Problem-Solving Skills

When employers talk about problem-solving skills, they are often referring to the ability to handle difficult
or unexpected situations in the workplace as well as complex business challenges. Organizations rely
on people who can assess both kinds of situations and calmly identify solutions. Problem-solving skills
are traits that enable you to do that. While problem-solving skills are valued by employers, they are also
highly useful in other areas of life like relationship building and day-to-day decision making.
What are problem-solving skills?
Problem-solving skills help you determine the source of a problem and find an effective solution.
Although problem solving is often identified as its own separate skill, there are other related skills that
contribute to this ability.
Some key problem-solving skills include:

 Active listening
 Analysis
 Research
 Creativity
 Communication
 Dependability
 Decision making
 Team-building

Problem-solving skills are important in every career at every level. As a result, effective problem solving
may also require industry or job-specific technical skills. For example, a registered nurse will need active
listening and communication skills when interacting with patients but will also need effective technical
knowledge related to diseases and medications. In many cases, a nurse will need to know when to
consult a doctor regarding a patient’s medical needs as part of the solution.
Related: 3 Problem-Solving Activities for Team Building
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Problem-solving skills examples

To solve a problem effectively, you will likely use a few different skills. Here are a few examples of skills
you may use when solving a problem:

Research
Researching is an essential skill related to problem solving. As a problem solver, you need to be able to
identify the cause of the issue and understand it fully. You can begin to gather more information about a
problem by brainstorming with other team members, consulting more experienced colleagues or
acquiring knowledge through online research or courses.

Analysis
The first step to solving any problem to analyze the situation. Your analytical skills will help you
understand problems and effectively develop solutions. You will also need analytical skills during
research to help distinguish between effective and ineffective solutions.

Decision-making
Ultimately, you will need to make a decision about how to solve problems that arise. At times—and with
industry experience)—you may be able to make a decision quickly. Solid research and analytical skills
can help those who have less experience in their field. There may also be times when it is appropriate to
take some time to craft a solution or escalate the issue to someone more capable of solving it.

Communication
When identifying possible solutions, you will need to know how to communicate the problem to others.
You will also need to know what communication channels are the most appropriate when seeking
assistance. Once you find a solution, communicating it clearly will help reduce any confusion and make
implementing a solution easier.

Dependability
Dependability is one of the most important skills for problem-solvers. Solving problems in a timely
manner is essential. Employers highly value individuals they can trust to both identify and then
implement solutions as fast and effectively as possible.
Related: 10 Ways to Improve Your Creative Problem-Solving Skills
How to improve your problem-solving skills
There are several methods you can use to improve your problem-solving skills. Whether you are
searching for a job or currently working, improving your problem-solving skills and associated abilities
will help make you a strong candidate and employee.

Acquire more technical knowledge in your field

Depending on your industry, it may be easier to solve problems if you have strong working technical
knowledge. You can more technical knowledge through additional coursework, training or practice.

Seek out opportunities to problem solve

By putting yourself into new situations, you are more likely to be exposed to opportunities to problem
solve. You may find there are opportunities to volunteer for new projects in your current role, on another
team or outside the workplace for another organization.

Do practice problems
Practice and role-play can be useful tools when learning to develop your problem-solving skills. You can
find professional practice books for your industry and problem-solving scenarios online. Practice how
you might solve those problems and determine if your potential solutions are viable.
For example, in customer service you might find a scenario like, “How would you handle an angry
customer?” or “How do you respond when a customer asks for a refund?” Practicing how you might
handle these or other scenarios common in your industry can help you call upon solutions quickly when
they arise on the job.

Observe how others problem solve

You may have colleagues who are skilled problem solvers. Observing how those colleagues solve
problems can help you improve your own skills. If possible, ask one of your more experienced
colleagues if you can observe their techniques. Asking relevant questions can be helpful in applying
them in your own career.
Related: Problem-Solving Games for Problem-Based Learning at Work
How to highlight problem-solving skills
Showcasing your problem-solving skills on your resume and cover letter can help employers quickly
understand how you might be of value to their team. You might consider only showcasing problem-
solving skills on your resume if it is particularly relevant in the position you’re applying for. Customer
service, engineering and management positions, for example, would be good candidates for including
problem-solving abilities.

Problem-solving skills for resume

On your resume, you can highlight your problem-solving skills in several locations: in the “skills” section,
the “achievements” section, and by giving specific examples of problem solving in your “experience”
section.
In the skills section, you may want to list key problem-solving skills that you possess, instead of simply
writing down the more generic term “problem-solving.” For example, you could list specific technical
skills you possess that would help you solve problems or soft skills associated with problem solving,
such as your research abilities or decision-making talents.
Remember, stories are powerful. Keep specific examples in mind of times you solved a problem. This is
useful on your resume but will also help you answer interview questions like, “Tell me about a time you
overcame an obstacle.”
Related: Effective Problem Solving Steps in the Workplace

Problem-solving skills for cover letter

Your cover letter is also an excellent opportunity to elaborate on your problem-solving skills. Here, you
can give a brief example of a time you solved a problem successfully. Alternatively, you might identify a
challenge that this potential employer is seeking to solve and explain how you would address it.

Problem-solving abilities are essential in virtually any graduate role

you can think of. Discover how to develop your problem-solving
skills and demonstrate them to eagle-eyed recruiters.
Interviewers will be interested to discover how you'd approach problems
that could arise in the workplace.
Problem solving is all about using logic, as well as imagination, to make sense of a situation and come
up with an intelligent solution. In fact, the best problem solvers actively anticipate potential future
problems and act to prevent them or to mitigate their effects.

Problem-solving abilities are connected to a number of other skills, including:

 analytical skills
 innovative and creative thinking
 a lateral mindset
 adaptability and flexibility
 level-headedness
 initiative
 resilience (in order to reassess when your first idea doesn’t work)
 teamworking (if problem solving is a team effort)
 influencing skills (to get colleagues, clients and bosses to adopt your solutions).
Identifying a problem is often the kernel for a new business or product idea – and, as such, problem
solving is an essential ingredient of entrepreneurialism. It is also a key component of good leadership.
Demonstrating your problem-solving abilities

Why all graduates require problem-solving skills in the workplace

Some graduate careers revolve around finding solutions – for example, engineering, management
consulting, scientific research and technology. Graduates in other careers, meanwhile, will be expected
to solve problems that crop up in the course of their jobs: for example, trainee managers should deal
with operational problems (such as delays in the supply chain) or resolve conflict between team
members.
In fact, the ability to solve problems is an essential part of any employee’s skill set, even if it isn’t
specified on the job description.

How will employers assess your problem-solving skills?

Your problem-solving abilities can be assessed in three ways: by asking for examples of times when
you previously solved a problem; by presenting you with certain hypothetical situations and asking how
you would respond to them; and by seeing how you apply your problem-solving skills to different tests
and exercises.

Competency-based application and interview questions about problem solving

You may be asked for an example of when you solved a problem on an application form – for instance,
an engineering firm’s application form has previously included the question ‘Please tell us about a time
when you have used your technical skills and knowledge to solve a problem’. But these questions are
more likely at interview. Typical problem-solving competency-based questions include:

 Give me an example of a time when you ran into a problem on a project. What did you do?
 Give me an example of a difficult problem you had to solve outside of your course. How did you
approach it?
 Tell me about a time you worked through a problem as a team.
 Have you ever had a disagreement with a team member? How was it resolved?
 Give me an example of a time when you spotted a potential problem and took steps to stop it
becoming one.
 Give me an example of a time when you handled a major crisis.
 Give me an example of your lateral thinking.
Hypothetical interview questions about problem solving
Interviewers will also be interested to know how you would approach problems that could arise when
you are in the workplace. The precise interview questions will vary according to the job, but common
ones include:

 How would you deal with conflict in the workplace?  (This is especially likely to be asked of trainee
managers and graduate HR professionals.)
 What would you do if there is an unexpected delay to one of your projects because of supply
chain issues? (This is particularly likely to be asked in construction, logistics or retail interviews).
 What would you do if a client or customer raised a complaint?
 What would you do if you noticed that a colleague was struggling with their work?
 How would you react if given negative feedback by a manager on an aspect of your
performance?
 How would you judge whether you should use your own initiative on a task or ask for help?
Problem-solving exercises and tests for graduate jobs
Different tests that employers could set to gauge your problem-solving skills include:

 Online aptitude, psychometric and ability tests . These are normally taken as part of the
application stage, although they may be repeated at an assessment centre. The tests that are most
likely to assess your problem-solving skills are situational judgement tests and any that assess your
reasoning, such as inductive reasoning or diagrammatic reasoning tests.
 Video ‘immersive experiences’, game-based recruitment exercises or virtual reality assessments.
Not all of these methods are widely used yet but they are becoming more common. They are usually
the recruitment stage before a face-to-face interview or assessment centre.
 Case study exercises. These are common assessment centre tasks. You’d be set a business
problem, typically related to the sector in which you’d be working, and asked to make
recommendations for solving it, either individually or in groups. You’ll also usually be asked to outline
your recommendations in either a presentation or in written form, a task that assesses your ability to
explain your problem-solving approach.
 In-tray (or e-tray) exercises. These always used to be set at an assessment centre but nowadays
can also be part of the online testing stage. In-tray exercises primarily test your time management
skills, but also assess your ability to identify a potential problem and take actions to solve it.
 Job-specific or task-specific exercises, given at an assessment centre or at an interview. If set,
these will be related to the role you are applying for and will either require you to devise a solution to
a problem or to spot errors. Civil and structural engineering candidates, for example, will often be
required to sketch a design in answer to a client’s brief and answer questions on it, while candidates
for editorial roles may be asked to proofread copy or spot errors in page proofs (fully designed pages
about to be published).
How to develop and demonstrate your problem-solving skills
Here are some tips on how to develop the problem-solving techniques employers look for.

Seek out opportunities to gain problem-solving examples

Dealing with any of the following situations will help you gain problem-solving skills, perhaps without
even realising it:

 Sorting out a technical problem with your phone, device or computer.

 Resolving a dispute with a tricky landlord in order to get your deposit back.
 Carrying out DIY.
 Serving a demanding customer or resolving a complaint.
 Finding a way round a funding shortfall in order to pay for travel or a gap year.
 Turning around the finances or increasing the membership of a struggling student society.
 Organising a student society’s trip overseas, overcoming unforeseen difficulties on the way.
 Acting as a course rep or as a mentor for other students.
There should also be opportunities for you to develop problem-solving skills through your studies. Many
assignments in subjects such as engineering and computer science are explicitly based around solving
a problem in a way that, for example, essay topics in English literature aren’t. But, then, English
literature students may also encounter academic problems, such as difficulties in tracking down the best
source material.
Some professional bodies (for example, those in construction) run competitions for students, which
often ask students to suggest solutions for problems facing the industry; entering these can provide
good evidence of your problem-solving skills.

Games such as Sudoku and chess can also strengthen your ability to think strategically and creatively.

Practise recruitment exercises beforehand

Any candidate, no matter how high-flying, may be thrown by undertaking an online test or attending an
assessment centre for the first time, so do everything you can to practise beforehand. Access our links
to free and paid-for practice tests. Contact your careers service and book in for a mock-interview or
mock-assessment centre.
Keep in mind this problem-solving technique
If you’re provided with a scenario or a case study during the graduate recruitment process, you could try
using the IDEAL model, described by Bransford and Stein in their book Ideal Problem Solver. It breaks
down what you need to do to solve a problem into stages:
 Identify the issue
 Define the obstacles
 Examine your options
 Act on an agreed course of action
 Look at how it turns out, and whether any changes need to be made.
Give detail in your answers
You will need to explain how you identified the problem, came up with a solution and implemented it.
Quantifiable results are good, and obviously the more complex the situation, the more impressive a
successful result is. Follow the STAR technique outlined in our article on competency-based interview
questions.
If you tackled a problem as part of a team, explain how your role was important in ensuring the positive
solution, but also explain how your group worked together. This could be an opportunity to promote your
teamworking skills as well.