World would be a boring place without creative people. And the same is true for every workplace. But it isn’t only about making practical jokes and having fun, or about decorating the office for Halloween. It is much more than that…. Business landscape has become incredibly competitive in the recent decade. Profit margins are often razor-thin, and it isn’t easy to stand out, with a product, or with a way how a company creates it, promotes it, sells it, etc. Creative people can make all the difference here, proposing new concepts and ideas, and helping the company to find their niche in a saturated market. That’s why creativity matters–in almost every department of a corporation, and hiring managers may inquire about it in an interview.
We have a complete list of creative thinking interview questions online, but in this article we will focus on one question in particular: How creative are you? Let’s proceed directly to 7 sample answers. Working on the list, I tried to include answers for both creative people and people who were blessed with different talents. I also include some unconventional answers, and answers fitting for people without any previous working experience. I hope you will find on the list some inspiration for your own genuine interview answer, even if you happen to lack the creativity, and excel in other areas instead…
7 sample answers to “How Creative Are You?” interview question
- I think that my portfolio demonstrates it better than any words I could tell you here. Look at the latest campaigns I’ve worked on. These designs are completely unique, and some of them had a huge impact on the eventual success of our marketing campaigns. Would you like me to elaborate on any of them, explaining why I chose this or that design, and what goals I followed with it?
- I consider myself a creative soul, though I did not have a chance to express my creativity in my last job. A big corporation, they assigned me a certain set of relatively boring tasks in MS Excel, and I had to work on them day in day out. Of course we had team meetings, and I tried to propose some interesting changes to the processes, but you know how it works in a big corporation… Several people have to approve everything, and you eventually end up waiting ages for any changes to take place. It is one of the reasons why I decided to quit the job. Sure enough, they paid me well, but for me it is more important to have an ability to express my creativity at work. And I know that I will have a much better chance to do so in a smaller company. That’s why I am applying for a job with you.
- Honestly speaking, creativity does not belong to my strengths. Now it doesn’t mean that I never suggest anything, or do not try to improve the way the job is done. But I lack experience, and at this stage of my career I prefer to learn from more experienced colleagues, and follow their example at work. Maybe when I get older and understand the ins and outs of corporate finance, I will develop more creative approach to work. For the time being, however, it is how it is, and I honestly do not consider it as a disadvantage. At the end of the day, this isn’t rocket science, and it makes no sense trying to reinvent the wheel. At least in my opinion…
- Well, this is my first job application, and I haven’t had a chance yet to test my creativity at work. You know how it goes at the college–you have to learn the subjects, the formulas, the calculations. With an exception of your thesis, there’s not much room for creativeness. But I understand it is important to be creative and come up with new ideas, and hope to get a chance to develop my creativity in the job.
- I consider myself very creative, especially in an artistic sense. Drawing is my biggest hobby, and I also play a couple of musical instruments, piano and saxophone. But I rarely play according to the sheets. I like to improvise, create my own songs, and I enjoy the process immensely. The only job I had so far wast in a fast food restaurant, while I was still studying at a college. As you can imagine, there’s no room for creativity in such a job. I sincerely hope to have a chance to apply my creativity to the work I do, and that’s the main reason why I decided to apply for a job with you.
- I think others should consider that. My former managers for example, or my colleagues. I definitely suggested some important improvements to the production process in my last job, and they resulted in higher productivity in the workplace. But I try to stay humble, and at the end of the day there’s always room for improvement. I cannot tell you how creative I am, but I can definitely tell you that I strive to improve on every important ability at work, and creativeness definitely makes the list of such abilities.
- My strengths are responsibility, attention to detail, and honesty. Creativity does not make the list, and I always try to be realistic about my skills, and my chances to succeed in a job. It is one of the reasons why I apply for a job of an office assistant with you. I honestly believe that creativeness plays a little role in this job. Because you do not need to be creative to type text into MS Word, or to answer basic correspondence, or to take care of other common office duties. In my opinion, everyone should be aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and choose their job accordingly. That’s exactly what I try to do in my life.
Portfolio can help you big time
If you apply for any job in art, marketing, design, or in a similar field, I strongly suggest you to prepare a portfolio of your best works. It can be both online and offline, and we have a good article dedicated to the topic of creating an amazing portfolio here: Professional portfolio – your ace in the sleeve. Check it out if you aren’t sure how to make one.
Anyway, we people are visual beings. To see something once is better than to hear about it a thousand times, as a famous saying goes. When presenting your works in the interviews, and trying to demonstrate your creativity, do not forget to give a comment to each work. Explain the goals you followed with your design, techniques and software programs you used, and how the eventual results met (or didn’t meet) your expectations.
Be aware of catch questions
Interviews have become more sophisticated over the recent years. Hiring managers know that most job seekers prepare for the questions in advance, and they try various things to catch them off-guard. One of the common tricks is asking about an ability that actually isn’t important for the job, or having it is even a minus rather than a plus. It can be the case also with the question about your creativeness.
Think twice about the job you are trying to get. Is creativity really important for it? Or does it play a rather insignificant role? And doesn’t it even represent a weakness for this particular position, because the last thing they want from an employee is questioning things and trying to reinvent the wheel? Think about it for a moment, and make sure that you do not belaud your creativity while they want to hear something completely different from you…
Ready to answer the question in your interview? I hope so! Do not forget to check also answers to other tricky questions:
