Tough Interview Questions #52: Describe the most difficult problem you’ve had to deal with

The best way to answer this question would be to say that you follow the five-step format every time you encounter a difficult problem:
1. Stand back and examine the problem.
2. Recognize the problem as the symptom of other, perhaps hidden, factors.
3. draw up a list of possible solutions to the problem.
4. Weigh up both the consequences and cost of each solution and determine the best solution.
5. Go to your CEO/director/manager, outline the problem, make your recommendation and ask for advice and approval.
Conclude your response by giving a real example of a problem you have encountered and your solution.
This question is designed to probe your professional profile, specifically your analytical skills and your ability to identify a creative solution.
It also looks to assess potential based on past behavior. Firms want candidates to demonstrate what they actually did and the choices they made when faced with a difficult problem.

Jeff Altman 
The Big Game Hunter
www.TheBigGameHunter.us

JeffAltman@TheBigGameHunter.us

© 2008 all rights reserved.

Tough Interview Question #14: How Do You Make Difficult Decisions?

Firms want to believe that the new supervisor they hire is not a lone world,a maverick of a gun slinger. As a result, they will be listening to hear whether you act alone, in concert with others, asking for advice before you have some ideas or whether you make a decision and check to see whether it passes a "sniff test" (Oooh! That idea stinks).

The best thing you can do is acknowledge how, when you were young, you acted on your own without a lot of input and learned the lesson that you weren't expected to know everything but expected to make smart decisions.

Once you learned that lesson, you learned that it was important to ask great questions and have very good advisers.

Always use an example of a difficult decision to illustrate your point!

Jeff Altman 
The Big Game Hunter
www.TheBigGameHunter.us

JeffAltman@TheBigGameHunter.us

© 2007 all rights reserved.