Besides having a stellar resume and cover letter, recruiters are also interested in how you handle specific situations. As a result, during the interview process, hiring managers aim to figure out certain aspects about the candidate and tend to ask informational, analytical, brain teasers, competency, situational or problem-solving interview questions, to gauge how well the candidate will fit into the role. While it’s impossible to predict how an interview will turn out, it’s always good practice to ensure that you’ve prepared enough and gone through common interview questions;.

An interview is generally an information gathering process, whereby the hiring manager is trying to figure out if the candidates will be a culture fit for the company or not. Mostly, hiring managers ask candidates problem-solving questions to determine their ability to handle tough situations quickly and effectively. These type of questions are used to identify, test and measure a candidate’s approach to difficult and unnatural conditions.

You could choose to make these types of questions another reason why interviews are intimidating and disenchanting, or you could change the odds in your favor. The secret is figuring out the intent behind the questions, understanding what the recruiter is asking and crafting your answer to address these concerns.

Reasons why problem-solving interview questions are important

It’s no secret that all roles come with challenges. Therefore, employers ask problem-solving interview questions to assess how a candidate approaches difficult situations once they arise. Their answers show how candidates:

• Approach difficult situations
• Evaluate and analyze data to understand the source of problems
• Work under stressful and unexpected situations
• React when their way of thinking is challenged

Examples of problem-solving interview questions

1. Describe a time when you had to solve a problem without managerial input. How did you do it and what was the result?
2. Give an example of a time you identified and fixed a problem before it became urgent.
3. Tell me about a time you predicted a problem with a stakeholder. How did you deal with it and prevent it from escalating?
4. Describe a situation where you experienced a challenge in your role. What were the challenges and how did you handle them?
5. Describe a time when you effectively used crisis management skills.
6. A new project you are managing has significant revenue potential but could land the company in lawsuits. How would you handle this?
7. How do you know when to solve a problem on your own or to ask for help?
8. What is the most stressful situation you have faced at work? How did you tackle it?
9. Are you the type of person who will always try to solve problems on their own at first before asking for help?
10. Describe an instance when you used a creative solution to tackle a job-related problem.
11. How do you cope when you are faced with a challenge you’ve never experienced before?
12. Have you ever been in a position where you were not able to meet the deadline? What did you do?
13. How do you build a troubleshooting process?
14. From your point of view, what makes you a great problem solver?
15. When you are faced with an urgent problem, how do you react? What is your problem-solving process?

General interview tips

Tips for recruiters

• During the interview, use hypothetical scenarios that are likely to occur on the job. Pose realistic problems that are relevant to your company or industry.
• Examine how candidates approach problems step by step: from identifying and analyzing the issues to comparing alternative solutions and choosing the most effective.
• Most complex situations require teamwork. Therefore, candidates who illustrate their ability to collaborate with other team members to reach a decision and how comfortable they felt asking for assistance should be your major concern.
• If the role is technical, ask questions that are relevant to the work related to the position. Ask technical problem interview questions, e.g., “how would you troubleshoot problem X?” will reveal the candidates’ hard skills and their ability to effectively tackle on the job problems.

Tips for candidates

Be positive and confident
Consider the fact that when the recruiter asks you a problem-solving question, everything from your body language to your facial expression is being evaluated. Therefore, ensure that you pay close attention to what the interviewer is asking and ensure that you answer the questions with relevant experiences. Refrain from negativity.

Highlight your skills
As mentioned, the majority of problem-solving skills require teamwork input. Demonstrating some of your skills such as leadership, teamwork, innovation or creativity will make you the ideal fit for the role. Candidates who demonstrate leadership, teamwork and the ability to come up with creative or innovative solutions stand out. Therefore, ensure that you highlight these skills and use examples from previous work experience.

Demonstrate that you are hands-on
Demonstrate your ability to tackle problems head-on. While giving responses demonstrate that you are eager to face problems as soon as they arise and that you’ll be a valuable addition to the team.

Red flags: Mistakes candidates should avoid

• Lacking answers: Candidates who can’t recollect a problem they faced in a previous experience indicates that the candidate is more likely to evade having to deal with difficult situations altogether.
• Shallow answers: When providing a solution, it is essential to provide as much information as possible. Provide insight into the problem using the STAR technique when responding. The best strategy to use when answering these questions is to be truthful, use facts and examples whenever possible, give an analysis yet concise answer. Use the following steps to craft a valid response:

1. Define the problem
2. Analyze the problem
3. Generate the possible solutions
4. Choose the best solutions and action taken
5. The lesson learned

• Belittle problem: Ensure that you spot candidates who quickly address issues as soon as they arise. Candidates who demonstrate procrastination when it comes to tackling issues indicate that they are not result-oriented.
• Providing partial answers: Candidates who choose the easy way out of problems demonstrate their inability to consider all aspects and limitations of a situation. Recruiters are interested in candidates who analyze the data provided and ask for further information.