Job Interview Questions: How To Answer “What New Ideas Are You Bringing On Board”

By Lilian Wamaitha

Are you preparing for an interview right now?

Whenever you attend an interview, employers are looking for people who are self-motivated and who can bring changes into the organization.

And so one of the job interview questions you are likely to encounter is “What new ideas are you bringing on board?”

According to Mr. Perminus Wainaina, Managing Partner and Head of Recruitment at Corporate Staffing, the challenge comes when you haven’t read the job description.

If you haven’t researched the employer, you might also find it difficult answering this interview question.

Best Way To Answer “What New Ideas Are You Bringing On Board” Job Interview Question

1. Understand the job description

According to Mr. Wainaina, the best way to answer this job interview question is to understand the job description.

What does the employer expect of you? Based on this, what new ideas can you add to the company that will be beneficial in the long run?

Any employer will hire you because they want you to add something valuable to the organization. No employer wants someone who cannot go above and beyond what is expected of them.

Think about the role you will be playing and what more you can do to stand out. This will not only be a career catapult but it is a great way to stand out and earn a promotion as time goes by.

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2. Focus on the gaps in the industry

Every industry has gaps that employers try to fill. If you are looking to impress them when answering this question, focus on these gaps and what changes you can bring on board.

But let’s face it, the company research you do will not give you the information you need on the gaps in the industry.

“My advice to candidates is that they have to make the employer understand that change is not instantaneous” says Mr. Wainaina.

In as much as you are expected to do your research on the company prior to the interview, the best way to really understand them is by working there for a while. Only then can you be in a position to pin point the challenges that the company is facing.

The best way to answer this question according to Mr. Wainaina is to say this “In the past few weeks before I came for this interview, I have looked at you sector and have seen that there are gaps or areas that you can be able to improve on as a company. However, I can only be able to implement these changes once I come on board.”

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He concludes that you should answer this question in such a way that the employer will find you valuable and not too arrogant.

The writer is a Communications and Digital Marketing Officer at Career Point Kenya. Got any interview related queries? Email them to lilian@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke.