Many jobs claim to offer intellectual fulfillment, problem-solving opportunities, or freedom to use creative decision-making to steer one's own work. Yet in my experience, few jobs actually offer this.
I've been conducting a job search for about 8 months now, and I've rejected a few late stage opportunities specifically because it appeared like a similar situation as my current role. Recruiters and hiring managers go out of their way to talk about all the great innovative things they do and all the interesting problem-solving opportunities there will be. Yet when I press for more details, it becomes very clear that that I won't be challenged, won't be given any discretion over the direction of my own work, etc.
I am at a loss about how to combat this problem.
What sort of questions can I ask during an interview to find out if a company really does provide these kinds of creative decision-making opportunities as opposed to ones that are just trying to use buzzwords to attract good employees?