Problem solving skills are among the most important skills that recruiters look for in job candidates. Problem solving abilities demonstrate self-sufficiency and the ability to implement solutions that drive a business’s success.
We all face challenges at work daily. It could be solving an issue for a customer, designing an application, or supporting others. Organizations seek candidates who can identify strategies and ways to tackle work difficulties that may arise. This is why testing problem solving skills pre-interview is critical in the workplace, especially in the dynamic IT industry.
What is problem solving?
Problem solving is a soft skill. A personal strength. It is not a learned skill through school or training. But candidates can improve their skills by familiarizing themselves with frequent challenges and learning from mentors.
The best problem solvers are proactive in anticipating future issues and take steps to avoid or minimize the consequences.
Problem solving abilities are related to other skills that include analytical, innovative, and creative thinking, level-headedness, initiative, perseverance, teamwork, adaptability, and flexibility. These are the key competencies of a candidate’s skill set that show reasoning capabilities of evaluating positive and negative solutions to any problem.
Assessing problem solving skills in an interview
The purpose of a problem-solving assessment is for recruiters to assess if a candidate responds to scenarios logically and effectively. Recruiters also want to distinguish between results-oriented candidates and those who buckle under pressure.
The conventional approach
Traditionally, the interview stage provided an opportunity for the recruiter to understand how candidates gather data and analyze a situation where problem-solving questions focussed on past experiences and hypothetical situations. It allowed the candidate to talk about how they would approach a particular problem.
A Q&A session between recruiter and candidate gave some insight into the candidate’s problem-solving abilities. But it is not an objective nor a practical, real-life application to demonstrate these skills. Recruiters don’t fully understand how a candidate assessed the scenario and what steps they took to formulate a solution.
An effective online way
Using an online skills test recruiters can observe how potential candidates apply their problem-solving skills. For example, while hiring a Software Engineer, recruiters can assign a programming test to candidates and successfully evaluate their ability to fix a software bug.
These skill tests are suitable for any job role. They are particularly designed and tailored to see how candidates handle difficult situations they will likely face on the job.
Problem solving and analytical thinking
Problem solving requires the ability to think logically, as well as recall and apply facts and expertise. By breaking down the given material into manageable components and logically organize the information, the candidate’s capacity to analyze and comprehend it from various viewpoints is tested.
Numerical Ability
The ability to interpret and comprehend numbers and related symbols to perform fundamental arithmetic operations is assessed. The assessments can include interpreting graphs and tables, and numerical reasoning challenges that show the candidate’s logic and rationality.
Critical Thinking
The candidate’s capacity to identify and analyze problems by gathering and assessing relevant data to arrive at a suitable conclusion is put to the test. These assessments help recruiters better understand how candidates obtain information from different sources and evaluate data to make business-oriented decisions and communicate their findings.
Assess problem solving skills with WeCP
Having the right problem solving skills is mandatory in today’s technology-driven businesses. If you like to see areas where we strongly recommend our customers to use a problem solving test, check out this category of skills. With WeCP recruiters can monitor the candidates’ progress in real-time and pull detailed reports for analysis to expedite and ease the selection process.
WeCP (We Create Problems) uses carefully crafted skill maps to evaluate technical and problem-solving skills in candidates.
Get in touch with us today to learn how you can best evaluate your candidates’ abilities to apply problem solving skills in developing and executing viable solutions.
