Question: Describe a time when you went out of your way to find the root cause of a problem in order to fix it. What did you do, and how was it resolved?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

On the last occasion that you went out of your way to analyze the cause of a problem, how did you proceed?

Follow-up questions:

Can you say that what you did was effective?
How far out of your way did you have to go in order to find the cause of the problem?
What solving the problem worth all the effort?
Why did you do this, or what was your motivation behind doing this?
What happened in the end?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Behavioral

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Monitoring (Making observations of self and environment),Basic – Science and Logic,Complex Problem Solving,Systems Analysis,Systems Evaluation

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility),Cognitive – Flexibility of Closure (Pattern Detection),Cognitive – Problem Sensitivity (Problem Recognition)

Other Factors:

Motivation/Ambition/Aspiration

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Gathering Information,Information Input – Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (for Problem Identification),Mental Processes – Analyzing Data or Information,Mental Processes – Making Decisions and Solving Problems,Mental Processes – Processing Information

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

Job Structure – Frequency of Decision Making,Job Structure – Level of Responsibility (Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Organization Results),Job Structure – Structured versus Unstructured Work

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Analytical Thinking,Attention to Detail,Initiative,Innovation,Persistence/Perseverance

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

You are looking to understand the interviewee’s fact-finding and problem-solving skills, but also their initiative and proactiveness in trying to identify the root cause.

Red Flags to Watch For:

The interviewee’s inability to solve problems or the lack of initiative to solve problems is a red flag.

Sample Answer:

N/A

Question Source: https://www.jobbankusa.com/interview_questions_answers/