Please provide a brief overview of your understanding of diversity and inclusion, and explain why you believe they are important in the workplace.

Considering that you may be working with individuals from a variety of backgrounds, the hiring authority needs to ensure their ideal candidates are culturally competent. Being culturally competent requires above-average emotional intelligence. For example, those who are well-traveled and have been immersed in, or lived among, other cultures will possess the communication skills required to navigate greater social challenges. Those lacking cultural competence tend to clash with other cultures as a result of misinterpreting social cues and signals, which is a direct result of easily avoidable communication breakdowns. So share your experience and cultural competence. Convey that you possess the social skills to build relationships and earn the trust of every member of your team.

Conveying cultural competence requires interest, openness, and curiosity. Nonverbal indicators for these emotions are leaning in, tilting your head as you speak, smiling, and making eye contact. Signs of discomfort and avoidance could be interpreted as indicators of negative bias and antipathy. Such nonverbal cues include decreased positivity, less eye contact and more gaze aversion, fewer smiles, greater interpersonal distance, and increased blinking. Consider these points when formulating your answer.

"I consider myself rather well-traveled. Anytime I travel to a culture far removed from my own, I can't wait to explore where the locals are, eat where they eat, and see those not-so-touristy sites. When I work with someone from a different background than my own, I am eager to learn more about them and the best approach to communicating with them and developing a strong and trusting work relationship. Also, being as big of a foodie as I am, I always offer a bake-off trade of some kind. In my spare time, I love to bake. I took lessons at our local culinary school every Saturday for over six months and have learned some great techniques. My specialty is the art of making macaroons. I frequently offer a trade with someone whose cuisine is new to me, and I bring my creations to work, and they bring theirs, and it's a fun way for everyone to learn more about each other through the universal language of food."

Look back on those you have worked with who come from backgrounds different from yours. Refresh your memory on how they helped you with your professional development and how you helped them. Collaboration is the key here. Focus less on what makes them socially different, and emphasize what you learned from their unique perspectives as unique individuals, what you accomplished together, and your positive experiences working with them. Once you have refreshed yourself on those experiences, consider how you would share with sensitivity how working with them expanded your knowledge and skill set as a professional.