Wayfair empowers employees to take smart risks. Tell me about a time you took a calculated risk at work.
There is a big difference between risky decisions and calculated risks. Being able to take smart risks and inspire calculated risks in others is a valuable skill. Smart risks could include giving a customer an extra discount, using a non-traditional method for attracting new employees or pitching an off-beat marketing strategy. Discuss a time when you have made a calculated risk at work. Be sure to use an example where the outcome was positive.
"In my current role, I found that we had a significant drop in online applicants. I decided to go to them rather than wait for the candidates to come to me. I started a spearheading initiative on Instagram, and it was a huge success! So far, we have added six new staff members to our team, and now we are looking at building an influencer marketing strategy."
"I took a calculated risk at work just last week when I asked to pitch a marketing strategy that came to my mind. This was an unusual ask in customer service but something I felt passionate about and wanted to pitch. My boss loved the initiative, and although I don't believe my idea will be a go, I am happy to have had the opportunity to show my employer that I care enough about the company to put in that extra effort."
Wayfair emphasizes that their employees "Use Good Judgement. We are bold and confident, never reckless. We make reasoned, calculated decisions based on data, critical thinking, and pattern recognition." Consider this when aligning yourself with their work culture and proposing yourself as a good fit for their brand.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I took a calculated risk at ____ when we were preparing to launch our app in Mexico. All required application documents were submitted to the regulatory authority, but they turned our application down. This was a devastating blow as the driver service centers were already set up, and advertisements were running. Without approval, our team would burn hundreds of thousands of dollars daily and risk low user retention. I quickly gathered our government affairs, finance, and IT teams to brainstorm. The government affairs team analyzed news articles about how our competitor had security issues and operated without the proper license. I empathized with the transportation authority to understand their motivation and concluded that the most likely bottleneck was concern about driver and passenger safety. My team worked closely with the technology team to install a safety feature that would enable passengers to seamlessly alert the police if they felt endangered. We resubmitted our application and offered to share aggregated traffic statistics to help solve congestion problems. After confirming the safety feature worked and detecting our cooperativeness, the authority granted us the permit. We subsequently successfully launched operations in three more Mexican cities.
Rachelle's Feedback
This story is highly engaging, and it puts a significant spotlight on a few of your qualities, such as taking a calculated risk, working hard to dig for solutions, and setting out to solve problems even if they seem insurmountable. Outstanding work!
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