When people say creativity, most of us imagine artists, composers, writers. But creativity isn’t limited to arts and music, and you can definitely demonstrate your creativity in an interview in many ways. One can be creative in a kitchen–instead of following recipes from the internet they try their own combinations. Or while picking clothes to wear–creating their own trends, not caring what others will say. We can be creative in communication, and even in the way we go about our daily business, whatever it may be. What I try to say here is that you have many options. But what do the interviewers want to hear from you?

Well, in an ideal case, the example of creativity you show them should be relevant for the job you try to get. If you apply for a job of a graphic designer for example, it should be some out-of-the box logo, website design, book cover. And if you apply for a a fashion designer job, you should demonstrate the creativity with the clothes you wear, or bring to the interview with you. In neutral cases, such as when you get this question while applying for some managerial role, you can point out anything, any example of your creativity, as long as it makes sense to the interviewers.

Before we look at 7 sample answers to the question, I want to emphasize one thing: to see something once is better than to hear about it a thousand times. If an example of your creativity is a thing that can be showcase, either directly, or on your online portfolio, you should definitely prepare it upfront, and show it to the interviewers. Because even if you excel in communication and can describe anything in words, it is still better when they see the example of your creativity. Let’s proceed to the answers.

 

7 sample answers to “Give an example of your creativity” interview question

  1. I think this website (you show it to them on your laptop or tablet) is a great example of my creativity. I designed it for a friend who sells craft musical instruments. The combination of colors, visual elements, and the right copy is what makes it almost a work of art, at least in my view. It is also completely different than other websites selling musical instruments, and that’s exactly what we tried to achieve–to stand out, to do things differently. I could not just copy someone else’s work. We put together this design from scratch, and I enjoyed the process immensely.
  2. I can give you a great example from my last corporate job. Belonging to the sales team, we followed the processes set by the company, processes they had in place for years. But after the first week I immediately saw an area of improvement, when it came to lead generation, and also the sales talk. Got a green light from the manager, and instead of doing what everyone else was doing, I was experimented with new sales pitches and generated leads in a new way. It helped me achieve some great results, and eventually the entire sales department adopted my strategies.
  3. I would say that my entire life is a demonstration of creativity. Born in a poor family and struggling with ailing health, I was always fighting against the odds. I could not just go to school of my choice and enjoy hobbies in the afternoon as many other kids could. Had to work since I was 15, help a lot at home, and I also spent a lot of time in hospitals. But I still found ways to study, squeezing it into any free moments, such as when walking somewhere, or sitting on the bus. Eventually I managed to earn a degree, and believe me I had to be extremely creative in my everyday life to make it happen… Now I hope to get a job with you, and perhaps benefit from my treacherous journey up to this point.
  4. The shirt I am wearing is an example of my creativity. I designed it myself, trying to bring some fresh look into the colors of this autumn. I followed Feng shui principles while choosing the colors and shapes, but I also wanted to add a surprising element to the mix, which is the mandala on my left shoulder. What do you think about my shirt? Do you like it? Do you think I can come up with some interesting designs for your company? I honestly think I can…
  5. I would say my resume it a great example of my creativeness. Do not understand me wrong though. Everything you can see on it is true, my education, experience, and so on. But I played a lot with formatting, fonts, and also with the way I described my experience, trying to make it stand out from other resumes, trying to make it easily noticeable. And I believe I succeeded, since from seven job applications I got three interview invitations, which is, in my view, a very good result. Of course, interview invitation is just the first step, and I know I still have to convince you here to get the job.
  6. I hope my interview answers are the best example of my creativity. Do not want to sound over-confident, but I consider myself a creative manager, someone who can think outside of the box, and come up with great ideas. You know, most people just say what everyone else does, things you are supposed to say in the interviews. But I always try to come up with something special, looking at things from a different angle, sharing my personal philosophy along the way. To be honest, I am not sure whether it is the best interview strategy–probably it isn’t, but no doubt it demonstrates my creativity.
  7. You can look at my YT channel, in the SEO niche. I managed to gather over five thousand subscribers, and very high engagement rate. But it isn’t only because my click-bait titles and thumbnails, but also because the way I try to involve my audience in the videos, and the funny way in which I try to shoot them. I believe the channel stands out, and it is a great demonstration of my creativity. And I hope to get a chance to put my creativity to a real test in your company, sine the YouTube channel is really just a hobby project, and not something I can live from.

 

Final thoughts

As you can see now, you can demonstrate your creativity in many different ways: with an item you designed, with an online asset (a website, YT channel, account on some social network), but also with a creative way in which you dealt with some challenge in the workplace or at school, or with the way you designed your resume. Do not be shy, and show them your work. And make sure to explain how it demonstrates your creativity, because at times they may not notice, especially if you come up with something truly creative :). I hope it helps, and wish you best of luck in your interview!

Matthew

Check also sample answers to other tricky interview questions:

Matthew Chulaw
Latest posts by Matthew Chulaw (see all)