Problem Solving Mock Interview

Practice 25 Problem Solving interview questions covering analytical thinking, decision-making frameworks, and real-world scenarios.

Question 12 of 25

What sources do you look to when you need to solve a complicated problem?

Sales
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Teacher
Admin
Marketing
Manager
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Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

"If there's a complicated problem, I'll write out what I think the possible solutions would be. Then, I will weigh those potential solutions against one another and list the complications that may arise as a result of each choice. Also, I am always open to input or suggestions from those with more experience than I. I will often turn to my organizations' training resources, as well as talk the problem out with coworkers or my boss."

Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

"To solve a complex issue, I will reach out to a manager or mentor from a previous role to ask them how they've handled such issues in the past. I am always ready to dive back into our handbook, but these types of scenarios are often not covered there, which is why I value a human, experiential approach. I know that there are so many folks in the industry who have so much to teach me and have probably already "been-there-done-that," so I love to utilize them as a resource."

Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

"I have a vast cohort of teachers with whom I work currently, or have worked in the past, so if I am stuck on a problem or feel I need some additional help, I reach out to these educators. If nothing else, they're there to lend an ear and let me bounce my ideas off of them. They almost always have some real-life experience in a very similar situation. I value this collaborative, supportive group that I've amassed over the years."

Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

"I have a variety of manuals and online tutorials that I lean to when I need to solve a complicated problem. Usually, the issues are surrounding Excel troubleshooting, so it is easy to find answers without involving anyone else and interrupting their day."

Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

"When I need to solve a complicated problem I will turn to marketing forums and blogs that I follow. There is a plethora of information on the internet, and it would be a shame not to take advantage of them!"

Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

"I have a business mentor that I turn to for significant problems. She and I are in the same industry; however, she is much more tenured than I am. I recommend that everyone have a mentor. Even though I run a team of my own now, there are times when I do not have the answers."

Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

The interviewer wants to know that you can think outside the box, or even ask for help when you are stuck on a complicated problem. Maybe you look to a mentor or boss for advice. Perhaps you have handbooks, manuals and systems you turn to for help. Offer some relevant examples based on your industry. If you work in the medical field, you may turn to textbooks, online research, colleagues or even patient's history to find the right solution. If you work in customer service, you may ask the customer what they need to find the best way to solve the problem. Show the interviewer that you are knowledgeable and equipped to handle these types of scenarios.

Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

"When I am faced with a complicated problem, I will look to the resources that my current company has provided me. The answer is almost always in there. If it's more of a moral dilemma vs. a knowledge-based dilemma, I will ask my supervisor for his thoughts and opinion since I value him as a mentor and expert in our industry."

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Problem Solving Mock Interview

What sources do you look to when you need to solve a complicated problem?

25Problem Solving Interview Questions & Answers

1.Tell me about the most challenging problem you have encountered in your professional career.

2.In your opinion, what makes you a great problem solver?

3.Tell me about a time when you discovered a problem and went beyond regular expectations to fix it.

4.Tell me about a time where you had to analyze a set of data and then make a recommendation.

5.When a problem requires a quick solution, how do you respond?

6.When it comes to problem solving, are you a strong collaborator?

7.When you cannot seem to find the right solution to a problem, how do you deal?

8.When faced with a problem, how do you decide on the best solution?

9.How do you prioritize multiple projects when they all seem equally important?

10.Tell me about a recurring problem that you run into in your current position, and how you handle it.

11.Tell me about a time when you failed to solve a problem. How did you overcome the failure?

12.What sources do you look to when you need to solve a complicated problem?

13.After you implement a solution to a problem, how do you test the effectiveness of that solution?

14.When a major problem arises, what is your first reaction?

15.What steps do you take when you have to make an immediate decision without all the relevant information?

16.How do you deal with distracting coworkers who stand in the way of your progress?

17.Tell me about a time when you had to troubleshoot to solve a problem.

18.Tell me about a time when your analysis of a problem was deemed to be incorrect. What would you have done differently?

19.Tell me about the most challenging aspect of your previous job. How did you overcome it?

20.When faced with a problem, are you more likely to jump into solving it, or are you the type to carefully assess the issue first?

21.Give me a recent example of a valuable lesson you learned from a problem you faced at work.

22.When change occurs in the workplace, it can create new problems. Do you see these as inconvenient problems, or opportunities to learn?

23.Rate your problem solving skills from 1-10. How do you justify your rating?

24.What do you think might be the greatest challenges faced in this job? How will you overcome these challenges?

25.What steps do you take to solve a problem?