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How does your creativity competence help you make unexpected links?
How does your creativity competence help you make unexpected links?

Creativity

How does your creativity competence help you make unexpected links?
How does your creativity competence help you make unexpected links?

Creativity

“When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.”

Winnie the Pooh

Creativity is about making unexpected connections, looking at the world or a problem/task from a different perspective, and/or combining things that usually do not belong together. Here’s a couple of prompts that might help you demonstrate your ability to make unexpected connections:

  • Have you ever made an unexpected link? Could you talk more about a specific situation? What problem did you help solve?
  • Would you consider yourself a divergent thinker? Why?
  • Are you familiar with the SCAMPER, 6-3-5 brainwriting, thinking hats or similar techniques? Do you use them? What do you like about them? Do you maybe recall an instance you used one of these techniques with your colleagues?

Problem solving
Problem solving

Creativity

Problem solving
Problem solving

Creativity

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”

Albert Einstein

Creativity is one of the competences essential to problem solving. Rules, guidelines and best practice manuals are helpful and can get you a result but they are not always available. Furthermore, in order to achieve extraordinary results, everyone needs to sometimes think “outside the box”. Demonstrate your problem-solving skills by answering the questions below 👇

  • What problem-solving event are you most proud of? Why and what happened?
  • How do you ensure that after having dealt with problems they do not repeat? Have you developed a method/technique to solve similar problems?
  • Tell us about a situation where you used creative thinking to eliminate frustration with a product/situation or a process.
  • Describe a situation where you had to think “outside the box” and how did you go about it?

Willingness to listen and understand different points of view
Willingness to listen and understand different points of view

Flexibility

Willingness to listen and understand different points of view
Willingness to listen and understand different points of view

Flexibility

“We all look at the same object in different ways.”

Kehinde Wiley

Listening and trying to understand different opinions and points of view are crucial to ensure effective teamwork. However, this requires a certain level of flexibility and willingness to compromise. Here’s a couple of prompts that might help you demonstrate this skill:

  • How do you keep an open mind in a workplace?
  • How do you take criticism?
  • Even if you disagree with your colleagues are you willing to (for instance) try out their suggestions?
  • Would you consider yourself tolerant? Why?
  • Do you consider yourself an fair-minded person? Why?
  • Are you curious to hear what other people think?

  Project development is a creative endeavour?
Project development is a creative endeavour?

Creativity

  Project development is a creative endeavour?
Project development is a creative endeavour?

Creativity

“Every project is an opportunity to learn, to figure out problems and challenges, to invent and reinvent.”

David Rockwell

Creativity is not just about generating ideas. We could argue that project development as a whole is a creative endeavour. If you’re not entirely convinced yet, bear with us for a moment! What we mean is that projects evolve, take unexpected turns and in fact people rarely end up with the result that they envisioned at the very beginning. This whole project development process requires an open mind and willingness to learn, invent, reinvent and create along the way. You could show off your creativity competence by focusing your digital story on project development experience!

  • Have you developed any projects?
  • How has the creativity competence helped you along the way?
  • How did your creativity help you manage your team/or become a better team player?
  • Have you ever identified an opportunity to develop a project differently in order to achieve better/more desirable results?

Teamwork
Teamwork

Collaboration

Teamwork
Teamwork

Collaboration

"It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed."

Charles Darwin

Even if you work mostly independently, there will come a time when you’ll need to work with others. Here’s a couple of questions that might inspire you to highlight excellent teamworking skills:

  • Think of a time when you achieved something that was only possible as a team. What was it?
  • Have you ever joined a project midway? What did you do to blend in quickly? How did you manage to work effectively as a team member?
  • Would you consider yourself a team player? If you would, why?

Ability to prioritise
Ability to prioritise

Self-management

Ability to prioritise
Ability to prioritise

Self-management

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The ability to set your priorities straight is invaluable. We can guarantee you that your future employer is looking for team members that can identify the most important tasks and get to them immediately rather than focusing on tasks of lower importance. Do you think you’re great at prioritising tasks? If so, you should definitely mention that in your video CV. Here’s a couple of questions that might help you get started thinking about how to best demonstrate this skill in your video:

  • Tell us about a situation where you had too much to do. How did you go through all the tasks?
  • How do you prioritize goals? Do you have a method, a checklist?
  • Do you set yourself goals? Do you do so in your professional and in your personal life? You could talk more about a goal that you set yourself and how you achieved it.
  • Do you set S.M.A.R.T goals?

Tell us more about your passion project or a hobby!
Tell us more about your passion project or a hobby!

Creativity

Tell us more about your passion project or a hobby!
Tell us more about your passion project or a hobby!

Creativity

“I draw like other people bite their nails.”

Pablo Picasso

There is no better way to show your creativity than sharing your work and talking about your creative process… even if the creativity skill is not listed as one of the requirements for the position you’re applying for, it is a sought-after competence and could help you differentiate yourself from the competition. Remember you don’t have to be a professional painter, director, designer, photographer or artist to share the projects that you are passionate about with prospective employers. A Video CV is a great way to show off your personality and interests, and can be a great conversation starter. Wonder where to start?

    We’ve prepared a couple of questions that might give you some inspiration:
  • Do you draw, paint, perform, play a musical instrument, take photographs, write … mime? How long have you been doing this?
  • Could you show some examples of your creative projects? (presentation, video tour, etc…)
  • What did you learn from arts & crafts?
  • Have you developed any transversal skills?
  • Do you consider yourself creative? What incident made you think that?

Won any awards for your creative projects? Remember to mention them!
Won any awards for your creative projects? Remember to mention them!

Creativity

Won any awards for your creative projects? Remember to mention them!
Won any awards for your creative projects? Remember to mention them!

Creativity

“I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either.”

Jack Benny

Remember to mention any awards you’ve won for your work! It might help you stand out as well as highlight your interests and expertise. When talking about awards you’ve won remember to 👇

  • Include the date
  • Mention issuing organisation
  • Identify what you received awards for
  • Prioritise, only mention awards that might be relevant to the position
  • Keep it short and sweet
  • Mention how this recognition is relevant to the position you’re applying for