Problem-solving skills are among the most sought after by employers – how to show them you have it?

In times when many companies are facing challenges, potential candidates for new jobs are sought who can offer more than others. First and foremost, these are those who possess the skill of problem-solving among numerous other traits.

A survey conducted back in 2019 among 3000 employers showed that more than 91 percent of them seek candidates with problem-solving skills. No other skill on the list of 20 options in the survey was as popular, according to Business Insider.

This should not come as a surprise to job seekers, as this trait often appears as a requirement in job advertisements, and many companies emphasize that they want to hire people who solve problems.

However, in addition to possessing this skill, to land your dream job, you also need to know how to demonstrate to the employer that you have it.

How to present yourself in an interview?

Demonstrating problem-solving ability is not just a matter of intelligence. As Business Insider writes, for many companies, demonstrating problem-solving ability does not mean providing a yes or no answer to a question, but rather showing a unique thought process.

Experts believe that a person with problem-solving ability is someone who can understand ambiguous situations, which involves critical thinking and resourcefulness. Additionally, every problem-solving situation requires creativity, but it should also be considered that there are different types of people who solve problems in different ways. Problems are specific; for example, some are related to numbers, while others are conceptual. Therefore, to show the employer that you have problem-solving ability, you first need to identify what type you are in problem-solving and then what type of problems the company is facing.

For instance, ‘organizationally oriented’ individuals may excel at creating spreadsheets in Excel but may not know how to devise a marketing plan or development strategy.

One of the best ways to demonstrate to a potential employer in a job interview that you possess problem-solving skills, according to McKinsey experts, is to showcase examples of experiences, specifically problem-solving from past jobs. It is important to come to the interview prepared to discuss your acquired experiences in detail, describing the exact actions that were key to success, writes Business Insider.

It is also very likely that the interviewer will ask the candidate to share a challenge they faced in their last job. In doing so, it is crucial to show that you had more than one solution for a specific situation.