Problem solving interview questions test your skills of analysis, information gathering, and logical decision making. They usually take the form of “Tell me about a difficult problem you had to solve. How did you solve it?”
Companies want to know how you will handle (normal) problems that happen at work.
To answer this kind of question, tell a specific story where you solved a problem, listing the information step-by-step and describing your critical thinking.
Checklist for a great answer
When I was working as a retail manager, I had a customer who came in to pick up a dress that she had ordered online. But when I went to collect her order, I found that the dress had accidentally been put back on the sales floor and purchased by another customer. I called another of our store locations and asked them to hold the same dress in the customer’s size. I had it shipped to her home within 2 days for free. A week later, I found out that the customer had called our corporate headquarters to mention how much she appreciated the gesture. In the moment all I was concerned about was making sure the customer would return to our store. We are all human and mistakes happen, but it was important to me that I rectify the situation. In the end I realized that in my efforts to serve the customer well, it positively affected my standing with HQ.
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