Tell me about a problem that wasn't anyone's job to fix — including yours — that you ended up taking on. Why that one, and what happened?
Why this works
Unowned problems are where ownership is visible: there's no role script to follow. The "why that one" clause tests judgment too — indiscriminate volunteering is its own signal.
Follow-up probes
- What were you supposed to be doing instead, and how did you balance it?
- Who did you tell, and when?
- What would have happened if you'd left it alone?
What good looks like
A concrete gap with real consequences, a deliberate choice to take it (including keeping their own commitments visible), and follow-through to an outcome — not just raising a flag and moving on.
Red flags
Hero narratives with no coordination, picking a pet project and calling it ownership, or resentment that taking it on wasn't rewarded.
Build the interview around it
One vetted question is an ingredient, not the meal. Plan the interview and three short steps will work out which competencies your role needs, no account required. Or subscribe and get new vetted questions and interview guides as we publish them.