“How would you approach telling a manager that they’ve made a mistake?”
Hard problem-solving questions like these can catch you off guard in a job interview. They’re hard to prepare for if you don’t know they’re coming, and you might not even see why they’re relevant to the job.
Even the most experienced interviewees might feel like they’re giving a bad interview if they stumble on questions like these.
Preparing and practicing hard questions is one way to ease your fears. Learn to dissect what a hiring manager is really asking and answer problem-solving questions with confidence.
What is problem-solving, and why do hiring managers care so much about it?
Problem-solving is holistically understanding a problem, determining its cause, and identifying creative solutions. Many, if not most, job descriptions ask for problem-solving skills because regardless of industry, they’re an asset in the workplace.
Startups and tech companies like Google famously pose critical thinking and problem-solving questions in job interviews. But hiring managers from all industries use unique questions like these to understand your problem-solving skills. It’s not about the answer you give, or whether it’s correct, but the way you come to that conclusion.
In job interviews, problem-solving questions pose a potential problem or situation typical to the job you’re interviewing for. Your response shows your ability to respond to common problems, even on the spot. Depending on the question, it can also indicate other skills like:
The average business spends $4,700 hiring one new worker, so it wants to make sure you’re the right fit for the job. Even if you have the right skills and experience on paper, hiring managers need a comprehensive idea of what kind of worker you are to avoid choosing the wrong candidate.
Like standard behavioral interview questions, problem-solving questions offer interviewers a more well-rounded view of how you might perform on the job.
How to answer problem-solving questions
Problem-solving questions encourage you to give answers about your past experiences, decision-making process, and ability to arrive at creative solutions. Learning how to answer questions in an interview means learning how to tell a good story, so your answer should have a clear structure, unique topic, and compelling journey to demonstrate your competencies.
The STAR method is a common technique for answering problem-solving interview questions clearly and thoughtfully. The acronym stands for situation, task, action, and result. It provides a simple structure that gives your response a smooth beginning, middle, and end.
Here’s how to use the STAR method to describe past on-the-job experiences or hypothetical situations:
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Situation: Start with a problem statement that clearly defines the situation.
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Task: Explain your role in the situation. What is, or would be your responsibility?
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Action: Recount the steps or problem-solving strategies you used, or would use, to overcome the problem.
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Result: Share what you achieved or would hope to resolve through your problem-solving process.
Common problem-solving questions and answers
Every job requires problem-solving on some level, so you can expect at least one job interview question to ask about those skills. Here are a few common problem-solving interview questions to practice:
1. Give us an example of when you faced an unexpected challenge at work. What did you do to face it?
What’s a hiring manager really asking? Employers want to know that your problem-solving has a process. They want to hear you break down a problem into a set of steps to solve it.
Sample answer: I was working in sales for a wholesale retailer. A regular client wrongly communicated the pricing of a unit. I realized this immediately, and rather than pointing out the error, I quickly double-checked with my supervisor to see if we could respect the price.
I informed the client of the error and that we were happy to keep the price he was given. It made him feel like he'd gotten a fair deal and trusted my authority as a sales rep even more. The loss wasn't significant, but saving face in front of the client was.
2. How would you manage a frustrated client?
What’s a hiring manager really asking? They want to gauge your ability to stay cool and be patient in stressful situations, even when dealing with difficult people. Keep your answer professional, and don't use the opportunity to bad-mouth a past client. Show that you can stay respectful even if someone isn’t respecting you.
Sample answer: I've had plenty of experience dealing with unhappy clients. I've learned two important things: their frustration isn’t a personal attack against me, and we have the same goal to solve the problem. Knowing that helps me stay calm, listen carefully to the client's situation, and do my best to identify where the situation went astray.
Once we identify the problem, if I can handle it myself, I communicate exactly what we’ll do for the client and how. What steps we’ll take depend on the client, but I always start by proposing solutions to show I care about a path forward, and then keep them updated on my progress to implementing that fix.
3. Describe a time you made a mistake at work. How did you fix it?
What’s a hiring manager really asking? No one is above making an error. Employers want to know that you own up to and learn from your mistakes instead of getting frustrated and walking away from the problem.
Sample answer: My first managerial position was at a public relations agency. When I was promoted to work on client outreach, I struggled to learn to delegate my old responsibilities, which were writing social media copy. I was afraid to let go of control, and I was micromanaging. One day, I wrote out some copy, sent it out, and quickly realized I was using the wrong style guide in my haste.
The client noticed, and we had to work to regain their trust, which put a strain on the entire team. I took full responsibility and used that moment to understand that I wasn't trusting my team's abilities. I apologized to my team for overstepping boundaries and worked to let go of my old role completely.
4. Have you ever had a difficult time working with a team member? How did you deal with the situation?
What’s a hiring manager really asking? Even the most independent job requires some teamwork, whether it’s communicating with clients or other team members. Employers want to know that you can solve interpersonal problems, know when to escalate and help maintain a positive work environment.
Sample answer: At my last job, we were fully remote. I had a coworker that wasn't very communicative about their process, which led to redundancies in our work and miscommunications that set us behind. I asked them to have a one-on-one meeting with me so we could analyze where we were failing to communicate and how to improve.
It wasn't a comfortable process, but we developed a better practice to collaborate and improve our ability to work as a team, including weekly meetings and check-ins.
5. Tell me about a time you created an innovative solution with limited information or resources.
What’s a hiring manager really asking? They want to test your resourcefulness, which is a valuable soft skill. Using a “Tell me about a time” question lets you demonstrate out-of-the-box thinking and shows that you don't quit when things get difficult.
Sample answer: I worked in project management for a software developer. We were frequently going over budget and needed to limit spending. I instituted a new workflow app across departments and made everyone track every step of their process. We ended up finding information silos between design, sales, and product development.
They were all using different platforms to communicate the status of the same project, which meant we were wasting time and money. We centralized communication and improved operational efficiency, solved our budget problems, and increased productivity by 30%.
Things to avoid when answering problem-solving questions
Problem-solving questions offer deep insights into the kind of worker you are. While your answer is important, so is your delivery. Here are some things to avoid when trying to answer problem-solving questions:
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Don’t clam up: It's okay to take your time to reflect, but never abstain from answering. An interviewer will understand if you need to pause and think. If you’re really stumped, you can ask to return to that question later in the interview.
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Avoid generic answers: Generic answers show a lack of creativity and innovation. Use the opportunity to explain what makes you and your problem-solving process unique.
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Don’t lose confidence: How you answer is as important as what you answer. Do your best to practice confident body language, like eye contact and strong posture. Practicing ahead of time can help alleviate pressure while you’re answering.
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Try not to rush: Rushing through an answer could make it unclear or incoherent, which might reflect poorly on your ability to keep a level head. Practice mindful breathing and pace yourself. Answer slowly and deliberately.
How to prepare for problem-solving interview questions
Preparing for an interview will make you feel more comfortable and confident during the hiring process. Rather than thinking of answers on the spot, you can pull from different responses you're already familiar with. Here are some tips for practicing and improving your answers:
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Create a list of problem-solving examples from throughout your career. Consider varied past experiences that play into important skills, like time management, project management, or teamwork, to show that you're a well-rounded candidate.
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Whenever possible, give metrics to show results. For example, if you improved productivity, share percentages. If you upped sales, share numbers.
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Carefully study the job description and connect the skills you find with specific ways you’ve used them.
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Identify what you’re good at and choose experiences that play to your strengths.
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When talking about mistakes or errors, always finish with the lesson you learned and how you plan on avoiding the same mistake.
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Provide details that a hiring manager can recognize within the position they’re hiring for.
Problem solved
It’s normal to feel nervous about a job interview, especially if you’re expecting difficult questions. Learning how to overcome that challenge is the perfect way to put your problem-solving skills to the test.
Like everything else in your career, practice makes perfect, and learning to answer tough problem-solving questions is no different. Take the time to recall moments in your career when you overcame challenges, and practice telling those stories. Craft an answer that hiring managers will be excited to hear.
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