"I took the initiative the past month to completely revamp the file room as well as organize the drive that held our digital files. It was a mess, and with tax season upon us, I couldn't ignore the need. My boss was very thankful for the initiative that I took."

"Our store was experiencing significant issues with theft. I created a proposal to head office that included a paid security officer at the door during peak business times. I researched the cost and compared it to the cost of what we were losing. It was less than 25%, so I figured it was certainly worth the investment. They agreed!"

"Our sales script was very outdated, so I chose to use my time to revamp the book and then submit the potential changes to my boss. She loved the initiative, and after some minor edits, we introduced the new script to the sales team. It was a proud moment in my career."

"We had an awkward intake procedure when I first started working for my company. New clients would hire us, and we would phone interview them - taking notes along the way. I made the recommendation that we send them a fillable form where they can think about their answer and type it out, make edits, and then send to us. This form was implemented, and now our clients can give us a much more thought-out and thorough idea of their needs and vision."

"I implemented a new routine in my classroom where the day begins with physical activity. We take a walk outside around the schoolyard or do jumping jacks when the first bell rings. It gets everyone's blood flowing, and the kids start their day in a fun way. It was so successful that the school started 'morning fitness' where the K-6 kids assemble in the gym for a quick few minutes."

The interviewer would like to know if you take the initiative in the workplace. Have you ever considered the opportunity to present your employer with potential change? Talk to the hiring manager about a time when you took the initiative in the workplace.

"I was able to present and implement one specific change in the office this past year. It was a recycling program that I felt was very important, even for our smaller office. We had significantly less waste after my initiative, and I enjoyed seeing others take pride in helping our environment."