I had difficulty understanding what the interviewers were looking for in certain responses. We became particularly stuck on a question about a time I creatively solved a problem. The examples I provided involved collaboration with my team, which did not seem to align with what they were seeking. They appeared to be looking for an example of independently solving an issue, despite the position being a management role. As a manager, my approach to problem-solving is team-oriented. I rely heavily on my team. Because of that, most of my relevant examples were team-oriented. Ultimately, I explained that I did not have a strong standalone example outside of experiences from much earlier in my career as an individual contributor. What made the interaction more confusing was that creativity itself seemed to become a sticking point despite me actively offering ideas during the interview process. For example, after hearing about production slowdowns related to powder incorporation and mixing times in the adipic reaction process for polyester production, I suggested implementing a Quadro-style milling or dispersion approach to potentially improve incorporation efficiency and reduce cycle time. Rather than discussing the concept further, the idea was quickly dismissed because something “similar” had apparently been attempted in the past. It felt as though there was little consideration given to the thought process or initiative behind the suggestion.