Question: Describe a time when you predicted a problem would occur with your work, but successfully prevented the problem from happening. How did you predict the issue and what did you do?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Tell me about a time you predicted a problem with a stakeholder. How did you prevent it from escalating?

Follow-up questions:

How did you know?
How do you think you were able to predict the problem? Was it knowledge or experience?
Did you encounter resistance when you were trying to solve the issue you predicted?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Social – Social Perceptiveness,Systems Analysis,Systems Evaluation

Abilities:

Cognitive – Deductive Reasoning,Cognitive – Inductive Reasoning,Cognitive – Problem Sensitivity (Problem Recognition)

Other Factors:

Practical Intelligence (Street Smarts)

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Estimating Characteristics of Objects, Events, or Information,Information Input – Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events,Information Input – Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (for Problem Identification),Information Input – Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings,Interacting with Others – Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others (Conflict Management),Mental Processes – Analyzing Data or Information,Mental Processes – Evaluating Compliance with Standards,Mental Processes – Judging the Value of Things, Services, or People

Work Context (Person-Job/Team/Org Fit):

Job Structure – Handling Repetition (Importance of Repeating Same Tasks),Job Structure – Level of Responsibility (Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Organization Results)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Analytical Thinking,Attention to Detail,Initiative

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

You are looking to judge the interviewee’s attention to detail and experience in their subject areas, and the practical intelligence to sort out the issue.
Note that ‘predicting a problem’ is not a common scenario and this interview question may need to be transformed into a situational question by asking hypothetical questions, such as “where could potential problems pop up in your workplace or workflow, and how would you prevent such problems from occurring?”

Red Flags to Watch For:

The inability to spot or solve issues before they arise or a lack of concern to solve issues before they arise are red flags.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: Unknown