analyses, I'm very willing and open to using any other unique tools of the trade that the team here at IDEO uses."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"Coming from a software background, being analytical about implementing new systems and processes was vital to receive buy-in from other department that I worked with and my analytical skills in my current world would translate nicely into the consulting world. I have always had a creative mind in demonstrating how new and improved systems can impact workflow and production. I am very proficient in creating and presenting wireframing models, which are extremely analytical and important in this world here at IDEO."
9. Talk about a time that you utilized a creative solution to help with an environmental issue on the job. What resources did you use to help make the creative solution a reality?
How to Answer
As an environmental engineer/expert, being creative and innovative should be a part of your soul and DNA. For this question, your interviewer will be looking for your ability to use education and/or research to come up with a creative solution to an issue. Be sure to speak in detail about the steps you took to put a creative plan into action and don't forget to talk about final results as well.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"During my time working for the state of New Jersey, I was tasked with water cleanup projects to help save natural lakes and ponds that were subject to major pollution from nearby factories. To first help sustain life in the waterways, I researched and attending some training on biofiltration systems. With the training I underwent, I utilized a strain of cabbage in the ponds that effectively filtered and destroyed many of the VOC's in the ponds. This allowed life in the waters to thrive while we searched for more solutions on the contaminants."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"Last year, I worked hand in hand with mechanical and design engineers on new wind turbines that would dramatically decrease the killing of birds and bats in the areas where wind farms currently existed. I utilized my knowledge of bird flight patterns and flight control to help convince the team that vertical turbines were the best route to take. While a little more costly to produce and get up and running, the lessened effect on the local ecosystems were well worth the efforts."
10. What factors would you consider when determining the feasibility of new engineering project as a consultant with IDEO?
How to Answer
As a Engineering Consultant with IDEO, you will be counted upon to determine the practicality of projects that clients are considering and your interviewer will be looking to hear that you take a concise and methodical approach in considering all aspects of the project for the client. You will be counted on to be the expert in this aspect for the clients at IDEO, so make sure to project your confidence in your answer to your interviewer.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"If hired for this position, I really wouldn't change anything about my current processes for evaluating projects from the start. For my process, I start by assuring that the need for the project is sound. Then, I establish a basic design of the project that take into account all measurements, resources, equipment and overall budget. At this point in time with clients, it would be important to ensure that they are able to take on all of those considerations of the project. With it being their resources, their labor and their budgets, I see this as the biggest aspect that I would be hired for as their consultant."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"Having went through formal training in project management skills five years ago, I've been able to take a much more high level approach to all of the project that I work on. As a consultant, this training would prove very beneficial in my approach of learning the business and operations of clients and the needs for the project I would be consulting on. Then, I'd be able to use my expertise in the field to be as cost effective and efficient as possible while delivering the best results possible."
11. What would you consider your strong suit in the digital transformation of organizations that you could bring to our clients here at IDEO?
How to Answer
This question gives you the opportunity to showcase what you feel will be your best skills if hired for this position and your interviewer is ideally looking to hear what unique aspects you can bring to their clients. This question remains very open ended for you to talk about process items or industry specific items, so make sure that however you answer that you are able to speak knowledgeably and confidently. Again for this question, researching IDEO and their clients can pay off big for this question.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"For your clients here at IDEO, my ability to project a vision into a transformational strategy will greatly benefit everyone that I work with. The key to any digital transformation is buy-in from senior level leadership as they impact how the rest of the organization accepts change and becomes a steward for change. Implementing technological changes cause disruption and chaos and leading projects with a clear vision and strategy is a key to success."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"Through the projects that I've worked on in technological transformations for business, I've always prioritized the final customer and their journey and how digitalization will impact them. Many times with organizations that I've worked with, the end customer or user gets lost in the thought process and I would be there for the clients of IDEO to ensure that their best needs are always taken care of."
12. Change management is an important aspect of consulting our clients here at IDEO. Have you participated in a change management process during your career?
How to Answer
Due to many factors, change is inevitable adn unavoidable for businesses today. Because of this, IDEO is often sought after to lead change management processes for their clients and the role that you are interviewing for will help facilitate this process with clients. Prior to your interview, think about particular change management processes that you have been a part of and be able to speak to your ability to lead others in making necessary business changes. Make sure to talk about the importance of having a vision, developing a plan and measuring progress as part of the overall change process.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
Answer Example
"In my leadership role with my current organization, I have been part of an ongoing change process to optimize our staffing ratio to meet production needs. After being part of a careful analysis process and researching industry standards, we implemented a plan to heavily reduce our administrative staff while bolstering production staff and this was a huge change for our organization. My role in the implementation of the process was to gather data and put together a presentation for our Board and Senior Leadership. As well, I helped prepare both internal and external communications that went out regarding our upcoming changes. As things stand today, we have been in continuous review of new processes and things are going great! This involvement has helped prepare me for helping others manage significatn change in their business processes."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
13. At IDEO we seek to hire those who think outside the box. When was the last time you made a suggestion for workplace improvement? What was the outcome?
How to Answer
The interviewer would like to know if you are an engaged employee; offering suggestions and providing more profound thought when it comes to processing improvement in the workplace. Give an example of a time when you suggested an improvement in the workplace. It can be big or small! Did anything significant come out of your suggestion?
1st Answer Example
"Last year I made a recommendation for our office to incorporate a recycling program. We were going through a lot of single-use coffee pods. It bothered me how wasteful it all seemed. I presented a spreadsheet to my supervisor comparing the single-use pods vs. investing in a built-in coffee machine. The savings over two years were significant, and my boss has now presented my idea to our head office. It feels nice to be heard in the workplace, so I continue to keep my eyes out for opportunities for process improvements."
2nd Answer Example
"I made some recommendations for change in our CRM system. The suggestions were surrounding how items received documentation and how outstanding tasks became highlighted. Our head office made the changes and a lot of people in our office commented on how much they liked the changes."
14. Many organizations overlook some areas of their business that can benefit from a digital transformation. What is an overlooked area where you've seen a digital transformation make a huge impact during your career?
How to Answer
Digital technology has the ability to impact any level of an organization, but oftentimes some levels get overlooked. For this question, your interviewer is looking to hear that you have the ability to look at these overlooked areas and find ways that a digital upgrade can impact them in a positive way. To be creative, don't leave any stone unturned in your answer.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"In my current role, one unique thing that I accomplished was making our environmental services digital and online. This transformation had many moving pieces. One that I am proud of having a huge impact was automatic notification of supplies being low around restroom facilities. Not only did this save labor time of someone checking supplies, but it also kept both employees and customers extremely satisfied at our facilities."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"A couple of years ago, I was working with a large distributor on revolutionizing their technology usage all across the board. The one area that their management overlooked was with their delivery and fleet of trucks. With changes made to routing tracking/efficiency and vehicle maintenance diagnostics, this organization was able to save tens of thousands of dollars just in the first year of implementation."
15. In your point of view, what environmental issue will require the most attention in ten years?
How to Answer
As you come to IDEO to interview, your interviewer has a pretty good understanding of your skills and abilities that you'll bring to the table by looking at your past work history and speaking to references. For this question, your interviewer is looking to hear your philosophical view on what you believe is the key environmental issue in ten years. Be sure to speak openly and honestly with what you feel is the key issue and focus your answer on why you believe it is important and give some ideas with how you feel it can be monitored and fixed.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"To me, the availability of quality water on our planet will continue to be a major issue and if desperate measures aren't taken, it will continue to worsen as we move forward. Water is one of the key elements of survival in the human race and that's why I've dedicated a lot of my effort in my career towards wastewater treatment using nanotechnology."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"I think to truly answer this question and all of the issues that face our field moving forward, we have to look at overpopulation of the planet and how we will deal with pollution, water and natural resource issues. Each year, global industrialization and expansion creates less and less natural areas on the globe and resources like forests are wiped out on a regular basis. There are many theories to tackling this issue and more research and education of the general public will be important."
16. Talk about a time that you successfully educated another individual or group in your area of expertise. What made your educational experience effective?
How to Answer
The role that you are interviewing for with IDEO will likely involve providing education to clients in your area of expertise. For this question, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you are comfortable and effective in providing education by having you talk about a time that you have done so. In the example that you provide, try to point out some key items to making business education successful like developing a plan/goals, respecting differing viewpoints/opinions, making it hands on and making it fun.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"Probably the aspect that I love the most about my current job is being the lead for training new hires into our department. Because of my years of experience and my innate ability to effectively orientate new employees, my director asked me to take this duty about four years ago. My approach with any new hire is to customize their training based on their knowledge and experience so the training is effective for them. What works for one person may not work for another and I always need to be fluid with this. I also prioritize the need to make orientation and training a hands on experience for the new hire because classroom learning can only take a person so far in the learning process."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"As you can see from my resume, I've spent the last seven years working in the corporate tax field. While in this job, I worked very independently for a private organization, so I've been out of the training and education side for a while now. During my first job out of college as a CPA though, I was very adept at providing education to the clients that I worked with on a daily basis. What I learned in that experience was the importance of putting material out there in a manner that the person being trained understood. As well, talking to clients and understanding my client's wants and needs were very important for me to be able to best educate them. I really believe that these skills would enable me to hit the ground running with IDEO and your clients would benefit greatly."
17. Throughout your career, what types of roles and positions have you worked closely with and which roles are you most comfortable working with?
How to Answer
A consultant role with IDEO may require you working with CEO's, Presidents and high executive leaders of organizations and your interviewer is ideally looking to hear that you have experience working with this level of leadership and that you are comfortable in that relationship. If you have experience working with this level, draw on your experiences to talk about how you'll be effective in a consulting role with IDEO. If you don't have direct experience working with this level of leadership, pull from your personality and your relationship building skills to project to your interviewer that you'll be comfortable in the consulting role.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"Since graduating from college, you can see that I've been employed with my current organization for almost 12 years. In my role, I've grown into the VP of Engineering role. In this role for almost three years now, I get to work closely with our CEO and CFO on upcoming projects. I have regular weekly touchpoints with each leader. I've learned that they look to me for expertise and we have a great working relationship because I speak openly and honestly in my areas of expertise. They continually tell me that they appreciate my no bull approach with them. I think the clients here at IDEO will appreciate that about me as well."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"Throughout my career, I've sat on different committees and led projects that involved our Senior Vice President and our Production Managers. I work really well with leaders at this level by speaking openly and honestly while asking a lot of clarifying questions. I regularly keep them updated on statuses of projects and communicating issues that may arise."
18. What are some of the bigger energy sustainability projects that you've been a part of during your career or training?
How to Answer
In looking to move to the consulting world at IDEO, your prior experience in energy sustainability projects will prove to be an asset for the clients that you will work with. Talk in detail to your interviewer about a major project or two that you were a part of. As you speak, be sure to reiterate that this type of project would be beneficial to clients that you will work with at IDEO.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"With my current organization, I have traveled throughout central and South America to help design and build geothermal power plants for countries in dire need of efficient and environmentally friendly electricity. These projects have put me working with people from all over the world and I've learned so much great information that I can pass forward to the clients here at IDEO."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"Solar energy has always been a passion of mine. I've had the opportunity to work with the installation of photovoltaic cells on the sides of large skyscrapers and the implementation of solar power towers in countries around the world. The power of the sun to create energy on earth is so powerful and I truly believe that our technology is just touching the surface of what we can harness. I would look forward to working with clients on new and exciting projects as we move into the future."
19. If hired for this position at IDEO, what would be the ideal project for you to lead?
How to Answer
To fully understand the reasoning behind this question, your interviewer is looking to get a sense for what type of work you prefer to do, what your strong points are and where to best position you with clients if hired for the position. Prior to your interview, be sure that you research the clients of IDEO and the typical projects that are led with them. Make sure your desires align in some aspect of the business and speak openly and honestly about your most desirable project.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"If I'm fortunate enough to come consult with IDEO, my ideal project would be working with the leadership staff of a high profile employer on a corporate restructuring project that makes them more efficient and more profitable in a short amount of time. As you can see from my experience, I really thrive when working with high level leaders like CEO's and Presidents on what I would consider my greatest area of expertise."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"Being passionate about manufacturing and technology, my ideal project would put me face to face working with a team of engineers and production staff to help implement the creation of a life changing product in the medical field. This area of manufacturing involves high cost materials and the need to produce items accurately and efficiently. My project management skills would thrive in this atmosphere."
20. What kind of people do you enjoy working with?
How to Answer
Culture fit is a critical factor when looking for a new position. Talk to the interviewer about the types of personalities that you best work with. Be sure to remain positive and avoid using this as an opportunity to speak poorly of previous colleagues.
1st Answer Example
"I best enjoy working with individuals who are driven, positive, energetic, and take accountability for their work. I do have the ability to work with a large variety of individuals; however, these are the ideal traits I would see in future colleagues."
2nd Answer Example
"Some other great characteristics of co-workers:
- Encouraging
- Helpful
- Engaged
- Positive
- Hard-working
- Punctual
- Reliable"
21. What would you say is the key factor for an organization to consider when building an action plan for growth?
How to Answer
Creating an action plan for growth can entail many steps and processes. As the clients at IDEO will look to you to be an expert on the entire process, your interviewer is simply looking to take a dive into your mind to hear what you feel is the most important factor. No matter how you answer this question, be sure to speak passionately about why this factor is important and how you will help their clients understand this and put it to use.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"In my experience in going back and measuring the successes of past organizations that I have been a part of a growth plan for, the top determining factor in success was having and following a five year plan for growth. The development of a solid five year plan entails setting goals, establishing the resources needed to meet the goals and pinpoints any potential hurdles on the way to the goals. An integral part of the plan also includes timelines for adding resources along the way to ensure that milestones are met on time."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"To me, companies that seize opportunities in their market are best suited for growth into the future. For a lot of companies, seeing opportunity is a huge area for improvement and its a passionate area of mine where I could bring expertise the clients of IDEO. As a consultant, the process of seeking out opportunity would involve detailed SWOT analyses, market research and surveying of staff. These processes will help clients see their best opportunities for growth, then further plans can be made to turn plans into reality."
22. At IDEO, our clients are looking for us to come in and provide sound leadership in their strategic planning and growth planning processes. What leadership style would you bring to our clients?
How to Answer
As a consultant at IDEO, an expectation from clients is for you to bring a sound leadership style to their team and a working knowledge of effective growth and strategic planning processes. While trying to avoid formal labels, talk about your leadership style as a consultant and explain why your style would most benefit clients. Try to focus on keywords that your leadership style brings, like collaboration and support.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"Having worked with and led large teams in the development of formal growth plans for organization, I see my role as a consultant and my leadership with clients as being team-based and collaborative. My job is to lead transformational change within the organization because we will ultimately be trying something new with them and implementing change into the future. From my style of leadership comes improvement through a team based effort and I really think the clients here at IDEO would benefit greatly from my style."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"As a consultant, I'd definitely employ a very democratic approach with your clients. They will be looking for me to provide the blueprint and the road map for success for them and then I would look to delegate and leave responsibility for implementing on them. My approach would be educational, resourceful and would preach teamwork among the entire project team. When I've utilized this approach in the past, it was very well received and helped lead to the success of several large projects."
23. What tools and programs are you comfortable and experienced working on that would help you in this role with IDEO?
How to Answer
As business technology has increased over time, the business analytics field has flourished with great tools becoming more easily available. Your interviewer is looking to get a sense of what programs you have familiarity working with and, on top of that, how fluent and efficient you are in using those tools. Be sure to touch on programs/tools that touch effective communication, project management and modelling/visualization and highlight the fact that you are proficient in and open to learning new programs if needed.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"As a proficient user and fan of the Microsoft Office Suite, I am very proficient using all of the pieces of the suite. I rely on Outlook for email communications, calendar appointments and managing daily and weekly tasks. I regularly use the Visio tool for diagramming and Excel for tracking purposes. In preparation for this interview, I've been researching common requirements management tools like Rational Requisite Pro and I feel confident in my technical abilities to learn and utilize a new business analyst program."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"As a trained IT professional looking to breakthrough into the analytics field, you can be assured that I have a wide breadth of experience working with many different programs and tools. On top of the normal Microsoft Office programs, I've worked on email programs like Zimbra and Mailbird for communications and am comfortable learning any new system. I think one unique aspect I can bring to IDEO is my experience working with SQL database management and queries."
24. As a successful program manager, what do you feel are the common causes of project failure?
How to Answer
To successfully advise clients at IDEO, you'll be relied upon to be an expert on where failures most commonly occur over the entire scope of a project. While the reasons are plentiful, speak to your own firsthand experience on where you feel the top one or two areas are that cause projects to fail. During your answer, speak to how you actively prevent those causes from harming a project as your potential clients will rely on you to do so.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"In my time as a successful program manager, I've seen the biggest breakdown of individual project come down to one simple item and that is a poorly defined project scope. From the start, the goal and the work needed to obtain the goal needs to be clear, concise and attainable. Because of this important factor, I take the time to get all key stakeholders involved in the scoping process. This includes writing a from scope statement for the project. Further on down the line as the project moves along, I use the scope statement as the basis for any major decisions or deviations from plan."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"For my work as a program manager overseeing many project, success comes down to leadership and communication and these are also the two biggest culprits when a project fails. To foster these sensitive areas, I always keep open lines of communication to my project managers and promote a communicative atmosphere for them with their teams. As well, I have an effective leadership style with my teams that resonates throughout the life of each project. These skills would be very desirable for the clients that I would potentially be working with here at IDEO."
25. How do you get back on track when a schedule falls behind so you don't miss important milestone deadline
How to Answer
In the world of project management, it is rare that a project goes from the planning stages through to implementation without a hiccup or two along the way. As the manager of the project, you are ultimately responsible for keeping the project on task and your interviewer is looking to hear how you will do that for the clients at IDEO. One important thing to consider highlighting is your ability to monitor and track progress regularly so the train doesn't get too derailed off the tracks. As well, you can talk about your ability to think on your feet, problem solve and coach others to bring tasks back up to date.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
Answer Example
"As an experience professional in project management, I pride myself on my ability to consistently monitor the progress of the project and spot where we may be falling behind on items. At those times, I work closely with the person or individuals assigned to that task to ensure that the job gets back on track. At times, this has involved me intervening and taking care of things that I can or reaching out to other resources for help. Milestones and deadlines are the key to the successful completion of a project and one missed item can create a bad domino effect that pushes a project back. For me, not letting that first fallen domino touch the next is the key to staying on track."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
26. Our clients here at IDEO expect top notch work from our consultants. How do you ensure that your work is error free when conducting research and/or data analysis?
How to Answer
While certainly an open ended question for you to talk about your detailed and thorough work, your interviewer is simply looking to hear that you have a plan for ensuring quality work each and every day you are on the job. Talk about the importance for providing accurate and reliable data and walk through any steps that you take to ensure that your work is error free. In the consulting world, the reputation of IDEO will rely on the accuracy of your work.
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
1st Answer Example
"For me, ensuring accurate data and error free work starts in the data collection process. I always make sure that they type of data collected is well defined to avoid unnecessary data in the analysis. Then, quality work comes down to organizing data in the best fashion possible and cleansing the data regularly. I know some analysts overlook these second two steps a lot of times, but the fact remains that these two steps are often the biggest hurdles to providing quality measurements to those that need it most."
Written by Ryan Brunner on August 23rd, 2019
2nd Answer Example
"Organization is the main key to ensuring accurate and mistake free data analysis. My organization starts with setting a data collection strategy and asking the right questions to ensure that the data I am collecting is the right data. Oftentimes, analysts live and die by the idea that executing and getting things done as quickly as possible is the only way of data analysis. This couldn't be farther from the truth and as the old saying goes, proper planning prevents poor performance."