For almost all of us, interviews are nerve-racking. There’s something about being expected to give answers to questions on the spot; even if most of the questions are about yourself. The one thing that helps in reducing the pre-interview jitters is preparing for it. The better prepared you are, the more confident you will feel. So, here we will help you prepare for some problem-solving interview questions, which are some quite common but tricky questions that can make or break your first impression in front of an interviewer.
You will here find a lot of information regarding these problem-solving questions, along with tips on how to answer them, the keywords in your answer that might impress your interviewer, and also why these questions and their answers are really important for both you and your interviewer.
Let’s read on then. We hope that by the end, you will feel much more confident about your interview.
The purpose of problem-solving questions
Before going to the questions and answers directly, let’s discuss what problem-solving questions are and why they are asked. Problem-solving questions are either behavioral or situational questions that ask you your reaction to a certain stressful situation that might have happened to you in the past or in a hypothetical scenario. These questions are mainly asked by an interviewer in order to test certain aspects of you that might be helpful in the workplace. Therefore, what you answer to these reveal your professional personality, your analytical skills, your threshold for stress, and much more. That is the reason it is very important for you to answer these questions well.
Now, there are certain things that an interviewer expects of your answer to these questions, which are:
- Your problem-solving capabilities- If you do a job, it’s inevitable that you will be faced with unprecedented problems. The higher your post, the more problems you will face and the more impactful these problems will be. Hence, for an employer, it becomes crucial to know your problem-solving process, and if it will be enough to face possible ones in the future. So make sure that while you are answering, you clearly discern how you would get out of the given situation.
- Patience in stressful situations- Solving a problem, especially in a workplace when it might have arisen out of no fault of your own, can be frustrating. It might be more so when you are in a managerial position or in customer care service. That is why patience is crucial in the workplace. And your answers will be judged for how patient and calm you would be in a stressful situation. Even your tone of speech can reveal how patient you are. After all, an interview in itself is a stressful event.
- Knowledge about your field- This sounds like an obvious purpose but you should brace yourself with points entailing practical uses of your knowledge because mostly, problem-solving questions are situational. These situations might even be hypothetical, but at least they are possible. You may be asked how you would use a certain technical aspect of your field to solve a certain problem. For example, if you are applying for a job as a software engineer, you might be asked what you will recommend if a new kind of virus is found in the company server.
- Skills required for the specific job- There are certain skills that you need to have for your job specifically. For example, if you are applying for a managerial position, you will be expected to have leadership skills, decision-making skills, so expect questions testing these skills. While if you apply for a warehouse position at the same company, you may be asked questions regarding unprecedented accidents and injuries. We suggest you study the company ethics and the responsibilities attached to your position prior to the interview.
Common problem-solving questions
Question 1- Describe a time when you foresaw a problem and solved it before it could become serious.
This question means that the interviewer wants to see your analytical and recognition skills. Can you read a situation well enough to foresee future problems? This is exactly what the interviewer will want to hear. So, clearly describe the situation, the way you read into the problem, and the steps you took to avoid it. Do not exaggerate and be straightforward with the answer, and you will surely impress the interviewer.
How to answer: Once, there was a big client my (prior workplace) had bagged recently. However, the entire contract hadn’t been officiated yet. When I, as the accountant assigned to the client, came upon looking at their finances, I noticed a discrepancy in their sales in January 2020. Although such discrepancies are normal at times, this one seemed quite suspicious because of a $100000 difference. I told my superior about it and when they asked the client, it was found out that a worker had been embezzling money from the company for three years, only this time, it was a big amount. Had I not been informed of the fault, the worker would most likely have stolen more money without being caught.
How not to answer: I worked at (prior company) last year. I was an accountant there. Once, they told me to check the finances of a huge client. When I was checking the finances, I saw that there was a big discrepancy in totaling. It just felt wrong. So, I went to my superior and told him about it. He thanked me for noticing it because had it not been for me, the client would have suffered a lot. They found out someone was embezzling money from them. Because of me, a thief was caught. Even the client thanked me profusely because I had saved them from a huge loss.
Question 2- Was there a time when you had to change your entire plan due to an unexpected issue? Describe it.
Your decision-making skills and your ability to remain calm under stress will be tested through your answer to this question. To answer this, first, explain what your main plan was. Then, follow it by telling what problem arose and if possible, how. Tell them how it was stressful for you but you managed to calm yourself down and change the course of action. Finally, explain how the result turned out to be and if it was any different from what you had expected. But be careful while explaining how you felt due to the stress or else you might go from explaining to venting. If a team helped you, mention it. It will bring out your ability to work with other people.
How to answer: I, as the head of the HR department, had been asked to arrange a party for the entire office on the occasion of the company’s 25th anniversary. I and my team had planned and booked everything two weeks prior to the party. To make it memorable, a great local band was hired as the main attraction. Every little thing, from the food options based on the employees’ allergies and preferences to the music and decoration, was sorted. As the party weekend arrived closer, it became naturally stressful for the entire HR department, including me. When it was just one day to the party, I received a call that the guitarist and the drummer had gotten into a bad accident and the band couldn’t play. As it was the main attraction, it was a huge problem and caused a lot of distress, especially for me, as a bad party would have been blamed on me. I took a deep breath and chose to look for a solution. By midnight, I found another lesser-known but the well-reviewed local band as a replacement. The party turned out to be just as I had expected and the band played really well.
How not to answer: I was the head of the HR department at (company name) and was asked to arrange a party for their 25th anniversary. It was two weeks before the party and I had arranged everything, from the food to the music and decoration. After a lot of thought, I hired a great local band as the main attraction. Everything was going perfectly until two days before the event. The band had refused to come due to an accident between the guitarist and the drummer. It was such a huge shocker that I began having a panic attack. I couldn’t understand how it all could happen when the party was only the next day. Anyway, I thought I should suck it up and look for a solution. I woke up till late, kept on calling different local bands to check their availability until I found one that was less known but had fine reviews. When the party started, I was waiting for another disaster the entire time but thankfully, nothing else happened and it went well.
Question 3- Imagine a colleague who you don’t like very much has made a mistake. How will you handle it?
Your answer to this question will determine your interpersonal skills and your professionalism. Competition is very common in most industries and it is very important that because of this competition, you don’t lose your ability to work for the company and work just for yourself. Maintaining a professional attitude with colleagues, inferiors, and superiors is very important. So for this question, make sure that you don’t get too emotional and stay practical. Mention how you maintain positive equations with colleagues and how you handle rivalry and politics in the workplace.
How to answer: I try to keep a good relation with my colleagues always because at the end of the day, they, I and the company all benefit only if we all cooperate. But in the rare case that there is some passive relation of dislike and distrust between a colleague and me, I still am professional without overexerting friendliness. If I happen to find some mistake that turns out to be made by a colleague, I will put my personal feelings and opinions aside and as a professional, inform them of the mistake first. If the mistake is corrigible at that level itself, that’s all that I would do. However, if the mistake is a huge one, which might affect the department or company, I would do the appropriate thing by taking the concern to my superiors. It would definitely be action out of professional concern rather than spite.
How not to answer: I will complain about the colleague to superiors. Competition in offices for promotion is already very high, and it would be a great chance to try and impress the bosses. In fact, it would be like killing two birds with one stone because as you said, the colleague and I won’t have a good relation. If the mistake is huge enough, perhaps they would be fired. I say it’s good to know your friends and enemies in the workplace because people might try to spread rumors about you, or take credit for your work and things like that.
Question 4- Tell us about a time you used a completely different approach to solving a problem instead of the traditional one.
This question demands to know the creativity you use in your problem-solving process. Make sure you clearly describe the problem, then how the traditional method would have been a disadvantage to it. Also, discuss how the solution you came up with avoided the disadvantage. Your answer to this question can be either impress the interviewer very much or just make you look like a rebel who doesn’t follow company guidelines. So prepare the answer beforehand or take some time to think before answering.
How to answer: My prior company had to renew older staff’s ID cards. For that purpose, what they used to do for many years was that they hired a photographer, had photos clicked, had the IT guy update their details, and waited for printed cards. This is the common and traditional way to do it. It was my first job and I was new, so I saw this system for the first time. Immediately I thought how unnecessary ID cards were. I recommended a superior privately about how this annual system of renewal could be avoided. They could all download the Zow app, update their photos and details themselves whenever they needed to, i.e., they could use digital IDs instead of physical ones, and instead of a new card every year, they were given badges which had just their and company’s names. Thus, the company still doesn’t use id cards and had gone digital in 2013, before it was a trend.
How not to answer: In my previous company, I changed the entire system of identity cards. I made them do something that was done by nobody then. I suggested that the employees use digital id cards and for identity within an office, they could use badges with their and the company’s name. My superiors were so happy with the suggestion that they thanked me a lot. It saved them a lot of trouble as losing id cards was quite common and often the employees needed to change important details in the mid of the year which used to be a hassle.
Question 5- Have you ever had an issue at the workplace due to a personal weakness? And if so, how did you overcome it?
Through this question, the interviewer wants to check your self-awareness. Self-awareness after all is important for growth, not only as a person but also as an employee. Only a person not frustrated with his personal life will be able to perform better at work. Take care not to make the interviewer think that you are not confident about your work.
How to answer: It is a personal flaw that I worry too much about whatever I do. I took this habit of mine to my workplace and soon found myself burdened with a lot of tension. It got so bad that even when somebody else used to make a little mistake in a group project, I felt anxious about it. That is why I had a really unpleasant time working the first two years. Then, I started going to therapy and learned that I had anxiety and everything changed. I started taking care not to worry about things and did everything my therapist asked me to. I am happy to say that I no longer have anxiety attacks. I still am a perfectionist but I do not worry about things not in my control.
How not to answer: My weakness is that I have anxiety. Earlier, I didn’t even like my work, but with therapy and medicines the situation is quite better and I have started to like my work now. It was because I got too unconfident and overthought a lot even after finishing it. It was so bad that it began to engulf my personal life. Now too, although I am better, I still get anxious about my work. Sometimes, even co-workers’ mistakes in group projects used to bug me.
Tips for answering these questions
- These answers reveal a lot about your work ethic and personality, so it would be easier for you to answer if you are honest and straightforward. In fact, if you have to make up a false situation in absence of a real one, just state it boldly and make sure it is relevant to the question.
- An interview is like an advertisement of yourself, so do not hesitate to talk about yourself the entire time. You can also complement yourself a few times.
- But on the other end of the spectrum, do not boast. You might the best in your field, but boasting about it will make you look like a liar.
- Already keep a few experiences in mind before sitting for the interview. You might not know the questions beforehand, but at least then, you will have time to connect your answers to these events.
- Connect your strengths with your answers. You will not need to mention your skills separately if you just subtly mention them in your answers.
- While giving the interview, if you are having trouble thinking of an answer, don’t just start speaking whatever comes to your mind. Instead, ask the interviewers for a 30-second pause and think in that duration.
- Although you can use any kind of situation to highlight your strengths, prefer using those related to the workplace. But absolutely do not worry if you are using one related to some other circumstance. Unless it’s irrelevant, it will work just as well.
- Keep such situations in mind which showcase several skills of yours so that if you are asked a little different question than what you had prepared for, you can quickly connect the event to the question.
- Finally, try not to feel nervous, and if you still do, try something calm that works for you. Even if you feel unconfident, fake confidence during the interview. Giving the interview with confidence will make it go smoothly, which will in turn make you feel better later.
Conclusion
So, finally, we come to the conclusion that it is very common for interviewers to ask problem-solving questions. It would be a good initiative on your side to already be prepared with answers to some really commonly asked problem-solving questions. Maybe the questions asked to you are different, but the given tips would still work like charm. Don’t forget to advertise yourself as much as you would a friend when you are their wingman. In fact, as you might notice, similar rules apply to an interview except that they are very formal. While answering, try and think like the interviewer, and you might understand what they want to hear from you. We hope our article helped you and on that note, wish you luck for your upcoming interview.
