๐๐๐๐จ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ-๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ
“Strategic Thinking”, part of a short series exploring competency-based interview questions, the different angles you could consider in your answers, and what interviewers may be trying to understand from them.ย
The aim isnโt to tell you what to say, but rather to offer a few ideas to help you think about what a question is really trying to uncover and approach your answers with that in mind
“Describe a situation where you had to change your plan or goal to keep your work aligned with team or organizational priorities.”
A question about flexibility and adaptability, but It may also be exploring how you notice when something no longer makes sense in the bigger picture, and how you decide what to do next.
Angles you could consider:
โข What changed around you
(e.g., new information, shifting priorities, unexpected issues, or something not going to plan)ย
โข How and when you realized your original plan or goal was no longer alignedย
(e.g., noticing misalignment through feedback, results, or changing circumstances)ย
โข What options you thought throughย
(e.g., staying the course, adjusting the plan, slowing things down, or taking a different approach)ย
โข What you weighed up before changing courseย
(e.g., risks, potential impact on others, short-term disruption versus longer-term benefits, how different options might affect stakeholders, how you communicated the shift to make the change clear)ย
โข What happened as a resultย
(e.g., better alignment, avoided problems, clearer priorities, lessons learned)
What an interviewer may be listening for:
โข Whether you notice when your work no longer lines up with wider goals or strategies.ย
โข Whether you think beyond your own tasks and consider the bigger picture.ย
โข Whether you consider risk and the impact of change on others when deciding how and when to adjust course.ย
โข Whether you make thoughtful decisions rather than reacting under pressure.ย
โข Whether you communicate changes clearly, involve the right people, and how you influence.ย
โข Whether you reflect on what worked, what didnโt, and what you might do differently next time.
“Strategic Thinking” questions can take many forms. Considering what they may be exploring, such as how you assess change, consider risks, weigh impact, influence, and adjust your approach, can help guide how you share your experiences.
