Interview Question: Thinking Outside the Box as an Art Director

Outside the Box thinking Art DirectorIn most professions, creativity, resourcefulness, and originality are must-haves for job seekers. This is especially true in the art industry, where everyone is expected to have their own original ideas.

 

Art directors are the project managers for the biggest department of any film production or company – the art department. Their job is to create unique ideas that will give the film or other product its unique visual identity. Furthermore, they are expected to be responsible for the department’s budget and the work schedules of the team.

This article is about how, as an applicant vying for the position of art director, you should answer the interviewer if he or she asks about a time when you’ve thought outside the box. After all, you’re in the art industry and your job is to be creative and productive. Moreover, the interviewer may ask how it helped your previous employers.

First, let’s talk about why this question is asked.

  • The interviewer’s purpose is to know how far you can go beyond what is presented to you;
  • The interviewer is interested in your ideas and imagination (because this is what they need in the art department);
  • The interviewer wants to know what you can contribute to the company and how you’re going to do it.

Next, let’s talk about how to answer this question. Here are some guidelines that you might want to consider:

1. Pick a situation from your past experiences that will best exhibit your creativity and resourcefulness. Choose an example in which you were able to implement your originality and creativeness.

2. Be specific in answering the question. Mention all the details that will best illustrate your skills. Be proud of your achievements, and don’t miss this chance to tell the interviewer how much of an asset you can be. Keep your explanation real, and keep it interesting.

3. Be careful with your words. You still have to be guarded and keep your statements humble and polite. Don’t sound too arrogant.

4. Explain how you will keep your eyes open for opportunities to make improvements in your work environment. Being creative is a combination of being original and resourceful, and having your own unique ideas and set of solutions to any problem that might arise.

5. Mention how open-minded you are when it comes to collaboration; as they say, two heads are better than one. Describe how you accept other people’s opinions and how you work with them to come up with better ideas.

6. Don’t forget to explain how your out-of-the-box thinking helped your previous employers. The interviewer wants to know “how” more than “what,” so make sure that he or she understands this part well enough. Your objective here should be to convince the interviewer that you’ll be an asset to the organization.

Always remember to be confident and straightforward in answering interview questions. Meanwhile, make your interview answers as creative and unique as possible, but don’t get too outlandish. Follow these tips and before you know it, you’ll have the art director position you’ve been searching for.

Read 7265 times Last modified on Thursday, 03 March 2016 19:43
Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.