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Behavioral Mock Interview

To help you prepare for your next job interview, here are 31 Behavioral interview questions and answer examples.

Our Behavioral Questions were written by and updated on October 25th, 2021. Learn more about this page.

Question 31 of 31

Describe a time when you showed initiative at work.

The interviewer wants evidence that you are the type of person to take the initiative in the workplace. The goal of your response is to show that you are interested in succeeding, growing, and taking on responsibilities beyond your typical work scope.

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How to Answer: Describe a time when you showed initiative at work.

  • 31. Describe a time when you showed initiative at work.

      The Goal

      The interviewer wants evidence that you are the type of person to take the initiative in the workplace. The goal of your response is to show that you are interested in succeeding, growing, and taking on responsibilities beyond your typical work scope.

      Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021

      How to Answer

      Taking the initiative could mean that you take on responsibilities independently without being asked or continually coached by your manager. It could also mean that you are the type of person who jumps in and assumes the lead before others do or before being asked. Answer this question by telling the interviewer about a specific time when you showed initiative at work. Outline the situation, describe the task, and explain the actions you took to take the initiative. Give as much detail as you can regarding the positive results of your actions. At the end of your response, be sure to describe your high level of initiative and how this characteristic will benefit the company when they choose to hire you.

      Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021

      Pro Tip

      Behavioral-based interview questions like this, where the interviewer is looking for a story example, are best answered using the STAR method. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Organizing your response using this framework helps you provide an effective story-based response.

      Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021

      What to Avoid

      Avoid giving a general answer regarding your initiative. Stay away from vague statements like, 'I always take the initiative in life; it's just who I am.'

      Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021

      Answer Example

      "(Situation) Last month, I realized that many of our staff training manuals had outdated information. Most notably, the company recently changed from Zoho CRM to Salesforce CRM. This change meant that the entire team had obsolete instructions on inputting important customer data into the system. (Task) As the Administrative Lead, it wasn't my responsibility to ensure this update was complete; however, I knew that the Administrative Manager was already overwhelmed with other deadlines. (Action) So, I decided to draft the training manual update myself. The update took me about one week since I worked on it between other high-priority tasks. Once I finished the draft, I asked the Admin Manager to review and approve the changes. (Result) They were very impressed that I noticed the issue and took the initiative to make updates. The sales and customer service teams were also thrilled that I cared and took the time to streamline their work."

      Written by Rachelle Enns on December 14th, 2021

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "I can talk about one such situation, this is when the team was still small with 2 devs, 1 QA, and 1 product manager, and the project was critical with the deal line to move the project into production. This is when I pitched in and offered to help with client meetings, client debug session and on the side, I was also able to work on the actual tasks that were assigned to me. Made sure that I had a plan in place so the current project that I was working on did not have any issues."

      Marcie's Feedback

      Great! It definitely sounds like you stepped up and helped the company and your team by taking on additional responsibilities outside of your regular scope of work. This will indicate to the interviewer that you are adaptable, well-rounded, and a quick learner. Most importantly, it also shows that you are proactive and not afraid to take the initiative when needed. Good job!
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