"Anything I can do that helps me over-deliver. I've made a habit of stepping outside of my comfort zone, and more often than not, doing so is as simple as looking at things outside of the proverbial box. It's tapping into my attention to detail, tapping into resources I hadn't considered utilizing before. It's adapting unconventional methodologies to solve problems. It is continually thinking ahead of the curve, without pause. This is something I actually take a lot of pride in and which greatly contributes to my job satisfaction. Really feeling these skills could be put to use here is what prompted me to pursue a career with the NSA."

When elaborating on what innovation means to you, do what you can to share your perspective and methodology for improving upon, or finding entirely new paths forward. Give them a sense of what makes you unique, and what you stand to contribute. Not just your ideas, but how resourceful you are, how you find the answers, and how you communicate and implement those ideas with success.

On LinkedIn, one of the NSA's recruiters is quoted as having said, "The advice I would give to aspiring NSA employees is to reach out of your comfort zone, take initiative, search for the unknown, and take a chance at every opportunity given." Additionally, when touching on their brand of innovation, the NSA says on their careers site, "NSA's focus on innovation transformation into an agency that rapidly adapts to unforeseen challenges and opportunities by helping organizations rapidly iterate, integrate tight feedback loops, bring outside technology and tradecraft in, and make better decisions under uncertainty." So, when formulating your response, consider how your approach aligns with their priorities of smart decision-making and rapid adaptability.