4 Ways To Prove You’re A Problem Solver When Looking For A New Job

I don’t think I’ve seen a job description out there that doesn’t list as an essential requirement for the candidate to be a problem solver, right? If you’ve ever tied your shoe or fixed a broken doo-dad with duct tape, you’re a problem solver, right?

Turn that puzzle into opportunity.

That may be true, however that’s probably not the example the interviewer is looking for and I’m pretty sure it won’t get you your next job. However, I do have four ways that you can easily prove that you are a problem solver, and to help you seal the deal for your next interview. Let’s jump right into those.

1) Prove That You Understand The Problem

Now this is a combination of actively listening, making sure you take the high points, and feeding the information back in a summarizing yet similar fashion to where you can prove that you’ve covered the essential requirements and that you didn’t miss anything that’s entirely important.

Getting clear requirements or details about any problem is an essential part of getting to a solution. If you can prove that you’re able to elicit the base requirements, and maybe some even hidden requirements, from customers, vendors, and other stakeholders, you’re well on your way to proving you’re a problem solver.

2) Consider Impacts Of All Decisions

This is where ecology comes into play, and I’m not talking about the environment. I’m talking about the pebble thrown into the pond sends a ripple across that wakes up a frog on the other side. Every decision has an impact on something else.

Anytime major project decisions are done you need to consider its effect on the people, the company, the environment, those are pretty much the biggest ones, and everything else is a branch under that. By communicating that you know to look for ancillary effects, you are taking care of an essential function of being a problem solver.

3) Aligned With Company Goals

What does it matter if you’re solving problems that the company doesn’t care about and don’t add to the bottom line. Whenever you prove that you’re a problem solver and that you get stuff done, it is very important to prove that while you recognize problems that need to be addressed in the industry or in the vendors that you work with.

If it’s not directly applicable to the clear goals that the company has then it’s not urgent and it doesn’t have a high enough priority for you to focus on. You could still mention it and document it. Put it in the parking lot and maybe someone can deal with it later or it can be outsourced, but it’s not something that you would commit your time to. That is effectively solving the right problems.

4) Not Afraid To Ask For Help

If you can’t delegate y, you’ll eventually get to the point where you just won’t have enough time or resources to get stuff done. And I don’t mean to say just delegate, I mean asking subject matter experts (SME’s) for advice and to double check your work.

You can also go to SME’s to see if there’s a latest trend in the industry that will have an effect or an efficiency that is relevant to the problem you’re solving. Communicate your ability to, I guess I can say, humble yourself to seek out the right people and the right information to get to the right solution and you’ll prove that you’re an effective problem solver.

A Problem Solver Can Do This

Proving you’re a problem solver to an interviewer, or for anything that you need to do in your career, can be a challenge. But if you take these four ways that I’ve just given you, understanding the problem, considering the impacts of all decision, making sure the problem that you’re solving is aligned with company goals, and not being afraid to ask for help, you will prove that you’re entirely interested in adding value to the company for positive outputs.

Keep these things in mind, communicate them on your resume, and your cover letter, and in your next interview, and you’ll be miles ahead of your competition.