Problem-solving skills seem to be a requirement for every job. To stand out from the crowd, divide that broad category into specific skills and give your best examples of each. Go through to find out more.

In this blog post, we’ll show you:

  • What it means to solve a problem
  • How do you solve a problem in 7 steps?
  • What are problem-solving skills?
  • How to talk about how you solve problems on your resume.

Problem-Solving: What it means

“Solving a problem” is, of course, the definition of “problem solving.” But notice that “the act of” is part of the definition. Problem-solving is an action, or more likely a series of actions, that make up a process in which you use your analytical and creative thinking to get past an obstacle or reach new heights.

In the workplace, these problems make it hard for you, your team, or your company to reach strategic and operational goals. To solve a problem, you need a plan with at least a few steps. How you break down a problem and find a solution depends on your style and the type of problem you’re trying to solve.

How do you solve a problem in 7 steps?

In order to solve a problem, you need different skills for each step. If you understand these steps, you can figure out which of your skills you are best at and which ones you should highlight on your resume.

Here are the 7 steps outlined by the Human Resources Department:

1.       Describe the issue

2.       Explain the issue

3.       Set clear goals.

4.       Find out what caused the problem.

5.       Plan of what to do.

6.       Carry out the plan

7.       Evaluate the results

Since problems are never completely solved, there is always a way to make things better.

At each step, different skills are needed to solve a problem. Even though problem solving is a soft skill and more of a personality trait than something you can learn, there are many parts of it that you can learn.

What is problem solving skills?

You will use both hard and soft skills at each step of the problem-solving process. Here are the skills broken down by category, followed by an explanation of how each skill helps you solve problems.

Hard skills

Whether you’re crunching big data or doing a quick survey, you’re collecting and analysing information that will help you define the problem and think of possible solutions. You will also need this skill to figure out how well your solution worked once it was put into action.

Risk analysis: Even if you find the best solution, if the risks are too high, you won’t get good results. Your ability to weigh the possible pros and cons will help you come up with a good answer.

Methodology for research: To get good data and information, you need to know how to do your own research and how to find and check research that has already been done.

Knowledge of business goals and practises: It’s just as important as coming up with a new idea to know what drives your place of work and how daily work is done. If you know how far you can go or what the end goal is, you can come up with a solution that fits in with the company’s culture.

How to put together a CV?

 Soft skills

Communication: To get the information you need; you have to be able to explain what you want in a way that gets you the help you need. Communication happens at every step of the process, from figuring out what the problem is to figuring out if the solution worked.

Creativity: If the answer was obvious, you wouldn’t be needed to figure it out. Most of the time, the tried-and-true doesn’t work for hard problems. Employers like people who can look at things in a different way and aren’t afraid to share their ideas (also known as confidence).

Teamwork: No one can do their job alone. Even Steve Jobs needed someone to bounce ideas off. Collaboration helps ideas grow and become clearer. It also gets your ideas put into action in an effective way. You need buy-in if you want your great problem-solving skills to lead to great results.

What is the most important part of the problem? You can find out if you listen actively. Often, people you work with know something you don’t, which can be a problem or the key to getting past the problem. Great listeners know how to pick out useful information, ask the right questions, and know when a coworker has given them a great idea during brainstorming sessions.

How to talk about how you solve problems on your resume

So, how do you say that you can solve problems on your resume? You can build your perfect Resume using various Sample Resumes and can list your skills in your skills section, or you can add bullet points to your employment history that show off your skills.

Here are some problem-solving phrases that you can use on your resume:

We looked at marketing data to figure out why leads weren’t turning into sales.

  • Risk analysis, decision-making: We looked at the risks of three different ways to schedule appointments and chose one.
  • Methodology: Conducted a client survey and market research to learn how to change buying habits and get rid of extra stock.
  • Business practises and creativity: investigated how problems with keeping employees have been solved in the past and came up with new ideas.
  • Communication, defining the problem, and working as a team: I told the department meeting my thoughts on the workflow problem and led the discussion.
  • Creativity, communication, and active listening: Streamlined the process of taking in new clients after hearing what staff and clients had to say.
  • Teamwork: I worked with the construction crew and architects to design a customer communication platform based on best practises.
  • After hearing the ideas and suggestions of the counsellors, we added new summer activities for days when the pool was closed.

Notice that not all of them mention problem solving directly, but each one is related to one or more of the skills you need to be a good problem solver.

 Conclusion

Problem-solving is a method for finding creative ways to get around problems that get in the way of business or professional goals. Problem solving is hard, but it can be broken down into steps and a set of separate skills. BookYourCv works with you to meet your expectation that can help you to land your dream job. They provide resume writing services and use current and most demanding trends /style /resume format which highlights your skill and strengths as per your role/experience/goal.