Question: Describe a time when you used one of your skills to resolve a difficult work problem.

Alternative Question Phrasing:

How have you used your skills to resolve problems in past roles?

Follow-up questions:

Why do you think this skill was the most important to use in this situation?
How did you acquire this skill?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Complex Problem Solving,Systems Analysis,Systems Evaluation

Abilities:

Cognitive – Deductive Reasoning

Other Factors:

Direct Job Experience,Personality-Job Fit,Self-Awareness

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events,Information Input – Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings,Mental Processes – Developing Objectives and Strategies,Mental Processes – Processing Information,Mental Processes – Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

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

Job Structure – Level of Responsibility (Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Organization Results)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Analytical Thinking,Initiative

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

If the candidate mentions skills that are directly relevant to this job.
In the example, the candidate’s skill led to a solution.
You are looking for the candidate’s openness to take initiative in resolving problems and dealing with conflicts.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The candidate’s skill is from out of office and has no relevance at workplace.
The candidate narrates the situation where they couldn’t solve the problem or improve the situation even after using their skills.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: Unknown