When faced with a problem, how do you respond?
Proper problem-solving takes practice, experience, and confidence. While interning with KPMG, you will come across problems, big and small. In these situations, the firms' leaders expect your participation in the problem-solving process. The interviewers want to see evidence that you are a strong problem-solver who will contribute rather than shy away presented with a roadblock.
A great approach to answering this question is to provide a specific story-based example of when you faced a problem and responded well. Your example can be from either school, work, sports, volunteer, or everyday life. Deliver this story using the STAR answer method. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result.
"I thrive under pressure. When facing a time-sensitive situation, I light up and get down to business. During my summer internship at Company XYZ, the Controller unexpectedly came down with pneumonia on a week where we had a major client presentation to complete. The Controller, whom I worked closely with, sent me what they had prepared and asked me to finish building the presentation. As an Intern, the task was out of my wheelhouse, but I adapted quickly. I completed the presentation in Keynote, and the Controller was thrilled with how I organized the information and made the presentation more visually appealing. I make an even stronger creative impact when I have little time to overthink the problem and must jump in and tackle the issue. Should I be chosen for an internship, I will confidently support the KPMG team and will actively contribute to the problem-solving process."
