🚀High Prioritymedium10-15 minutes
Tell me about a time when you took initiative on something without being asked. What motivated you?
initiativeownershipproduct-thinkingproactive
🎯 What Interviewers Are Looking For
- ✓Proactive mindset and ownership
- ✓Ability to identify opportunities
- ✓Self-motivation and drive
- ✓Impact orientation
📋 STAR Framework Guide
Structure your answer using this framework:
S - Situation
What situation or gap did you observe?
T - Task
What did you decide to do? Why did it matter even though no one asked?
A - Action
How did you take initiative? What did you build/do?
R - Result
What was the impact? How did others react?
💬 Example Answer
⚠️ Pitfalls to Avoid
- ✗Making it sound like you were a hero while others did nothing
- ✗Taking initiative that caused problems or wasn't appropriate
- ✗Not explaining why you took initiative (just "I felt like it")
- ✗Claiming credit for something that was actually assigned
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Explain the gap or opportunity you identified
- ✓Show you considered the value and impact
- ✓Demonstrate good judgment about when to ask vs when to just do
- ✓Quantify the outcome where possible (led to 2 interviews)
- ✓Show it became a repeatable habit, not a one-time thing
🔄 Common Follow-up Questions
- →Did you get permission before adding the UI, or just build it?
- →What if your manager disagreed with your initiative?
- →How do you decide when to take initiative vs when to ask first?
🎤 Practice Your Answer
0:00
Target: 2-3 minutes
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