Tell me about a time you had to research a problem. How did you identify the best solution?

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When proofing documents, you may find errors or incomplete sections. You may see a problem that you're not quite sure how to solve. Draw from your education, training, or professional work experience to give an example. Share tools, ideas, or creative solutions that helped you solve the problem. The interviewer wants to hear that you have the research skills they need in a Court Clerk.

Focus on the specific methods you use to conduct research. It could be using the internet, referencing law books, or asking a Senior Court Clerk for assistance.

Avoid giving an answer that is not work-related. If you are new to this profession, use an example from when you were in college or attending a training course.

"I received a challenging case study when studying for my Bachelor's Degree in Criminology. The amount of research was overwhelming, so I chose to break the research into a few groups over several days. This solution helped me to concentrate and remain on task."

"Our supply order had been coming up short on legal forms each month. I researched our invoices and discovered that we were being shorted 100 forms per month due to an unclear order request. I was able to get the order fixed immediately and our invoices prorated."

"A few weeks ago, I had a hard time finding any information on one of our cases. I determined that the name was an alias and had to do a little digging to find their legal name. Once I identified the correct name, I was able to pull the required information for presentation."

Anonymous Answer

"There were times in graduate school that I needed to research a specific topic to gain a better understanding of it only to find out there were little to no resources on the subject. In those instances, I had to dig a little deeper and figure out other ways to word the topic to assist me in finding more information."

Rachelle's Feedback

Great example! You show an ability to pivot slightly and dig even deeper into research. This shows creativity and tenacity.

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Anonymous Answer

"While working on dependencies, I did background checks on parents. A father was living out of the state, and there was suspicion that he had active cases outside the state. I started looking for him in case lookups, White Pages, and I even searched in the county assessor database. I found active warrants and records."

Rachelle's Feedback

It seems you are very skilled in research! Your example nicely highlights your ability to look for answers and perform analysis with diligence.

Anonymous Answer

"A part clerk came in looking for an order that he said was sent to us for filing and it wasn't in the computer. We had to determine where it would have been sent, check with that department to see if/when they received it by asking and checking their records, and then explain to the part clerk the procedure involved in delivering that document and where he should check next..."

Cindy's Feedback

Good start. Again, the STAR format could really help organize this answer and develop the necessary detail to make it clear. Master Behavioral-Based Interviews Using The Star Method

How to Answer: Tell me about a time you had to research a problem. How did you identify the best solution?