Question: Describe a time when you were proactive in solving a problem that your customer encountered.

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Can you describe a time when you’ve been proactive in finding a solution to a problem encountered by your customers?

Follow-up questions:

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Complex Problem Solving,Social – Service Orientation (Customer Service/Focus)

Abilities:

Cognitive – Originality,Cognitive – Problem Sensitivity (Problem Recognition)

Other Factors:

Candidate Preparedness,Direct Job Experience,Personal Improvement (Growth),Personality-Job Fit,Personality-Organization Fit,Self-Awareness

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events,Interacting with Others – Assisting and Caring for Others,Interacting with Others – Communicating with Persons Outside Organization,Interacting with Others – Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates,Interacting with Others – Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships,Mental Processes – Analyzing Data or Information,Mental Processes – Developing Objectives and Strategies,Mental Processes – Making Decisions and Solving Problems,Mental Processes – Processing Information,Mental Processes – Thinking Creatively (Creativity)

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

Interpersonal Relationships – Deal With External Customers,Job Structure – Frequency of Decision Making,Job Structure – Structured versus Unstructured Work

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Achievement/Effort (Action/Result Orientation),Adaptability/Flexibility,Analytical Thinking,Attention to Detail,Initiative,Innovation

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

You are looking for candidate’s decision making and problem solving skills.
If the candidate has taken initiative to come up with possible solutions.
If the candidate is proactive and has taken appropriate steps to solve the problem.

Red Flags to Watch For:

If the candidate doesn’t have a narration that showcases their problem solving skills.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: https://www.totaljobs.com/advice/most-common-competency-based-interview-questions