Behavioral Interviewing: Assessing Problem Solving And Analysis Skills
From my experience, the behavior interview questions around problem solving are the hardest for candidates to answer. Problem solving is tricky but even though candidates struggle with these questions, they can be the most important ones to ask, especially if you are interviewing candidates for leadership positions.
Start by explaining what you consider the foundation of problem solving. Here’s one way you could explain it.
The most important part of effective problem solving is being able to separate the root of the problem from the symptoms of the problem. After the problem has been diagnosed, it is important to consider multiple potential solutions as well anticipate potential problems that may arise from your solutions and contingency plans for dealing with them.
Here’s one question you could ask the candidate to asses their problem solving skills.
Tell me about a time when you encountered a problem and were able to separate the problem from the symptom and how you resolved it.
For the candidate:
When you are thinking of an example don’t try to think of the a huge complicated problem that you’ve encountered because the more complex the problem the more difficult it will be to discuss it. Think of something simple where you can easily tell the manager what the problem was and what the symptom was. Great ones to use tend to be emotionally charged problems because emotion is never the problem - it is always the symptom.
For the manager:
This question is a difficult one so be patient with the candidate. They may need to try a couple of examples to get the idea. If you find that they are giving you inappropriate examples, follow them by asking “in the example you just gave, what is the problem and what is the symptom?” When you are interpreting responses the most important thing to look for in the candidate is their ability to identify the root of the problem. If the candidate is unable to provide a specific example of this after trying a few times you could assume that they will struggle with problem solving and consider it carefully if the position you are interviewing for will be responsible for solving problems in your organization.
Stay tuned for more Behavioral Interview Skills Assessment questions in the hours to come.
Read more on Behavioral Interviewing at Interview Chatter
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1 opinion for Behavioral Interviewing: Assessing Problem Solving And Analysis Skills
Behavioral Interviewing: Decisiveness and Judgement Skills
Jun 20, 2008 at 9:23 pm
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