How to Answer: Have you come across a problem that you could not solve? How did you handle the problem?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Computer Science job interview.
17. Have you come across a problem that you could not solve? How did you handle the problem?
How to Answer
Your initial reaction to this question might be to state that you have never come across a problem you couldn't solve. However, this would make you unbelievably unique. Everyone has encountered a situation they couldn't resolve, at least by themselves. Being able to describe a problem, including how you came to solve it, will demonstrate humility, honesty, and innovation. This is the type of question you should anticipate, so have an example ready.
Written by William Swansen on October 29th, 2020
Answer Example
"It is rare, but I do occasionally come across a problem that I can't solve by myself. A good example of this was a recent project in which we were updating our network infrastructure. One router within the network wasn't responding, and my team and I could not identify it. We sought assistance from the network support team that had an analytics tool we were not familiar with. In a matter of minutes, they had identified and repaired the misbehaving router. When I encounter difficult situations, I don't hesitate to seek outside assistance from people who are better qualified to handle a specific issue than I am."
Written by William Swansen on October 29th, 2020
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