excellent organisational and problem solving skills

25 Organizational Skills with 125 Example Phrases for a Resume

By Status.net Editorial Team on February 21, 2024 — 13 minutes to read

Organizational skills are a set of abilities that help you to plan, prioritize, and execute your work efficiently. You usually use these skills to manage your time, complete tasks, and achieve your goals.

Crafting a standout resume requires more than just listing your job experience and education, but also highlighting your skills in a way that catches the eye of potential employers. Organizational skills are among the most sought-after by hiring managers, because they are indicative of a candidate who can manage responsibilities effectively and maintain productivity.

In this article, we delve into various types of organizational skills that can enhance your professional profile. We also provide you with a selection of example phrases that you can tailor to fit your experiences and achievements, helping you to present yourself as the organized, detail-oriented professional that companies are eager to hire.

Time Management

Effective time management means handling your tasks efficiently to maximize productivity. Mastering this skill can set you apart in the workplace, showcasing your ability to meet objectives effectively.

1. Prioritizing Tasks

Prioritizing tasks includes your ability to identify what needs your immediate attention and what can wait: this ensures that you focus on tasks according to their importance and urgency.

Example Phrases:

• Managed multiple projects by establishing clear priorities and objectives
• Analyzed workload and identified high-priority tasks for immediate action
• Reorganized to-do list daily based on project demands and urgency
• Prioritized client needs to ensure top-tier service and retention
• Executed high-impact tasks first to maximize effectiveness and results

Scheduling and Planning

Creating a plan or schedule allows you to allocate specific time slots to tasks, ensuring that you stay organized and on track.

• Designed a weekly schedule optimizing time for key projects and tasks
• Planned monthly goals and broken them down into weekly objectives
• Allocated time for research and analysis to support data-driven decisions
• Established structured daily routines to enhance productivity and focus
• Utilized digital planning tools to manage and adjust schedules effectively

Deadline Orientation

Your ability to consistently meet deadlines demonstrates reliability and efficiency.

• Delivered all assigned projects ahead of deadline with time for review
• Monitored project timelines and made necessary modifications to stay on track
• Managed strict deadlines while maintaining high-quality output
• Coordinated with team to ensure collaborative tasks met joint deadlines
• Implemented deadline buffers to account for unforeseen delays

Communication Skills

Active listening.

Active listening means fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and then remembering what is being said in a conversation. It shows respect and encourages mutual understanding.

• Achieved a 30% increase in team efficiency by attentively listening and addressing individual concerns.
• Regularly led team meetings with a focus on hearing all opinions, ensuring inclusive decision-making.
• Enhanced customer satisfaction by 25% through attentive service and promptly addressing inquiries.
• Cultivated strong relationships with international partners by listening to feedback and adapting strategies accordingly.
• Implemented a successful project by carefully assimilating client specifications during initial briefings.

Clear Writing

Clear writing means your written communication is straightforward and easy to understand, without ambiguity or complexity. It’s important to get your point across with minimal confusion.

• Drafted a comprehensive 50-page report that streamlined the company’s onboarding process.
• Consistently produced clear and concise monthly newsletters, improving client engagement by 20%.
• Created detailed project documentation that facilitated a seamless transition during staff turnover.
• Authored a successful proposal that secured a high-value contract with a new client.
• Developed efficient email communication templates, reducing response time to client queries.

Effective Speaking

Effective speaking is about articulating your thoughts in a clear, concise, and convincing manner. It’s important for presentations, meetings, and daily interactions.

• Led quarterly presentations that contributed to a 15% uptick in team productivity.
• Regularly commended for engaging and persuasive client pitches, resulting in increased sales numbers.
• Provided clear instructions and explanations during training sessions, enhancing team skills comprehensively.
• Orchestrated a keynote speech at a major industry event, receiving outstanding feedback for clarity and delivery.
• Championed a departmental change by persuasively articulating the benefits, ensuring smooth adoption by all team members.

Teamwork and Collaboration

Success in the workplace often depends on your ability to work effectively with others. Your resume should showcase examples of your teamwork and collaboration skills, highlighting your ability to delegate, resolve conflicts, and adopt a cooperative mindset.

When you delegate tasks, you’re not just offloading work; you’re entrusting a project or a responsibility to a colleague, which shows trust in their abilities.

For example, you might have been responsible for a major project and assigned specific aspects to team members based on their strengths.

• Delegated project tasks to a team of 5, enhancing efficiency and focus on individual strengths.
• Coordinated with cross-functional departments to streamline project delegation and execution.
• Implemented a task delegation system to optimize team productivity and project timelines.
• Entrusted critical research tasks to junior team members, fostering skill development and confidence.
• Simplified complex projects by effective delegation, ensuring timely and successful completion.

Conflict Resolution

Demonstrating your ability to navigate and resolve disagreements at work can make you an invaluable team member. Include specific examples where you’ve mediated between conflicting parties or found solutions to issues that satisfied all involved.

• Resolved a four-month ongoing dispute between departments, resulting in a collaborative solution.
• Mediated conflict between team members, leading to improved communication and work relationships.
• Facilitated a workshop on conflict resolution that decreased team disputes by 30%.
• Implemented a feedback mechanism that addressed and resolved interpersonal conflicts swiftly.
• Constructed a step-by-step guide for peers to manage and resolve small-scale conflicts independently.

Cooperative Mindset

Possessing a cooperative mindset means you approach tasks with the intention to collaborate and achieve shared goals.

Your examples might include situations where you compromised or initiated joint efforts for the betterment of the team’s objectives.

• Volunteered to assist with colleagues’ projects to balance team workloads and meet deadlines.
• Contributed to the development of a team charter that promoted a cooperative work environment.
• Co-developed a new onboarding process with HR to improve team integration and productivity.
• Organized monthly team-building exercises to enhance cohesiveness and a cooperative mindset.
• Collaborated with a team of six to merge diverse ideas into a successful marketing campaign strategy.

Problem-Solving Skills

Effective problem-solving skills enable you to address challenges quickly and efficiently, increasing your value as an employee. Below, you’ll find what you need to know about three key aspects of problem-solving.

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking means analyzing facts to understand a problem thoroughly before attempting to solve it. You look at all angles of a situation before coming to a conclusion.

• Analyzed user feedback to identify pain points and implemented a new feature that improved customer satisfaction by 20%.
• Conducted a comprehensive review of workplace safety protocols to identify redundancies, leading to a 15% reduction in procedural errors.
• Assessed market trends to reposition the product, resulting in a 10% increase in market share.
• Mapped out possible outcomes of a project risk, which allowed for preemptive mitigation strategies.
• Monitored competitor strategies and performed a gap analysis to identify opportunities for growth.

Decision Making

Decision making means selecting the best course of action from several alternatives. It’s important for you to show how you use judgment to make sound decisions.

• Evaluated vendor proposals to select the most cost-effective solution, saving the company $50,000 annually.
• Chose the optimal software tools for team collaboration that increased productivity by 25%.
• Implemented a prioritization system for projects that improved team efficiency and cut down turnaround time by 30%.
• Decided on a new customer relationship management system that increased client retention rates by 18%.
• Selected a more sustainable supply chain model that reduced environmental impact and operational costs by 12%.

Adaptability

Adaptability means adjusting rapidly and efficiently in response to changing conditions. Employers value team members who can pivot and continue with their tasks, even under pressure.

• Quickly learned new software to maintain productivity after a company-wide system update.
• Adapted sales strategies in response to new market conditions, leading to a steady growth in sales by 5% quarterly.
• Reorganized a project team’s roles to accommodate an unexpected departure, ensuring an on-time project completion.
• Revised the content strategy in response to algorithm changes, resulting in a 30% increase in web traffic.
• Shifted to remote work seamlessly during a health crisis, maintaining 100% client service levels.

Project Management

Project Management skills help you oversee projects from conception to completion, ensuring goals are met while managing resources effectively. Explore how these skills can enhance your resume.

Goal Setting

You need to be able to establish clear, achievable objectives to steer your project in the right direction. A well-defined goal gives your project a purpose and sets the stage for success.

• Designed project plans with clear milestones to meet the company’s annual goals
• Established SMART objectives to improve team productivity by 20%
• Created a vision for project outcomes that aligned with client expectations
• Defined the scope and deliverables for a multi-departmental project initiative
• Implemented goal-setting strategies to streamline workflow and optimize project timelines

Resource Allocation

Efficient use of resources is key to project success. You allocate time, budget, and manpower where they’re most effective, ensuring the project stays on track.

• Allocated a $50k budget to maximize project efficiency without overspending
• Distributed tasks among team members based on individual strengths and schedules
• Negotiated with vendors for cost-effective resources, reducing project expenses by 15%
• Managed resource schedules to prevent bottlenecks in project execution
• Balanced human and technical resources to meet project milestones ahead of schedule

Progress Tracking

You are responsible for monitoring the project’s advancement to ensure it remains on schedule and within budget. You can adapt to changing circumstances to keep everything moving forward smoothly.

• Monitored daily progress against project schedule to preempt potential delays
• Implemented a real-time tracking system that improved reporting accuracy
• Conducted weekly review meetings to address project challenges promptly
• Updated project stakeholders on progress with detailed performance dashboards
• Measured project outcomes against initial goals to assess overall success

Attention to Detail

Having strong attention to detail means you’re thorough in accomplishing tasks with a high degree of accuracy. Employers value this skill because it can minimize errors and improve the quality of work.

When crafting your resume, highlight specific instances where your ability to notice the finer points made a tangible difference.

For example, if you’re in charge of quality control, attention to detail ensures products meet industry standards and customer expectations.

In administrative roles, your meticulous nature might prevent data entry mistakes that could lead to significant issues down the line.

In customer service, being detail-oriented helps you personalize interactions and resolve issues effectively.

To showcase this skill on your resume, consider including phrases that capture your proficiency:

• Managed a complex client database with 99.9% accuracy over a 12-month period.
• Conducted detailed market analysis leading to a 10% reduction in operating costs.
• Identified and rectified 150+ data entry errors, boosting overall data integrity.
• Spearheaded an error-free event plan for 200+ attendees, including logistics and scheduling.
• Proofread and edited company-wide correspondence, ensuring zero mistakes in internal and external communications.

Technical Skills

Proficiency in relevant software.

Your ability to navigate and utilize industry-specific software demonstrates that you can hit the ground running.

• Expert in Adobe Creative Suite for graphic design tasks
• Skilled in Microsoft SharePoint for effective team collaboration
• Competent in Salesforce for customer relationship management
• Familiarity with AutoCAD for drafting engineering plans
• Proficient in WordPress for managing and creating content online

Data Analysis

Being able to interpret and make decisions based on data is a highly sought-after skill.

• Experience in using SPSS and SAS for statistical analysis
• Leveraging Excel for complex data manipulation and visual reports
• Comfortable with SQL for database querying and management
• Skilled at Tableau for creating data visualizations
• Proficient in Google Analytics for web traffic and SEO analysis

Technical Writing

Your capacity to convey technical information in an understandable way is invaluable.

• Developed user manuals and FAQs for SaaS products
• Wrote technical documentation and API guides
• Drafted clear and concise technical reports for senior management
• Created instructional content for internal training programs
• Translated complex procedures into user-friendly instructions for clients

Personal Organization

Personal organization is about maintaining order in your professional life, which can significantly enhance your productivity. Let’s explore how you can showcase this skill on your resume.

Workspace Organization

Maintaining a tidy and efficient workspace allows you to work effectively and swiftly locate necessary items.

• Created an ergonomic and clutter-free work environment that boosted daily productivity.
• Devised a desktop organization system that reduced time spent searching for files by 30%.
• Implemented digital desktop shortcuts and toolbars for quick access to frequently used programs.
• Maintained a clean and organized physical workspace to facilitate fast execution of tasks.
• Designed and adhered to a personal desk filing system, streamlining the workflow.

Time Blocking

Time blocking means dedicating specific blocks of time to certain tasks, which can help you manage your time more effectively. In your resume you could include examples like:

• Utilized time blocking to prioritize and accomplish tasks, resulting in a 20% increase in daily efficiency.
• Scheduled distinct blocks for deep-focus tasks, enhancing concentration and output quality.
• Allocated time blocks for administrative duties, optimizing time management and reducing overtime.
• Divided workday into creative and analytical time blocks to capitalize on peak performance periods.
• Employed strict time blocking techniques to ensure on-time completion of projects.

Filing Systems

A good filing system helps you retrieve documents swiftly and keep track of important paperwork. On your resume, clarify how you’ve implemented this by saying:

• Established an alphabetical filing system that improved document retrieval times.
• Constructed a color-coded filing system for easy identification of project-related documents.
• Developed a digital filing system with precise naming conventions to expedite file searches.
• Implemented a systematic approach to maintaining both digital and physical client files.
• Designed a cross-referenced filing system to ensure no document is misplaced or lost.

Leadership Skills

Vision setting.

• Defined strategic direction and set clear objectives for the team to enhance company growth.
• Developed and communicated a compelling vision, leading to the successful launch of a new product line.
• Translated company targets into actionable plans that improved team performance by 20%.
• Established clear milestones to guide project execution, resulting in consistent on-time delivery.
• Crafted and instituted a long-term growth strategy that expanded the business into three new markets.
• Inspired team members to exceed performance goals through effective encouragement and recognition.
• Launched a rewards system to increase employee engagement and reduce turnover by 15%.
• Drove a culture of continuous improvement, elevating team productivity by fostering a competitive yet collaborative environment.
• Encouraged creative problem-solving, leading to a 30% increase in innovation-driven initiatives.
• Championed a team-oriented atmosphere that boosted morale and accelerated project completion rates.

Feedback Delivery

Effective feedback is a cornerstone of continuous improvement and strong leadership. Your capacity to deliver constructive criticism in a way that promotes growth and development can be reflected through phrases like:

• Implemented a comprehensive feedback system that resulted in a 25% increase in team efficiency.
• Cultivated an open feedback culture where employees felt comfortable sharing ideas, enhancing creative collaboration.
• Delivered regular performance reviews that focused on development opportunities, reducing skill gaps within the team.
• Provided actionable feedback that led to a marked improvement in the quality of customer service.
• Guided underperforming team members to success with targeted feedback and personalized coaching plans.

Frequently Asked Questions

What examples can demonstrate strong organizational skills on a resume.

You can show strong organizational skills on your resume by listing specific responsibilities such as coordinating projects, managing schedules, or overseeing inventory. Including achievements like improving filing system efficiency or successfully managing multiple deadlines also highlights these skills.

How can students showcase their organizational skills?

Students can display their organizational capabilities by mentioning roles in student organizations, detailing event planning, project management in group assignments, or time management skills in balancing coursework and extracurricular activities.

In what ways can you describe your organizational skills during an interview?

During an interview, describe your organizational skills with concrete examples. You might talk about how you prioritize tasks, use digital tools for calendar management, or deploy specific strategies to streamline workflows.

Can you provide a sample of how to include organizational experience in a cover letter?

You can include organizational experience in your cover letter by briefly mentioning a scenario where your organizational skills had a positive impact, such as leading a team project to completion under a tight deadline due to your systematic approach to delegation and time management.

What are some alternative terms for ‘strong organizational skills’ that can be used on a resume?

Instead of the phrase “strong organizational skills,” consider using terms like “time management,” “project coordination,” “detail-oriented,” “efficiency optimization,” or “resource management” to describe this skill set on your resume.

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10 organizational skills that will put you a step ahead

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What are organizational skills?

Importance of effective organization, types of organizational skills, 10 key organizational skills examples to grow your career, how to amplify your organizational skills at work, how to add organizational skills to your resume, how to highlight your organizational skills in an interview, how to improve your organizational skills.

The job search is a grueling process. There are plenty of talented candidates often vying for the same role. So, what can make you stand out from the crowd? 

Organizational skills. 

At first thought, you might think that organizational skills aren’t that important. Sure, it’s good to have your documents organized and your desk area decluttered. But do organizational skills really make a difference when it comes to reaching your full potential ? 

On average, Americans spend 25% of their workweek looking for things they need to do their job. Think: company resources, guides, documents, and other information. And 75% of employed Americans spend at least one hour per day searching for the resources they need to do their job. That’s a minimum of 260 paid hours per employee spent doing the wrong things each year. Employers need employees to organize their work, communication, and planning for valuable teamwork.

Organizational skills are even more important for remote teams , larger companies, and global workforces. People often have to work on projects with many moving parts, or communicate between time zones. Whether you’re an individual contributor or a manager,  your co-workers likely depend on you to communicate and complete your tasks on time.

At BetterUp, we have a high-impact behavior called organize to win. It means that we use our growth mindset and problem-solving skills to stay organized. By doing so, we’re better positioned to reach our goals, do less to deliver more, and keep teams aligned. Organizational skills translate into productivity, efficiency, and doing more with less. And with strong organizational skills, you can set yourself up for success. 

This article discusses the key organizational skills every employer wants and how you can use them to shine at work and on the job hunt. 

Organization skills are soft skills that help you manage expectations, stay on top of tasks, and deliver results in a timely fashion. 

Let’s say you’re working on four projects over the course of three months. And you’re collaborating with a different person for each of those projects. Strong organizational skills will help you break down your expected contribution into manageable tasks. You’ll assign deadlines to those tasks, prioritizing the urgent and important tasks. You’ll also mark milestones that require communication and collaboration .

You may use a project management tool, a notebook, or even a calendar to organize your work.

Organizational skills help you focus your time, effort, and resources on work that matters. Organizational skills also help to keep all stakeholders on track to meet shared goals. By doing so, you’re not holding back team members from making progress on their deliverables.

Effective organizing helps you:

• Save company time (and money) : You spend less time searching for things because you already know where to find them. Instead, you can spend that time saved doing other important tasks at work. As we all know, time is valuable. Where you choose to focus your attention and skills can translate into money. 
• Do high-quality work : Organization reduces the chances that you’ll run up to a close deadline and deliver inferior work.
• Become a high-value employee : People will know you as a person who is reliable and smart. You can get recommendations and promotions based on this. You’ve built your own personal brand as a high-performer—and people count on you to get things done. 
• Build mental fitness: We exercise our brains through a mental fitness practice. When you’re organized to win, you’re better positioned to flex your mental fitness skills . For example, let’s say you’re working on a difficult project with cross-functional stakeholders. As the project manager, you’re assigning deadlines, tasks, and project owners. But layered underneath the day-to-day work is managing relationships, navigating conflict , and working with people. All of these skills require some form of mental fitness.

Organized people look more reliable and in control, and can quickly establish a sense of trust and professionalism. 

Internal organizational skills

Internal organizational skills are mental. They help you analyze complex issues so you can come up with solutions. They are the skills that help you stay calm, even in the face of pressure. 

Examples of internal organizational skills include creative thinking , strategic thinking, etc. Oftentimes, this is where your mental fitness will come out to play. Your brain has a wide range of skill sets that it will use in different situations. It’s important to keep your mental fitness skills sharp to be able to lean on these skills when you need them. 

External organizational skills

These organizational skills have more to do with how you work with other people. They help you keep your workspace clean and free from clutter so that it is easier to complete your tasks. 

It’s how you set timelines for goals, how you break goals down into manageable tasks, how you communicate, and how you collaborate with others. 

Good external organizational skills will help you play well as a team member.

Some examples of external organizational skills include prioritization, documentation, workflow management, and teamwork. 

You need organizational skills if you want to grow in your career. Here are 10 must-have organizational skills that'll help you reach your full potential. 

10 key organizational skills 

Physical organization, goal setting, prioritization skills, decision making.

• Strategic thinking and planning

Collaboration

Effective communication, time management, self-motivation, self-management.

How well do you arrange your files on your computer, desk, and office space? Do you group your data into folders, and neat file labels that you actually use? If yes, then you have physical organizational skills.

This skill allows you to spend less time searching for things because you already know where they are.

Goal setting means having an action plan to guide and motivate you towards achieving a target. It involves breaking your goals into smaller units and setting deadlines for them.

Employers like goal-setting skills because they improve performance and optimism in the workplace. 

Let’s say that you have three tasks to deliver during the week. Prioritizing will help you evaluate each task to know the level of importance and commitment they need. That way, you’ll know what task to handle first.

Because there’s never enough time to get all the work done, employers will value people who know how to prioritize. 

Do you often predict outcomes for different courses of action based on facts, and then choose the more beneficial choice? You have decision-making skills.

Mastery of this skill limits the chances of repercussions for poor choices for a company. 

Strategic thinking

Strategic thinking is a problem-solving skill. It’s how you analyze situations to come up with solutions to a problem in the organization.

Strategic thinking is an important transferable skill that you can use at most jobs. It takes you from simply executing your tasks, to understanding how they tie into the business goal.

Collaboration describes how well you work with two or more people to achieve a goal. From how you communicate, whether you’re a dependable team member who finishes their tasks, and much more.

Businesses thrive on teamwork . Your collaboration skills prove ‌you can work in a team to achieve a shared goal.

Effective communication involves exchanging thoughts, ideas, and knowledge in a way that the recipient understands. Speaking (or writing) clearly so that the recipient does not misunderstand you.

Poor communication skills lead to missed opportunities, workplace conflicts , and delays in workflow. One in three projects fails because of miscommunication , amounting to losses up to $62.4 million per year . 

How you divide your time between tasks tells a lot about your time management skills. Time management means an awareness of how long tasks take and adjusting your schedule to accommodate that. 

Time management can help you work more efficiently since extra minutes are not slipping by unawares. It fosters work-life balance and satisfaction at work. 

The company doesn’t have to worry about underperformance when you’re productive, or attrition if you’re satisfied.

Self-motivation is that internal force that pushes you to keep going against all odds. It is that internal desire that makes you want to achieve a goal, no matter how impossible it looks.

Managers don’t have the time to chase employees around, so it’s great if you can find the motivation to work on your own.

If you didn’t have a manager to oversee your work, would you still perform? Self-management describes how you plan, conduct, and account for your work. 

As with self-motivation, leadership doesn’t have to worry that you’ll slack if you have self-management skills .

Having strong organizational skills is a practice that needs ongoing development. You could be highly organized one week and be out of sync the next. To continue to strengthen and highlight these skills at work, try the following techniques:

Volunteer to project manage

Taking on additional responsibilities requires more organization in itself. By offering to handle the planning and organization of a project, you’re both strengthening and promoting your ability to remain systematic and handle many moving parts.

Keep your workspace tidy

Everyone works in different ways. And your home office might not resemble your in-office workspace. That said, the image you reflect to your coworkers does say convey a message. And a clean, tidy workspace or an organized background on your virtual calls can impact the way you’re perceived by coworkers.  Plus, committing to keep your space tidy, whether it will be visible to your coworkers or not, can support the development of your overall organizational ability. 

Keep your calendar up to date

Knowing where you need to be and when gives you and your coworkers a predetermined structure for each day. This makes it easier to schedule last-minute meetings, collaborate, and plan. It can also help you protect your time and your bandwidth to combat burnout.

Unlike a CV, a resume is shorter , so you have fewer opportunities to express your skills. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to highlight them. Over 43% of employers look for organizational abilities in candidates’ resumes. Highlighting organizational skills can help your resume stand out and increase the chances of an interview.

Use these tips to show your organizational skills in a resume.

1. Choose a clean resume layout

Clean and concise resumes show organizational skills without even mentioning them. 

As a side benefit, it’s also easy for recruiting tools to scan them for assigned keywords. This is important because recruiters use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to scan 75% of resumes . It might also help to use bulleted lists to make your skills easier for an ATS to pick up.

Here’s an example of a clean resume layout from We Mean Career .

2. Mention organizational skills that match the job description

Employers prefer specific organizational skills for some roles, and they include them in the job description. In our job ad for a digital marketing manager, for example, we list collaboration as a required skill.

If you were to apply for this role, it would be beneficial to highlight your collaboration skills in your resume.

3. Use your organizational skills to describe yourself in the summary section

Employers spend an average of seven seconds looking at a resume . The summary section is the first part they look at because it is usually on the top of the resume and summarizes the applicant. 

Describe yourself with key organizational skills in the summary section of the resume. Here’s a fictitious example for a content writer in Chicago.

4. Display your organizational skills in the experience section

The experience section gives more details about what you did at the job. Show how you used your organizational skills to achieve results. 

Use action verbs to describe your skills. Also, use bullet points to make your experience section clean and easy to read.

Here’s an example using the same fictitious writer:

Employers may ask about your organizational skills during the interview. Here’s how to highlight them in order to stand out:

1. Talk about how you used your organizational skills at a previous job

Interviewers prefer to know how you implemented your organizational skills. Tell them about the role you played in your previous jobs. 

It doesn't matter whether it was on a large or small scale. For instance, you may have led a team of 4 to close over 20 deals in a short time. 

Start with a reassuring phrase like “Organization was very important in my previous job.” Then mention how you split the goals into smaller units, the planning process, how you delegated the tasks, and every other step you took for success.  

2. Talk about how you used your organizational skills in your personal life

If you are just out of college, ‌you likely have little experience to brag about. Here, use personal experience to prove that effective organizing is one of your core competencies . This is a good time to tell them about that family trip or any other thing that you planned. Remember to include things that went wrong and how you handled those.

What if they don't ask for your organizational skills?

If your hiring manager does not ask for your organizational skills, ask them questions to create an opportunity to discuss your skills. There are many questions to ask your hiring manager , but you can try this:

 “Can you describe some current ongoing projects and initiatives that I would help address in this role?”

This discussion gives you a chance to talk about how you would handle the projects. And you get to talk about your organizational skills in the process.

Pro tip : Use the word “I” to emphasize the roles you played. Also use organizational skills keywords like ‘collaborated’, ‘planned’, ‘strategized’, etc. to affirm your skills.  

Many companies do organizational training to teach these skills. But you can improve your organizational skills on your own with these tips: 

• Evaluate your work procedures to know how organized you are and where to improve
• Declutter and keep a tidy physical and digital workspace 
• Document instructions and valuable information to help you meet deadlines
• Group your documents into folders for easy access
• Have a personal calendar and block out deadlines for your work
• Prioritize your tasks according to importance and deadlines
• Spend at least 10 minutes to plan your day and schedules activities

Everyone can organize

Organizational skills are not innate to everyone, but we can all learn to organize.

Start by evaluating yourself to know what skills you already have. That way, you’ll learn where you need to improve.

If you’re struggling to build your organizational skills, a coach can help. With BetterUp, you can work with your coach on a personalized plan to build your skills. By investing in yourself, you’ll be one step closer to reaching your full potential.

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Madeline Miles

Madeline is a writer, communicator, and storyteller who is passionate about using words to help drive positive change. She holds a bachelor's in English Creative Writing and Communication Studies and lives in Denver, Colorado. In her spare time, she's usually somewhere outside (preferably in the mountains) — and enjoys poetry and fiction.

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Why Problem-Solving Skills Are Essential for Leaders in Any Industry

• 17 Jan 2023

Any organization offering a product or service is in the business of solving problems.

Whether providing medical care to address health issues or quick convenience to those hungry for dinner, a business’s purpose is to satisfy customer needs .

In addition to solving customers’ problems, you’ll undoubtedly encounter challenges within your organization as it evolves to meet customer needs. You’re likely to experience growing pains in the form of missed targets, unattained goals, and team disagreements.

Yet, the ubiquity of problems doesn’t have to be discouraging; with the right frameworks and tools, you can build the skills to solve consumers' and your organization’s most challenging issues.

Here’s a primer on problem-solving in business, why it’s important, the skills you need, and how to build them.

Access your free e-book today.

What Is Problem-Solving in Business?

Problem-solving is the process of systematically removing barriers that prevent you or others from reaching goals.

Your business removes obstacles in customers’ lives through its products or services, just as you can remove obstacles that keep your team from achieving business goals.

Design Thinking

Design thinking , as described by Harvard Business School Dean Srikant Datar in the online course Design Thinking and Innovation , is a human-centered , solutions-based approach to problem-solving and innovation. Originally created for product design, design thinking’s use case has evolved . It’s now used to solve internal business problems, too.

The design thinking process has four stages :

• Clarify: Clarify a problem through research and feedback from those impacted.
• Ideate: Armed with new insights, generate as many solutions as possible.
• Develop: Combine and cull your ideas into a short list of viable, feasible, and desirable options before building prototypes (if making physical products) and creating a plan of action (if solving an intangible problem).
• Implement: Execute the strongest idea, ensuring clear communication with all stakeholders about its potential value and deliberate reasoning.

Using this framework, you can generate innovative ideas that wouldn’t have surfaced otherwise.

Creative Problem-Solving

Another, less structured approach to challenges is creative problem-solving , which employs a series of exercises to explore open-ended solutions and develop new perspectives. This is especially useful when a problem’s root cause has yet to be defined.

You can use creative problem-solving tools in design thinking’s “ideate” stage, which include:

• Brainstorming: Instruct everyone to develop as many ideas as possible in an allotted time frame without passing judgment.
• Divergent thinking exercises: Rather than arriving at the same conclusion (convergent thinking), instruct everyone to come up with a unique idea for a given prompt (divergent thinking). This type of exercise helps avoid the tendency to agree with others’ ideas without considering alternatives.
• Alternate worlds: Ask your team to consider how various personas would manage the problem. For instance, how would a pilot approach it? What about a young child? What about a seasoned engineer?

It can be tempting to fall back on how problems have been solved before, especially if they worked well. However, if you’re striving for innovation, relying on existing systems can stunt your company’s growth.

Related: How to Be a More Creative Problem-Solver at Work: 8 Tips

Why Is Problem-Solving Important for Leaders?

While obstacles’ specifics vary between industries, strong problem-solving skills are crucial for leaders in any field.

Whether building a new product or dealing with internal issues, you’re bound to come up against challenges. Having frameworks and tools at your disposal when they arise can turn issues into opportunities.

As a leader, it’s rarely your responsibility to solve a problem single-handedly, so it’s crucial to know how to empower employees to work together to find the best solution.

Your job is to guide them through each step of the framework and set the parameters and prompts within which they can be creative. Then, you can develop a list of ideas together, test the best ones, and implement the chosen solution.

Related: 5 Design Thinking Skills for Business Professionals

4 Problem-Solving Skills All Leaders Need

1. problem framing.

One key skill for any leader is framing problems in a way that makes sense for their organization. Problem framing is defined in Design Thinking and Innovation as determining the scope, context, and perspective of the problem you’re trying to solve.

“Before you begin to generate solutions for your problem, you must always think hard about how you’re going to frame that problem,” Datar says in the course.

For instance, imagine you work for a company that sells children’s sneakers, and sales have plummeted. When framing the problem, consider:

• What is the children’s sneaker market like right now?
• Should we improve the quality of our sneakers?
• Should we assess all children’s footwear?
• Is this a marketing issue for children’s sneakers specifically?
• Is this a bigger issue that impacts how we should market or produce all footwear?

While there’s no one right way to frame a problem, how you do can impact the solutions you generate. It’s imperative to accurately frame problems to align with organizational priorities and ensure your team generates useful ideas for your firm.

To solve a problem, you need to empathize with those impacted by it. Empathy is the ability to understand others’ emotions and experiences. While many believe empathy is a fixed trait, it’s a skill you can strengthen through practice.

When confronted with a problem, consider whom it impacts. Returning to the children’s sneaker example, think of who’s affected:

• Your organization’s employees, because sales are down
• The customers who typically buy your sneakers
• The children who typically wear your sneakers

Empathy is required to get to the problem’s root and consider each group’s perspective. Assuming someone’s perspective often isn’t accurate, so the best way to get that information is by collecting user feedback.

For instance, if you asked customers who typically buy your children’s sneakers why they’ve stopped, they could say, “A new brand of children’s sneakers came onto the market that have soles with more traction. I want my child to be as safe as possible, so I bought those instead.”

When someone shares their feelings and experiences, you have an opportunity to empathize with them. This can yield solutions to their problem that directly address its root and shows you care. In this case, you may design a new line of children’s sneakers with extremely grippy soles for added safety, knowing that’s what your customers care most about.

Related: 3 Effective Methods for Assessing Customer Needs

3. Breaking Cognitive Fixedness

Cognitive fixedness is a state of mind in which you examine situations through the lens of past experiences. This locks you into one mindset rather than allowing you to consider alternative possibilities.

For instance, your cognitive fixedness may make you think rubber is the only material for sneaker treads. What else could you use? Is there a grippier alternative you haven’t considered?

Problem-solving is all about overcoming cognitive fixedness. You not only need to foster this skill in yourself but among your team.

4. Creating a Psychologically Safe Environment

As a leader, it’s your job to create an environment conducive to problem-solving. In a psychologically safe environment, all team members feel comfortable bringing ideas to the table, which are likely influenced by their personal opinions and experiences.

If employees are penalized for “bad” ideas or chastised for questioning long-held procedures and systems, innovation has no place to take root.

By employing the design thinking framework and creative problem-solving exercises, you can foster a setting in which your team feels comfortable sharing ideas and new, innovative solutions can grow.

How to Build Problem-Solving Skills

The most obvious answer to how to build your problem-solving skills is perhaps the most intimidating: You must practice.

Again and again, you’ll encounter challenges, use creative problem-solving tools and design thinking frameworks, and assess results to learn what to do differently next time.

While most of your practice will occur within your organization, you can learn in a lower-stakes setting by taking an online course, such as Design Thinking and Innovation . Datar guides you through each tool and framework, presenting real-world business examples to help you envision how you would approach the same types of problems in your organization.

Are you interested in uncovering innovative solutions for your organization’s business problems? Explore Design Thinking and Innovation —one of our online entrepreneurship and innovation courses —to learn how to leverage proven frameworks and tools to solve challenges. Not sure which course is right for you? Download our free flowchart .

About the Author

How to List Organizational Skills On a Resume (W/ Examples)

In 2024, organizational skills are very in-demand on the job market, which makes them an asset no matter your profession.

First and foremost, organizational skills can improve your productivity by allowing you to manage your time and resources efficiently.

This helps you perform better at work, improves your chances of getting a promotion, and even opens up a shot at getting a managerial position!

So, if you have organizational skills, you definitely want to highlight them

in your resume. 

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about organizational skills, including:

• What Are Organizational Skills and Why Are They Important?
• 10 Organizational Skills to Add to Your Resume
• How to Highlight Your Organizational Skills on Your Resume

How to Improve Your Organizational Skills

And more! Let’s dive right in.

What Are Organizational Skills?

Organizational skills are a set of soft skills that help you keep track of information, materials, and even your time in such a way that you can tackle short and long-term tasks efficiently and solve problems more effectively. 

Organizational skills can be categorized into internal and external organizational skills . 

Internal organizational skills involve being mentally capable of analyzing complex situations and thinking of solutions (e.g. goal setting, decision making, strategic planning, etc.). 

External organizational skills , on the other hand, refer to your work methods and how you collaborate with others (e.g. documentation, prioritization, delegation, etc.). 

This means that organizational skills are multi-faceted. In practice, they include: 

• Building structure in your personal and professional life
• Setting goals and prioritizing them based on an action plan
• Managing your time, tasks, materials, and schedule
• Allocating resources and delegating tasks based on their priority

Although organizational skills are important for all aspects of one’s life, they’re particularly handy for your professional life and career.

Let us tell you why that is: 

Why Are Organizational Skills Important?

First and foremost, organizational skills are important because they can improve your employability. 

According to a LinkedIn Global Talent Trends study , 80% of talent professionals say soft skills are increasingly important to company success. And, in 2024, organizational skills are among the most important soft skills recruiters are looking for. 

But what exactly is it that makes organizational skills so popular, regardless of your job or your industry? 

Here are some of their top benefits: 

• Improved productivity. Having a well-organized desk, schedule, and task completion system means it's less likely you'll be taken aback by an impending deadline, an additional responsibility, or having to cover for a sick coworker.
• Saved company time and money. US workers spend at least two hours a day on average (or 25% of their workweek ) looking for documents or information they need to do their job. A well-organized employee, however, can use that time to actually work, thus saving the company time and money.
• Professional growth. Being organized at work can help you build a personal brand of being reliable, professional, and effective. And with your work results to prove it, you’ll be among the first in line for recommendations and promotions in your field.
• Improved customer relationships. Most customer-facing jobs rely on customer satisfaction to drive sales and succeed in business. Having employees with good organizational skills is a key element to achieving that. (E.g. imagine how bad it would be for a company to have customer service reps who can barely find their notes when a customer calls, let alone help them with their queries.)
• Better work environment. Organizational skills can help reduce miscommunication among coworkers and create a more pleasant and effective work environment.

Let’s take a more detailed look at some key organizational skills that just about everyone can benefit from:

#1. Physical Organization 

Physical organizational means you’re good at arranging and keeping track of your files and equipment on your computer, desk, and office space. 

Some skills related to physical organization include: 

• Record keeping
• Office management
• Documentation and filing
• Stock inventory

With physical organization skills, you don’t need to spend time and energy looking for things. In turn, you can be more effective and well-prepared to tackle your tasks.  

#2. Planning 

Being organized is, in big part, making the most out of your time and energy. To do that, you need to be able to plan out how to use your resources as effectively as possible. 

Planning skills can involve several different practices, such as: 

• Keeping a detailed calendar or agenda
• Scheduling meetings and events days in advance
• Having daily to-do lists

In a nutshell, good planning skills mean that you're able to think ahead, which can help you stay on top of your tasks and work anxiety-free.

#3. Prioritization 

Our workweeks are packed with various tasks and deadlines.

Being able to prioritize them based on how important they are and how much time commitment they need means you’ll know which tasks to tackle first. 

For your employer, having good prioritization skills means you’ll be less likely to miss important deadlines or deliver poor-quality work. 

#4. Goal setting

Knowing which tasks to tackle first is one thing; being able to set goals to complete them is another. 

Imagine you have a big project to finish by the end of the month that requires a lot of time and attention.

Without setting some short-term goals, you might get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of energy that you need to put into it and end up delivering low-quality work. 

With goal-setting skills, your chances of getting overwhelmed are much smaller. You’ll be able to break the project into smaller tasks and set separate deadlines for each of them, thus knowing exactly what you need to do and when. 

#5. Collaboration 

Collaboration skills show how well you can work with two people or more to achieve a common goal. This involves how you communicate, how much others can depend on you to finish your tasks, and how willing you are to share your knowledge and expertise. 

This skill is particularly important to big companies and remote teams, where people often have to work on big projects or communicate between different time zones. 

By being organized in the way you collaborate with others, you won’t have to worry about bottlenecking the work process or being perceived as unreliable. 

#6. Time management

Time management skills refer to the ability to “master” your time in such a way that you understand how long a task will take to complete and adjust your agenda accordingly. They also involve making the most of the hours available in a day to ensure maximum efficiency and productivity. 

An employee with good time management skills is someone who can prioritize tasks, doesn't get distracted easily, and can set goals for the day. In turn, they are less likely to suffer from anxiety and poor work performance.

#7. Communication 

Someone with good communication skills can share knowledge, ideas, and thoughts in such a way that others understand. 

Effective communication is essential for a high-functioning work environment, while the opposite can lead to company-wide problems. 

Sending an email without a clear, organized structure, for example, might lead your coworkers to misunderstand the intended message. In turn, this can cause miscommunication and workplace tension.   

As such, being able to communicate in a well-organized manner ensures everything’s running like clockwork and everyone’s on the same page.  

#8. Strategic thinking

Strategic thinking is an internal organizational skill that’s tightly linked to problem-solving. It refers to the ability to analyze a problem or a situation and come up with solutions. 

Although strategic thinking is helpful in most jobs, it comes in particularly handy if you’re an entrepreneur, business analyst , project manager, or any sort of professional who is required to understand how certain tasks are tied to general business goals.

#9. Decision making 

Decision-making skills involve taking into account the outcomes of different courses of action and deciding on the most beneficial one. 

The process of making a decision involves actively listening and paying attention, gathering information and data, and analyzing a problem thoroughly. The more organized you are, the better you will be at this process and at limiting poor personal and professional choices and outcomes. 

#10. Delegation

A direct result of being organized is knowing where your limits are and understanding what you realistically can and cannot do based on your time and resources. 

Now, if your tasks and deadlines become too much, the responsible thing to do is assign one or more tasks to a coworker. Good delegation skills involve knowing exactly which team member is more qualified and well-prepared to tackle a specific task or project.

By being on top of your to-do list and knowing which tasks to delegate (and to whom) you should be able to improve your team’s productivity and never miss a deadline. 

How to Add Your Organizational Skills to Your Resume

You may have great organizational skills, but unless you point them out in your resume, there’s no way for the hiring manager to know this.

Below we’ll show you exactly how to add your organizational skills to your resume to impress future employers: 

#1. Start With the Layout

Before the hiring manager gets to your resume’s contents, they will notice how it’s all put together. 

If your resume sections are disorganized and the whole thing looks cluttered and messy, your chances of convincing the hiring manager you have strong organizational skills may fly out the window. 

That’s why, first and foremost, your resume must bewell-organized in a visual sense. 

Here are all the elements of a great resume layout: 

• Format. Go for the reverse-chronological format . It’s the most popular among hiring managers worldwide, as it effectively highlights your work experience by listing your most recent job first.
• Font. Pick a professional font style that’s easy to read and looks good both on PDF and paper. Once you’ve chosen, use that font consistently throughout your resume.
• Font size. If your font size is too small, the hiring manager won’t be able to read it but if it’s too big, it will make your resume spill over to page two. As such, set your font size to 11-12 pts for the body of your resume and 14-16 pts for the resume headings.
• Resume length. Optimally, you want your resume to fit on one page to increase the chances of the hiring manager actually reading it. After all, they go through hundreds of resumes every day.
• Bullet points. Using bullet points to organize your responsibilities, achievements , and other information (certifications, hobbies, etc.) under your resume sections is another great way to make your resume look clean and well-structured.

Does all of the above seem too complicated and time-consuming? 

We don’t blame you. Most people would like to skip through all the hassle of resume formatting and go straight to filling in their information. 

Well, there is a way to do just that - using one of our tried-and-tested resume templates . 

Not only do they look amazing, but they’re also created in collaboration with some of the best HR professionals from around the globe, which means you can rest assured your resume will get noticed.

Here is how our resumes compare to conventional, black-and-white traditional resumes: 

#2. Include Your Organizational Skills Under Your Soft Skills

The most obvious place to list your organizational skills on your resume is the skills section. 

This part is pretty straightforward. That said, you don’t want to add every organizational skill that exists in the book. Instead, you want to make sure the skills you add are relevant to the position you’re applying for. 

Here is exactly how you can do that: 

• Check the job description. More often than not, the job description can show you exactly what skills you need for the job. If you’re applying for, say, a personal assistant position, you’ll need to have physical organization skills, scheduling skills, planning, and goal-setting skills. 
• Identify the skills you possess. Think about which skills you can back up with actual experience from your previous jobs. Only list organizational skills that you actually possess and that you can prove you possess on your resume. 
• Add those skills under your soft skills. Then, add the skills that you have and that are required in the job under your resume’s “Soft Skills” section. 

Here’s an example of what the skills section looks like in a resume: 

#3. Back-Up Your Organizational Skills In the Work Experience Section

Anyone can claim they have amazing organizational skills. To stand out from the crowd, you want to show that you really possess them through cold, hard data. 

That’s where the work experience section comes in.  

The work experience section is, arguably, the most important section of any resume. Done right, this is where you should the hiring manager that you’re an A-player that gets things done.

It’s also where you can prove you’ve got all the organizational skills needed for the job. Below, we’ll show you just how to do that: 

• Tailor your work experience to the job. Only add past jobs that are relevant to the position. If you’re applying for, say, an event planner position, the hiring manager will be interested in your previous experience as a travel agent, not in the time you worked as a cook.  
• Focus on your achievements instead of your responsibilities. The hiring manager knows exactly what your responsibilities were in previous jobs. What they want to know is how you made a positive impact with your achievements. 
• Make your achievements quantifiable. Speaking of achievements, making them quantifiable is what really makes them impressive. After all “implemented a documentation and filing system that increased office efficiency by 24%” sounds much better than “improved office efficiency.”
• Use the Laszlo Bock formula . If you’re having trouble phrasing your achievements, use the following formula: “Accomplished X as measured by Y doing X.” 
• Take advantage of action verbs. There are hundreds of words and verbs you can use instead of “organized.” The more descriptive you are of your achievements, the more impressive they can sound.

Here’s an example of a project manager describing their organizational skills in their work experience section: 

• Successfully oversaw and completed three separate projects in the course of two years. 
• Implemented an organization system that helped research assistants find information faster and reduce the chance of errors. 
• Scheduled and organized over 34 conferences that were attended by over 500 people. 
• Leveraged a shared calendar system to coordinate meetings, events, and upcoming deadlines.

10 Jobs Where Organizational Skills Are Essential

We’ve already established that organizational skills are a great asset to have in practically any profession. 

That said, there are some jobs where organizational skills are nothing short of essential if you want to be successful. 

So, if you have excellent organizational skills and you’re looking for a career where you can apply them to the maximum, consider one of the following jobs: 

• Event planner .
• Personal assistant. 
• Home organizer. 
• Travel agent. 
• Visual merchandiser. 
• Real estate agent . 
• Project manager . 
• Housekeeper. 
• Interior designer.

If you’ve gone through everything we’ve covered so far and feel like organizational skills aren’t really your forte, then you’re in luck.

Just like any other skill, being organized is something that can be learned. 

Here are our top six tips that are guaranteed to help you: 

• Read books on organizational skills. Read your way to an organized life. Books like Getting Things Done and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People can help you acquire essential organizational skills (or at least the theoretical part of it, anyway). 
• Join online classes. You can find a ton of useful courses on organizational skills on LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and most other educational platforms. 
• Try out different organizational skill apps. Apps like Evernote, Google Keep, and Trello can help you practice your organizational skills in your everyday life. 
• Declutter your surroundings. Organizing the space around you is a great way to start improving your organizational skills. Getting your workplace in order primes you to be more productive and organized during your workday.
• Make lists. Separate to-do lists can help you keep track of what needs to be done - and when. Prioritizing the tasks on your list can be particularly helpful too, as it can help with your scheduling and goal-setting needs.
• Own your calendar. A basic but important step to improving your organizational skills is to be in control of your time. Having a calendar that shows you all your meetings, activities, etc., can really help in that direction.

Interview Questions on Organizational Skills - Sample Answers

If you follow all the above instructions to a T, your resume will most likely land you a job interview. 

When that happens, you should be prepared to answer questions regarding your organizational skills. 

Most probably, the interviewer will inquire about your organizational skills through a behavioral interview question . Behavioral questions are questions based on how you acted in a specific situation. 

Examples of behavioral questions include: 

• Give us an example of a goal you failed to meet, and how you handled the situation.
• Tell us about a time when you solved a problem at your job that wasn’t part of your job description.

Behavioral questions can seem more difficult to answer than normal interview questions.

Answering a question like “what’s your greatest strength” is pretty straightforward.

Coming up with an example that demonstrates your greatest strength right there on the spot, though, can be much more difficult.

Fortunately, there’s an easy, systematic way to answer behavioral interview questions: the STAR method .

Here’s what STAR stands for: 

• S - Situation. Describe the situation where the event/experience took place.
• T - Task. Talk about the task or responsibility you had to complete. 
• A - Action. Describe the steps you took to fix the situation/complete the task. 
• R - Results. Talk about the results of your actions.

If you master the STAR method, there is no behavioral question about organizational skills the interviewer can throw at you that you won’t be able to answer. 

For example, let’s say that the interviewer asked the following question:

• Give us an example of when you had to be very strategic in your tasks to meet all of your responsibilities under a specific deadline.

Here’s how you’d answer this with the STAR method:

Situation - “I typically like to plan out my work weeks in advance if possible. But in my previous sales manager role at Company X, I had to suddenly move the team to a new customer relationship management (CRM) software. The software we were using before unexpectedly changed their pricing model, which made it too expensive for us.”

Task - ”I had to find new software that met our requirement, by the end of Q3 (when the price increase hit), while making sure my own sales numbers did not decrease. The new tool also had to be intuitive and easy for our employees to adapt to.”

Action - “In order to do that, I had to be very careful with how I managed my time. The first thing I did was ask our sales associates what the number one problem was with our current CRM, so I knew what to look for in a new one aside from the price factor. After that, I dedicated 1-2 hours each day to research, and once I found the new software, migrating our data. I made sure to delete any old contacts, update the missing information on our current leads, and caught the team up on how to use the new software. All the while, I was still handling my daily responsibilities as usual, without any decrease in performance.”

Results - “Finally, we managed to complete the transfer 1 week behind the deadline. I finished the quarter 12% ahead of my sales goals, and the team was satisfied with the new CRM. By planning ahead and with proper time allocation, everything worked out well.”

And here’s another common behavioral interview question about organizational skills:

• Describe a long-term project you managed. How did you make sure everything was running smoothly?

And here’s a sample answer:

Situation: When I was at Company X, I was managing the web development team in charge of setting up a new website for one of our biggest clients at the time. With most projects, we had a process set up and we would get most sites done in up to 2 months. This project, however, was a bit different, as the website was supposed to be more detailed, with a lot of unique pages. So, we had to be a lot more careful with our time management.

Task: We had a strict deadline of 15 weeks, and I had to make sure that we used up our time as efficiently as possible.

Action: Before getting to actual work, I decided that we should plan everything out by the week. After some research and consulting with our team of developers, we decided to split the workload between different stages. We would devote around 1 week to the discovery phase, 5 weeks to design, 3 weeks to initial development, and the rest to any modifications and updates.

Results: In the end, we actually finished the website with all the promised functionalities in just under 3 months. The client was very satisfied with the result and eventually ended up recommending partners to our firm.

Want to make sure you won’t be taken aback by any behavioral question the interviewer throws at you? Check out these 20 STAR interview questions to get inspired. 

Key Takeaways

And that’s a wrap! By now, you should know everything there is to know about organizational skills. 

Before you go and put what you learned to practice, here are the main points we covered in this article: 

• Organizational skills are a set of soft skills that help you keep track of information and materials in such a way that you can tackle short and long-term tasks efficiently and solve problems more effectively.
• Organizational skills improve individual and team productivity, save the company time and money, help with professional growth, and contribute to healthy workplace culture. 
• Some key organizational skills include planning, physical organization, prioritization, goal setting, and time management. 
• To show the hiring manager you’re a well-organized candidate from the get-go, make sure your resume layout is spotless. 
• Don’t just list your organizational skills under your resume’s Skills section. Make sure to also back them up in your work experience section.

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• Career Blog

Problem Solving Skills: Best Examples & Advice for 2024

Problem-solving skills are a set of attributes that allow individuals to assess, analyze, and resolve complex situations and challenges that they may encounter in life. It involves the ability to think critically and creatively, identify various options and alternatives, and select the most effective solution to a particular problem.

The constant need for problem-solving skills, both in personal and professional aspects of an individual’s life, highlights the importance of having this skill set. In this article, we will explore the significance of problem-solving skills in personal and professional life and provide some of the best examples and advice to help develop this crucial skill.

Importance of problem-solving skills

Problem-solving skills are essential in daily life, from figuring out how to fix a broken appliance or to resolve a conflict with a friend. The same applies to the professional world, as individuals are continually faced with workplace challenges that require immediate and practical solutions.

Employers prioritize problem-solving skills when hiring new employees. This is because companies need people who can think critically and creatively in high-stress situations, who can identify opportunities, innovate and implement new ideas, and adapt to changes accordingly. An employee with excellent problem-solving skills adds value to an organization since they can resolve conflicts, contribute to decision-making, and develop effective strategies that enhance productivity levels.

Personal life heavily benefits from problem-solving skills, as individuals who can navigate through difficult situations can maintain healthy relationships, relieve stress, and handle their affairs confidently. Learning how to manage difficulties in personal life translates to how an individual can manage their professional life, helping them to thrive in the workplace.

Definition of problem-solving skills

Problem-solving skills involve various attributes, including analytical and critical thinking, decision-making, creativity, and resourcefulness. The ability to think outside the box, coupled with sound judgment, helps individuals weigh various options and identify the most effective solution.

Creativity is also a critical aspect of problem-solving since individuals need to think of alternative solutions to try in challenging situations. Finally, resourcefulness helps individuals overcome unforeseen challenges when there are no obvious solutions.

Types of Problems

Problem-solving is not just about finding a solution. It also involves identifying the type of problem you are facing. By doing so, you can determine the best approach to solve the problem.

Categorization of Problems

Problems can be classified in different ways. Here are some common types of problems:

• Simple problems  are straightforward and have a clear solution. For example, fixing a flat tire on your bike.
• Complicated problems  are more complex and require more effort to solve. These problems typically have multiple steps and may require specialized knowledge. For example, fixing a broken computer.
• Complex problems  are the most challenging type of problem. These problems are often dynamic, with changing variables and uncertain outcomes. They require creative thinking and the ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. For example, finding a cure for a new virus.

Different Approaches to Solving Complex Problems

Complex problems require a different approach to solve. Here are some approaches that can be used to tackle complex problems:

• Collaborative problem-solving.  This approach involves bringing together a diverse group of people with different perspectives and expertise to work on the problem. This can generate fresh ideas and solutions that may not have been possible otherwise.
• Systems thinking.  This approach involves looking at the problem as part of a larger system. By understanding the system’s interconnected parts and the relationships between them, you can develop a targeted solution that addresses the root cause of the problem.
• Design thinking.  This approach involves looking at the problem from the user’s perspective. By understanding the user’s needs and experiences, you can develop a solution that meets those needs in a practical way.
• Agile problem-solving.  This approach involves breaking the problem down into smaller, more manageable parts. This allows you to quickly test and refine solutions, adapting to changing circumstances as needed.

Understanding the type of problem you are facing is crucial to developing an effective solution. By using the appropriate approach, you can solve even the most complex problems.

Steps Involved in Problem-Solving Process

To effectively solve a problem, there are certain steps that need to be followed. In this section, we will discuss the steps involved in the problem-solving process.

Identification of Problem

The first step in problem-solving is identifying the problem. This involves recognizing that there is an issue that needs to be addressed. It’s important to clearly define the problem at this stage, as it will inform the subsequent steps in the process.

Analysis of the Problem

Once the problem has been identified, the next step is to analyze it. This means gathering information and data related to the issue. Understanding the underlying causes of the problem and its impact is key to developing effective solutions.

Defining the Problem

Once the problem has been analyzed, it’s time to define it more precisely. This involves looking at the root causes of the problem and identifying the key issues that need to be addressed. This step will help to ensure that the problem is properly understood and that the right solutions are developed.

Developing Alternative Solutions

With a clear understanding of the problem, it’s time to develop alternative solutions. The aim is to generate a range of options that could potentially address the problem. Brainstorming is a great technique for this stage, as it encourages creative thinking and the exploration of new ideas.

Evaluating the Alternative Solutions

Having generated a range of potential solutions, the next step is to evaluate them. This involves assessing how well each option would address the problem and examining any potential drawbacks. It’s important to be objective during this stage, and to consider each solution on its own merits.

Choosing the Best Solution

Once the potential solutions have been evaluated, the next step is to choose the best one. This means selecting the option that is most likely to solve the problem effectively, efficiently and within the given timeframe. It is important to consider both short-term and long-term consequences of the solution.

Implementing the Solution

With the best solution chosen, the next step is to implement it. This means putting the plan into action and making sure that everyone involved is clear on their role and responsibilities. Communication, collaboration and cooperation between team members are crucial to successful implementation.

Follow-up and Monitoring

The final step in the problem-solving process is follow-up and monitoring. This involves checking that the solution is working as intended and making any necessary adjustments. It’s important to track progress and identify any further challenges or problems that arise, so that they can be dealt with promptly.

Effective problem-solving involves a systematic and analytical approach that requires careful consideration of a range of factors. By following these steps, it is possible to identify and implement solutions that address the root causes of problems and create positive outcomes.

Common Mistakes in Solving Problems

In any problem-solving process, there are common mistakes that teams or individuals can make, leading to a failed outcome. Here are some of the most common ones:

Poor Communication

Poor communication can be the root of many problems in a team or project. It can lead to misunderstandings, missed deadlines, wasted resources, and ultimately, project failure. Communication issues can arise from language barriers, misinterpretation of messages, or even lack of motivation.

To avoid poor communication, it is essential to prioritize clear and concise communication channels. Listen intently and provide feedback actively, and be open to constructive criticism. Stay focused on the outcomes, and ensure that all communication aligns with the project’s goals.

Inaccurate or Insufficient Information

A lack of accurate and relevant information can derail a problem-solving process. Teams must be diligent in researching all available data, seeking expert advice, and analyzing data to make informed decisions. Failure to do so can result in missed opportunities, incorrect solutions, and delays in finding the right solution.

To prevent insufficient information, create a plan to gather all the available data, including the potential sources of information. Involve team members who are experts in their fields, and seek guidance from senior stakeholders. Use the gathered data to create an informed decision-making process.

Failure to Involve Key Stakeholders

It is crucial to involve all relevant stakeholders in the problem-solving process. Failure to involve stakeholders can lead to problematic communication, incomplete information, and unaddressed concerns that arise later.

To prevent failure to involve key stakeholders, identify all stakeholders at the beginning of the problem-solving process, including team members, customers, end-users, and senior leaders. Set up regular communication channels with stakeholder groups and ensure that all feedback and concerns are adequately addressed to achieve desired outcomes.

Bias and Groupthink

Biases and groupthink can influence and cloud the objectivity of the problem-solving process. Personal biases, opinions, or beliefs can impede the individual’s ability to reason and make rational decisions. Groupthink is a phenomenon when a group places more priority on agreeing with the majority rather than critically analyzing the problem.

To avoid bias and groupthink, team members should be trained in recognizing personal biases and avoiding preconceived notions that may influence decision-making. Encourage active participation from all members and foster a culture of open criticism and discussion.

Overlooking Underlying Issues

While addressing the immediate problems that arise, it is easy to overlook underlying issues that cause recurring problems. Fixing the symptoms and ignoring the root cause can be a short-sighted approach to problem-solving.

To avoid overlooking underlying issues, analyze the problem thoroughly, identifying previous occurrences, and consider metrics to gauge current problems’ severity. Look beyond the most obvious solutions and evaluate alternative approaches that address the underlying issues. Create a checklist to assess if the possible solutions address the root cause.

Problem-Solving Techniques and Tools

In any workplace, problem-solving can be a challenging task, especially if the issue is not well-defined or if a team is not capable of reaching a consensus. Fortunately, there are numerous problem-solving tools and techniques that can aid in resolving any problem or issue. The following are some of the problem-solving techniques and tools that individuals and teams use to overcome various challenges:

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a problem-solving technique that facilitates the collective creation of ideas and potential solutions by a group of individuals. This technique enhances creativity and allows individuals to present their thoughts and ideas freely without judgment or criticism. Some brainstorming techniques include structured brainstorming, rapid ideation, and brainwriting. Brainstorming assists in identifying causes and possible solutions to a problem or challenge.

Root Cause Analysis

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a problem-solving technique that proactively identifies the root cause(s) rather than just treating the symptoms of the problem. RCA focuses on identifying the most basic reason(s) that leads to a problem, suggesting a solution to the cause(s), and preventing the issue from happening again. RCA is an iterative process that involves systematically defining and analyzing the problem to identify the root cause.

SWOT Analysis

SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis is used to evaluate an organization’s or individual’s internal and external environment. It considers the strengths and weaknesses of the organization or individual, and the opportunities and threats presented by the external environment. The output of a SWOT analysis fit into two categories – internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external (opportunities and threats). It is usually used in creating strategic planning and decision-making.

Fishbone Diagram

Fishbone diagrams, also known as cause-and-effect diagrams, are problem-solving tools used to identify the causes of a specific problem or issue. It is based on the idea that every effect has a cause, and that most problems have multiple causes. The causes are categorized into different aspects or categories such as people, process, environment, or equipment to identify which causes need to be addressed first.

Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA)

FMEA predicts and identifies potential defects or failures before they occur. It provides an essential, structured approach to prioritize possible causes that may cause a defect or failure. FMEA techniques are proactive, assisting the organization or individual to take preventive actions, prioritize potential risks, and mitigate or eliminate the causes of failure.

Pareto Analysis

Pareto Analysis is a statistical problem-solving tool that prioritizes problems or causes based on their severity or impact to the organization or individual. It is also called the 80/20 rule, where 80% of an effect comes from the 20% of the causes. The Pareto chart represents the data, and the focus area of the problem.

Skills Required for Effective Problem Solving

Problem solving is an essential skill that most employers look for in their employees. Effective problem solvers not only overcome challenges, but they also identify new opportunities to keep businesses competitive. Over time, problem solving has been recognized as an incredibly complex activity that requires a diverse range of skills to be effective. This section of the article will focus on six vital key skills for effective problem solving. They are as follows:

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is a mental process that is aimed at evaluating information systematically to reach a sound, logical conclusion. When it comes to problem-solving, critical thinking enables us to identify, assess, and analyze the situation’s underlying causes to determine the appropriate course of action. Without critical thinking, decisions are made without thorough consideration of the potential outcomes. Therefore, it is imperative to develop critical thinking skills to become a great problem solver.

Analytical Skills

Analytical skills involve the ability to scrutinize data and information, break them down into small parts, find patterns, and draw logical conclusions. Effective problem solvers must be able to use analytical skills to evaluate different solutions and determine which one is the most appropriate. This skill requires attention to detail, patience, and an analytical mindset to examine the different parts of a problem and determine their relevance.

Creativity and Innovation

Being creative and innovative means that you can think outside the box and come up with non-traditional solutions to complex issues. Effective problem solvers know how to be both creative and innovative, which is essential when situations call for out-of-the-box solutions. Without this skill, problem solvers would always rely on the same tried-and-tested solutions that may not be applicable in all situations.

Decision-Making Skills

Effective problem solving comes with decision making skills. This skill refers to the ability to analyze situations, weigh the pros and cons of different alternatives, and choose the best course of action. A good decision-maker can identify risks and consequences before making a final decision. The decision-making process can be complex, and it helps to have a logical and straightforward approach.

Communication and Collaboration Skills

Communication and collaboration skills are vital to effective problem solving. This skill set involves providing feedback, sharing expertise, and building consensus with team members. Good communication skills can help to prevent misunderstandings and mistakes while improving productivity. Collaboration skills enable you to work effectively as a team to solve complex issues and achieve the desired results.

Persistence and Resilience

Effective problem-solving requires persistence and resilience to overcome challenging obstacles. Persistence involves to continue working to solve a problem despite setbacks and failures, while resilience brings the ability to bounce back from a difficult situation. Effective problem solvers understand that successful problem-solving requires overcoming hurdles and setbacks to achieve your desired outcome.

Effective problem solving demands a diverse range of skills that can be developed and refined over time.

Examples of Problem Solving in Different Environments

As problem solving is an essential skill, it is crucial to understand how it applies in different environments. Here are some examples of problem solving in different areas:

Problem Solving in the Workplace

In the workplace, problem solving is essential in various scenarios. It could be a technical issue that needs fixing, disagreements among team members, or a more significant issue such as losing clients. Problem solving in the workplace requires collaboration and communication among team members to find a solution that benefits everyone.

One example of a successful problem-solving process in the workplace could be applying the “5 Whys” technique. After identifying a problem, teams would ask why it happened five times until its root cause is identified. With this process, it would be easier to find the right solution preventing the problem from happening again.

Problem Solving in Education

Problem-solving skills are vital in education, as students and teachers face numerous issues daily. It could be a student struggling with a particular subject or a teacher struggling to make their class engaging. To address this, it is crucial to identify the real issue and find the right approach to solve it.

For instance, if a student is struggling with a particular subject, a teacher could assess the student’s learning style and adjust their teaching method accordingly. By doing so, the teacher could help the student improve their understanding of the subject, which could result in better grades.

Problem Solving in Personal Life

We all face issues in our personal life, and problem-solving skills could help us overcome them. For instance, if you have trouble managing your finances, you could identify the issue by listing all your expenses and income sources. After identifying where the issue lies, you could create a budget to manage your finances better.

Another example could be when you have trouble sleeping. You could find the cause of your sleep disturbances and find an appropriate solution. It could be turning off electronic devices an hour before bedtime or changing your bedroom’s temperature to improve your sleep.

Problem Solving in Leadership

As a leader, problem-solving skills are crucial to ensure the success of the team or organization. Leaders face various issues such as employee engagement, low productivity, and conflicts among team members. Effective leaders use problem-solving skills to find the root cause of the problem and develop a plan to address it.

One example of an effective problem-solving process for leaders could be using the “SWOT Analysis” technique. By identifying the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, leaders could develop a strategic plan to improve the organization’s overall performance.

Problem-solving skills are a valuable asset in various aspects of life. By understanding how to apply problem-solving skills in different environments, it would be easier to find the right solution that benefits everyone involved.

Ways to Enhance Problem-Solving Skills

As a professional, problem-solving skills are essential for success. As such, it is important for individuals to continually improve these skills. There are several ways to enhance problem-solving skills, and some of the best examples and advice are discussed below.

Practice Effective Communication

Effective communication is essential in problem-solving. Clear communication allows individuals to understand the problems at hand, brainstorm solutions, and communicate potential solutions to colleagues, stakeholders, and clients. Communication skills can be improved through practice, engaging in active listening, and avoiding misunderstandings.

Prepare a Plan and Prioritize Tasks

Preparing a plan and prioritizing tasks enables individuals to systematically tackle and solve problems. Planning involves breaking a problem down into smaller, more manageable parts and identifying the steps necessary to solve each part. Additionally, prioritizing tasks helps individuals determine which problems require immediate attention and which can wait.

Think Outside the Box

Thinking outside the box allows individuals to come up with creative solutions to complex problems. Ideas that are considered outside the norm may lead to innovative solutions that have not been considered by others. To think outside the box, individuals should challenge assumptions, examine the problem from different perspectives, and brainstorm unconventional solutions.

Seek Out Feedback and Learn from Failure

Seeking feedback from colleagues, stakeholders, and clients can provide individuals with new insights and perspectives on a problem. Additionally, seeking feedback can help individuals identify areas of improvement and potential solutions to problems. Failure is also an opportunity for growth and learning. Individuals should analyze failures to understand what went wrong and how to avoid similar problems in the future.

Continually Learn and Expand Knowledge

Continuing to learn and expand knowledge is essential for problem-solving. Individuals should stay up-to-date with the latest industry news, take courses or attend workshops, and read books on the subject of problem-solving. This continuous learning process can help individuals identify new solutions and approaches to problems.

Problem-solving skills are essential for success in any profession. By practicing effective communication, preparing plans and prioritizing tasks, thinking outside the box, seeking out feedback, and continually learning and expanding knowledge, individuals can enhance their problem-solving skills and become more effective professionals.

Overcoming Obstacles to Effective Problem Solving

When it comes to problem solving, it’s not always smooth sailing. Obstacles and roadblocks can arise when trying to tackle a particular issue, and these obstacles can make it challenging to reach a successful resolution. In this section, we will discuss some common obstacles to effective problem solving and some strategies to overcome them.

Resistance to Change

One of the most significant barriers to effective problem solving is resistance to change. Some people are naturally resistant to change, and it takes a lot of persuasion to get them to embrace a new solution. If you encounter resistance to change when working on a problem, it’s essential to help stakeholders see the value of the proposed solution.

One strategy to address resistance to change is to involve those who are resistant in the decision-making process. By including them in the process, they may feel more ownership over the problem and be more open to the changes proposed. Another approach is to provide clear communication on the reasons for the change and the benefits it will bring. By demonstrating that the change is necessary for future success, you can help eliminate resistance.

Fear of Failure

Another obstacle to effective problem solving is a fear of failure. When people are afraid of failure, they may avoid taking risks or trying new ideas, which can prevent progress. To overcome fear of failure, it’s crucial to create a safe and supportive environment for experimentation and risk-taking.

One approach is to encourage people to see failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. By reframing failure as a necessary step towards success, you can help people embrace it as an inevitability in problem-solving. Another strategy is to break problems down into smaller, more manageable pieces. By tackling smaller components of the problem, you can build momentum towards a successful outcome that alleviates fears and shows progress.

Lack of Resources

A lack of resources can also hinder effective problem solving. Limited time, budget, or personnel can create significant barriers when trying to solve a problem. To overcome these obstacles, it’s essential to identify alternative resources that can be utilized.

One strategy is to consider all available resources, even those that may not seem immediately relevant. Brainstorming sessions can be helpful in identifying potential resources previously overlooked. Another approach is to consider collaborating with external partners or stakeholders to leverage additional resources. This can expand the available resources and provide a new perspective on problem-solving.

Unclear Goals and Objectives

Finally, unclear goals and objectives can hinder effective problem solving. When people don’t understand what they’re working towards or what success looks like, it can lead to inefficiency and frustration. To address this obstacle, it’s important to establish clear goals and objectives upfront.

One approach is to involve stakeholders in the goal-setting process. By soliciting input and buy-in upfront, you can ensure that everyone understands the desired outcomes and their individual roles in achieving them. Another strategy is to break down larger goals into smaller, more immediate targets.

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8 must-have time management and organizational skills

Effective time management skills help you complete work, improve focus, and make better decisions. This, in turn, will help you organize each day better — to avoid confusion, reduce stress, and give yourself space to be creative and proactive. 

Ultimately, by practicing time management and organizational skills, you can accomplish critical goals and advance in your career.

In this article, we’ll cover eight types of time management and organizational skills, their importance, and five smart tips to help you improve your skills. 

As a bonus, we’ll highlight some essential resume-worthy time management and organizational skills you can pick up today.

This Article Contains:

(Use the links to jump to a specific section)

8 types of time management and organizational skills

Why are time management and organizational skills important, 5 smart tips to improve time management and organizational skills, 10 resume-worthy time management and organizational skills.

Let’s get started.

Here’s a detailed look at eight types of time management and organizational skills:

1. Organizing

Whether it’s an up-to-date calendar, saving documents with a proper name, or having a tidy workspace, organizing can help maintain a clear picture of what you need to complete and when. 

Here are two ways to organize things:

A. Mental organization

Mental organizational skills allow you to research, analyze situations, and think strategically. You can use your analytical skills to adopt a systematic approach to problem-solving.

Some essential mental organizational skills include attention to detail, decision-making, creative thinking, and more.

B. Physical organization

While most work happens virtually today, doing something as small as organizing your work desk can help you avoid distractions and improve focus. 

Filing, office management, record keeping are some examples of physical organizational skills.

2. Prioritization

Prioritization helps you complete the most important task in an order that can help you be productive and efficient. 

When assigning priority to your tasks, you can consider factors like:

• When each task needs to be done.
• How long it might take to complete.
• How crucial it might be to others in the organization.
• What could happen if the task is not done.
• Whether any other task might be interrupted in the process.

3. Goal-setting

Goal setting allows you to clearly understand your end goal and what exactly you need to do to accomplish it. 

Once you have a clear goal in your mind, you can work towards it with complete focus. You can also identify the important tasks required to accomplish the goal and avoid wasting time on unimportant ones.

4. Communication and collaboration

Strong communication skills let you make your plans and goals clear to your coworkers. This allows them to see the bigger picture and understand how their efforts affect the end goal. 

Communicating clearly also helps you delegate your tasks, which lets you focus on completing the most important task first.

Additionally, your success may depend on your ability to collaborate with others. Being open to new ideas, feedback, and advice is just as crucial for successful collaboration as meeting targets.

5. Task management

Creating task lists is a great way to note down everything you need and avoid forgetting anything important. They are also a great way to avoid spending all day thinking about what you need to do next. 

Moreover, you can use project management tools to keep track of your tasks and projects and monitor how they’re progressing.

6. Workload management

Working long hours or skipping breaks can sometimes improve productivity in the short term. But once your exhaustion catches up, your overall productivity drops. 

Knowing and enforcing an optimum workload for yourself and your team ensures consistency in performance and avoids employee burnout .

7. Delegation

Some people resist delegating because they want to maintain control or due to monetary constraints. Either way, both approaches can ultimately lower productivity and raise costs.

Delegation allows more work to be completed faster. Through delegation, you can identify what you can do and delegate the rest. After all, it’s better to succeed at a few tasks than to attempt and fail at many.

8. Stress management

Keeping stress levels in check is a huge part of time management. 

Compounding stress can lead to long-term mental health issues that can further lead to bad time management . 

Here are a few ways to manage stress:

• Include small breaks throughout your day.
• Reward yourself as you accomplish tasks.
• Do some physical activities like running or swimming.
• Get out in the sunlight.
• Try relaxation techniques like meditation and deep breathing.

Let’s take a look at the benefits of practicing time management and organizational skills:

1. Helps save time

Effective time management improves your ability to focus. You will be able to complete your task list in less time and have more hours to relax – creating an excellent work-life balance.

Moreover, good organizational skills can help you avoid searching through piles of paperwork or an unnamed folder on your computer to find important documents. This can save time — which you can spend on more important tasks.

2. Improves efficiency

Any time management skill teaches you to take control of your own time. 

You also learn to focus better on your tasks and complete them in less time, resulting in enhanced efficiency.

Additionally, proper organization skills ensure that you have all the necessary information and resources to complete the task. This lets you avoid last-minute scrambling and instead focus on quality. 

Consequently, avoiding these last-minute tasks not only helps deliver work on time but significantly increases your productivity and decreases your stress level. 

3. Greater reliability and less stress

Working in an organized workplace can make you feel focused and stress-free. 

You won’t be running around looking for information, sorting through unorganized paperwork, or dealing with the consequences of someone else’s poor time management abilities. 

Conversely, when you manage your time well, your team members are likely to develop a sense of reliability. They know that you do your work diligently, don’t give in to procrastination, and hence they can trust you.

4. Better work quality

With good time management skills, you can quickly prioritize your work and allow enough time to tasks based on their complexity. 

As a result, you’re able to focus on that specific task and deliver work with fewer errors. Moreover, if it’s a challenging task, you’ll have enough time in hand to resolve it and provide results of the expected quality.

5. Leaves a good impression

Whether it’s a company’s decision-makers or an employee, their values and work ethic directly influence company culture and profitability. 

When an individual learns to manage time, they’ll be able to complete their own work and meet project deadlines – quickly achieving their daily goals. 

This way, they leave a good impression on their seniors and colleagues and set an example for them to follow.

To help you get the most out of time management and organization, let’s look at some sure-fire tips to hone your skills. 

Here are five simple tips to improve your time management and organizational skills:

1. Prioritize your tasks

Making to-do lists can help you physically prioritize your tasks. You can also understand the upcoming due dates or how the task affects others to get certain things done first.

But you can also use various time management techniques and strategies to prioritize your tasks. Here are three simple methods:

A. Urgent Vs. important

Urgent tasks require your immediate attention. 

However, just because a task is urgent doesn’t necessarily mean it’s important.

Completing urgent tasks of little significance can cost you a lot of time. That’s why you should also figure out the importance of your urgent tasks.

How do you do that?

You can use the Eisenhower matrix given below to keep your tasks organized:

This simple matrix can help you visualize your tasks. You can then consider the long-term outcome of these tasks and focus on those that will make you not only productive but efficient.

B. The ABC method

The ABC Method involves assigning a priority status of A, B, or C to each of the items on your task list. 

• A Status Items (Must Do) : This consists of high-priority tasks or those that have urgent deadlines. 
• B Status Items (Should Do) : This consists of tasks that can be quite important over time.
• C Status Items (Nice to Do) : This consists of low-priority tasks that can have few negative consequences if left incomplete at the moment.

C. Getting things done

Consider the following while making your task list:

• What can I do where I am?: Sometimes, we have unexpected pockets of time. Think about where you are, what you can do, and how to use it to benefit. 
• How much time do I have?: Be realistic about what can be done in the time you have available.
• How much energy and focus do I have?: What can you realistically take on right now?
• What has the highest payoff for me if I do it?: Another way to assess importance, weight, or priorities.

2. Follow a schedule

When you know what you need to do, you can quickly complete those tasks.

You can use the first 30 minutes of your day to create a to-do list that aligns with your weekly plans.

However, remember to be flexible with your plans and account for unexpected tasks.

You can then revisit your task list at the end of the day to see which task or activity took longer to complete and identify any issues you might be facing at work.

Additionally, you consider blocking off specific brackets of time on your schedule, so you are guaranteed to have time in your schedule without distraction or meetings. 

3. Set short and long-term goals

Goal-setting can help you clearly understand what you want to achieve. 

To achieve a long-term goal, you need to identify smaller tasks and set goals along the way. 

For example, if you’ve set a long-term goal to take on more job responsibility, you need to set smaller goals like improving certain skills. 

However, more importantly, you should set SMART goals , i.e., your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based. These parameters will help you set realistic goals and avoid demotivating situations that can arise due to unmet targets.

4. Use appropriate tools

Sure, all these tips can help you with time management and organization, but you need the right tools and apps to help you follow them. 

Here are three types of tools to help you make the most of your skills:

A. Online calendars

Online calendars are an excellent tool for time management. 

• Manage your project schedule. 
• Create time blocks.
• Mark important dates and events.
• Set up reminders, etc.

You can pick online calendars like Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, Apple Calendar, etc. 

B. Project management tools

Whether you’re a project manager or an employee, project management tools are a must to track work progress. 

A project management tool can help you:

• Track project progress in real-time.
• Keep your workflow organized.
• Perform workload distribution for optimal time management.

You can use tools like Trello , Basecamp , Asana , and more.

C. Time management tool

A time management tool can help you record your work hours, get auto-generated timesheets, and have measurable data to maximize productivity. 

• See the start and end times of each task.
• Get direct reports on productivity broken down by day, week, or month.
• Determine the total amount of time spent on projects and tasks.
• View the top projects and tasks based on hours worked.

Time Doctor is one such time tracking and employee productivity management tool. It’s used by SMBs like Thrive Market and large companies like RE/MAX to boost productivity.

Time Doctor tracks all workday activities, giving you real-time, actionable insights to improve your time management and productivity. 

Explore all the useful features this tool provides .

5. Set a time limit

While creating your schedule, you should also set time limits for each task. 

This can help:

• Improve focus and efficiency.
• Identify the tasks that take a lot of time or more than expected.
• Analyze your workflow and eliminate time wasters, like unscheduled breaks.
• Avoid any last-minute rush, ensuring you complete tasks on time.

Leverage these time management skills to boost your profile. Learn how you can do this in the next section. 

An individual with excellent time management skills can adapt to new problems and readjust as needed to complete a task. 

And traits like planning, scheduling, strategy, delegation, and adaptability make an employee dependable, and employers look out for that.

Here are some time management and organizational skills you can put on your resume:

• Creating and keeping deadlines.
• Delegation.
• Goal setting.
• Decision making.
• Managing appointments.
• Team management.
• Project management.
• Team leadership.
• Strategic thinking and implementation.
• Conflict resolution.

Wrapping up

Good time management and organization is an essential soft skill. It ensures timely delivery of quality work, preventing stress and work conflicts.

You can check out the tips mentioned here and implement them to hone your skills.

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What Are Problem-Solving Skills? (Definition, Examples, And How To List On A Resume)

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Find a Job You Really Want In

Summary. Problem-solving skills include analysis, creativity, prioritization, organization, and troubleshooting. To solve a problem, you need to use a variety of skills based on the needs of the situation. Most jobs essentially boil down to identifying and solving problems consistently and effectively. That’s why employers value problem-solving skills in job candidates for just about every role. We’ll cover problem-solving methods, ways to improve your problem-solving skills, and examples of showcasing your problem-solving skills during your job search . Key Takeaways: If you can show off your problem-solving skills on your resume , in your cover letter , and during a job interview, you’ll be one step closer to landing a job. Companies rely on employees who can handle unexpected challenges, identify persistent issues, and offer workable solutions in a positive way. It is important to improve problem solving skill because this is a skill that can be cultivated and nurtured so you can become better at dealing with problems over time. In This Article    Skip to section What Are Problem Solving Skills? Types of Problem-Solving Skills How to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills Example Answers to Problem-Solving Interview Questions How to Show Off Problem-Solving Skills on a Resume Example Resume and Cover Letter With Problem-Solving Skills More About Problem-Solving Skills Problem Solving Skills FAQs References Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs Show More What Are Problem Solving Skills?

Problem-solving skills are skills that help you identify and solve problems effectively and efficiently . Your ability to solve problems is one of the main ways that hiring managers and recruiters assess candidates, as those with excellent problem-solving skills are more likely to autonomously carry out their responsibilities.

A true problem solver can look at a situation, find the cause of the problem (or causes, because there are often many issues at play), and then come up with a reasonable solution that effectively fixes the problem or at least remedies most of it.

The ability to solve problems is considered a soft skill , meaning that it’s more of a personality trait than a skill you’ve learned at school, on the job, or through technical training.

That being said, your proficiency with various hard skills will have a direct bearing on your ability to solve problems. For example, it doesn’t matter if you’re a great problem-solver; if you have no experience with astrophysics, you probably won’t be hired as a space station technician .

Types of Problem-Solving Skills

Problem-solving is considered a skill on its own, but it’s supported by many other skills that can help you be a better problem solver. These skills fall into a few different categories of problem-solving skills.

Problem recognition and analysis. The first step is to recognize that there is a problem and discover what it is or what the root cause of it is.

You can’t begin to solve a problem unless you’re aware of it. Sometimes you’ll see the problem yourself and other times you’ll be told about the problem. Both methods of discovery are very important, but they can require some different skills. The following can be an important part of the process:

Active listening

Data analysis

Historical analysis

Communication

Create possible solutions. You know what the problem is, and you might even know the why of it, but then what? Your next step is the come up with some solutions.

Most of the time, the first solution you come up with won’t be the right one. Don’t fall victim to knee-jerk reactions; try some of the following methods to give you solution options.

Brainstorming

Forecasting

Decision-making

Topic knowledge/understanding

Process flow

Evaluation of solution options. Now that you have a lot of solution options, it’s time to weed through them and start casting some aside. There might be some ridiculous ones, bad ones, and ones you know could never be implemented. Throw them away and focus on the potentially winning ideas.

This step is probably the one where a true, natural problem solver will shine. They intuitively can put together mental scenarios and try out solutions to see their plusses and minuses. If you’re still working on your skill set — try listing the pros and cons on a sheet of paper.

Prioritizing

Evaluating and weighing

Solution implementation. This is your “take action” step. Once you’ve decided which way to go, it’s time to head down that path and see if you were right. This step takes a lot of people and management skills to make it work for you.

Dependability

Teambuilding

Troubleshooting

Follow-Through

Believability

Trustworthiness

Project management

Evaluation of the solution. Was it a good solution? Did your plan work or did it fail miserably? Sometimes the evaluation step takes a lot of work and review to accurately determine effectiveness. The following skills might be essential for a thorough evaluation.

Customer service

Feedback responses

Flexibility

How to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills

You now have a ton of skills in front of you. Some of them you have naturally and some — not so much. If you want to solve a problem, and you want to be known for doing that well and consistently, then it’s time to sharpen those skills.

Develop industry knowledge. Whether it’s broad-based industry knowledge, on-the-job training , or very specific knowledge about a small sector — knowing all that you can and feeling very confident in your knowledge goes a long way to learning how to solve problems.

Be a part of a solution. Step up and become involved in the problem-solving process. Don’t lead — but follow. Watch an expert solve the problem and, if you pay attention, you’ll learn how to solve a problem, too. Pay attention to the steps and the skills that a person uses.

Practice solving problems. Do some role-playing with a mentor , a professor , co-workers, other students — just start throwing problems out there and coming up with solutions and then detail how those solutions may play out.

Go a step further, find some real-world problems and create your solutions, then find out what they did to solve the problem in actuality.

Identify your weaknesses. If you could easily point out a few of your weaknesses in the list of skills above, then those are the areas you need to focus on improving. How you do it is incredibly varied, so find a method that works for you.

Solve some problems — for real. If the opportunity arises, step in and use your problem-solving skills. You’ll never really know how good (or bad) you are at it until you fail.

That’s right, failing will teach you so much more than succeeding will. You’ll learn how to go back and readdress the problem, find out where you went wrong, learn more from listening even better. Failure will be your best teacher ; it might not make you feel good, but it’ll make you a better problem-solver in the long run.

Example Answers to Problem-Solving Interview Questions

Once you’ve impressed a hiring manager with top-notch problem-solving skills on your resume and cover letter , you’ll need to continue selling yourself as a problem-solver in the job interview.

There are three main ways that employers can assess your problem-solving skills during an interview:

By asking questions that relate to your past experiences solving problems

Posing hypothetical problems for you to solve

By administering problem-solving tests and exercises

The third method varies wildly depending on what job you’re applying for, so we won’t attempt to cover all the possible problem-solving tests and exercises that may be a part of your application process.

Luckily, interview questions focused on problem-solving are pretty well-known, and most can be answered using the STAR method . STAR stands for situation, task, action, result, and it’s a great way to organize your answers to behavioral interview questions .

Let’s take a look at how to answer some common interview questions built to assess your problem-solving capabilities:

At my current job as an operations analyst at XYZ Inc., my boss set a quarterly goal to cut contractor spending by 25% while maintaining the same level of production and moving more processes in-house. It turned out that achieving this goal required hiring an additional 6 full-time employees, which got stalled due to the pandemic. I suggested that we widen our net and hire remote employees after our initial applicant pool had no solid candidates. I ran the analysis on overhead costs and found that if even 4 of the 6 employees were remote, we’d save 16% annually compared to the contractors’ rates. In the end, all 6 employees we hired were fully remote, and we cut costs by 26% while production rose by a modest amount.

I try to step back and gather research as my first step. For instance, I had a client who needed a graphic designer to work with Crello, which I had never seen before, let alone used. After getting the project details straight, I began meticulously studying the program the YouTube tutorials, and the quick course Crello provides. I also reached out to coworkers who had worked on projects for this same client in the past. Once I felt comfortable with the software, I started work immediately. It was a slower process because I had to be more methodical in my approach, but by putting in some extra hours, I turned in the project ahead of schedule. The client was thrilled with my work and was shocked to hear me joke afterward that it was my first time using Crello.

As a digital marketer , website traffic and conversion rates are my ultimate metrics. However, I also track less visible metrics that can illuminate the story behind the results. For instance, using Google Analytics, I found that 78% of our referral traffic was coming from one affiliate, but that these referrals were only accounting for 5% of our conversions. Another affiliate, who only accounted for about 10% of our referral traffic, was responsible for upwards of 30% of our conversions. I investigated further and found that the second, more effective affiliate was essentially qualifying our leads for us before sending them our way, which made it easier for us to close. I figured out exactly how they were sending us better customers, and reached out to the first, more prolific but less effective affiliate with my understanding of the results. They were able to change their pages that were referring us traffic, and our conversions from that source tripled in just a month. It showed me the importance of digging below the “big picture” metrics to see the mechanics of how revenue was really being generated through digital marketing.

How to Show Off Problem-Solving Skills on a Resume

You can bring up your problem-solving skills in your resume summary statement , in your work experience , and under your education section , if you’re a recent graduate. The key is to include items on your resume that speak direclty to your ability to solve problems and generate results.

If you can, quantify your problem-solving accomplishments on your your resume . Hiring managers and recruiters are always more impressed with results that include numbers because they provide much-needed context.

This sample resume for a Customer Service Representative will give you an idea of how you can work problem solving into your resume.

Example Resume and Cover Letter With Problem-Solving Skills

Michelle Beattle 111 Millennial Parkway Chicago, IL 60007 (555) 987-6543 [email protected] Professional Summary Qualified Customer Services Representative with 3 years in a high-pressure customer service environment. Professional, personable, and a true problem solver. Work History ABC Store — Customer Service Representative 01/2015 — 12/2017 Managed in-person and phone relations with customers coming in to pick up purchases, return purchased products, helped find and order items not on store shelves, and explained details and care of merchandise. Became a key player in the customer service department and was promoted to team lead. XYZ Store — Customer Service Representative/Night Manager 01/2018 — 03/2020, released due to Covid-19 layoffs Worked as the night manager of the customer service department and filled in daytime hours when needed. Streamlined a process of moving customers to the right department through an app to ease the burden on the phone lines and reduce customer wait time by 50%. Was working on additional wait time problems when the Covid-19 pandemic caused our stores to close permanently. Education Chicago Tech 2014-2016 Earned an Associate’s Degree in Principles of Customer Care Skills Strong customer service skills Excellent customer complaint resolution Stock record management Order fulfillment New product information Cash register skills and proficiency Leader in problem solving initiatives

You can see how the resume gives you a chance to point out your problem-solving skills and to show where you used them a few times. Your cover letter is your chance to introduce yourself and list a few things that make you stand out from the crowd.

Michelle Beattle 111 Millennial Parkway Chicago, IL 60007 (555) 987-6543 [email protected] Dear Mary McDonald, I am writing in response to your ad on Zippia for a Customer Service Representative . Thank you for taking the time to consider me for this position. Many people believe that a job in customer service is simply listening to people complain all day. I see the job as much more than that. It’s an opportunity to help people solve problems, make their experience with your company more enjoyable, and turn them into life-long advocates of your brand. Through my years of experience and my educational background at Chicago Tech, where I earned an Associate’s Degree in the Principles of Customer Care, I have learned that the customers are the lifeline of the business and without good customer service representatives, a business will falter. I see it as my mission to make each and every customer I come in contact with a fan. I have more than five years of experience in the Customer Services industry and had advanced my role at my last job to Night Manager. I am eager to again prove myself as a hard worker, a dedicated people person, and a problem solver that can be relied upon. I have built a professional reputation as an employee that respects all other employees and customers, as a manager who gets the job done and finds solutions when necessary, and a worker who dives in to learn all she can about the business. Most of my customers have been very satisfied with my resolution ideas and have returned to do business with us again. I believe my expertise would make me a great match for LMNO Store. I have enclosed my resume for your review, and I would appreciate having the opportunity to meet with you to further discuss my qualifications. Thank you again for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Michelle Beattle

More About Problem-Solving Skills

You’ve no doubt noticed that many of the skills listed in the problem-solving process are repeated. This is because having these abilities or talents is so important to the entire course of getting a problem solved.

In fact, they’re worthy of a little more attention. Many of them are similar, so we’ll pull them together and discuss how they’re important and how they work together.

Communication, active listening, and customer service skills. No matter where you are in the process of problem-solving, you need to be able to show that you’re listening and engaged and really hearing what the problem is or what a solution may be.

Obviously, the other part of this is being able to communicate effectively so people understand what you’re saying without confusion. Rolled into this are customer service skills , which really are all about listening and responding appropriately — it’s the ultimate in interpersonal communications.

Analysis (data and historical), research, and topic knowledge/understanding. This is how you intellectually grasp the issue and approach it. This can come from studying the topic and the process or it can come from knowledge you’ve gained after years in the business. But the best solutions come from people who thoroughly understand the problem.

Creativity, brainstorming, troubleshooting, and flexibility. All of you creative thinkers will like this area because it’s when your brain is at its best.

Coming up with ideas, collaborating with others, leaping over hurdles, and then being able to change courses immediately, if need be, are all essential. If you’re not creative by nature, then having a team of diverse thinkers can help you in this area.

Dependability, believability, trustworthiness, and follow-through. Think about it, these are all traits a person needs to have to make change happen and to make you comfortable taking that next step with them. Someone who is shifty and shady and never follows through, well, you’re simply not going to do what they ask, are you?

Leadership, teambuilding, decision-making, and project management. These are the skills that someone who is in charge is brimming with. These are the leaders you enjoy working for because you know they’re doing what they can to keep everything in working order. These skills can be learned but they’re often innate.

Prioritizing, prediction, forecasting, evaluating and weighing, and process flow. If you love flow charts, data analysis, prediction modeling, and all of that part of the equation, then you might have some great problem-solving abilities.

These are all great skills because they can help you weed out bad ideas, see flaws, and save massive amounts of time in trial and error.

Problem Solving Skills FAQs

What is a good example of problem-solving skills?

Good examples of porblem-solving skills include research, analysis, creativity, communciation, and decision-making. Each of these skills build off one another to contribute to the problem solving process. Research and analysis allow you to identify a problem.

Creativity and analysis help you consider different solutions. Meanwhile, communication and decision-making are key to working with others to solve a problem on a large scale.

What are 3 key attributes of a good problem solver?

3 key attributes of a good problem solver are persistence, intellegince, and empathy. Persistence is crucial to remain motivated to work through challenges. Inellegince is needed to make smart, informed choices. Empathy is crucial to maintain positive relationships with others as well as yourself.

What can I say instead of problem-solving skills?

Instead of saying problem-solving skills, you can say the following:

Critical thinker

Solutions-oriented

Engineering

Using different words is helpful, especially when writing your resume and cover letter.

What is problem-solving in the workplace?

Problem-solving in the workplace is the ability to work through any sort of challenge, conflict, or unexpected situation and still achieve business goals. Though it varies by profession, roblem-solving in the workplace is very important for almost any job, because probelms are inevitable. You need to have the appropriate level of problem-solving skills if you want to succeed in your career, whatever it may be.

Department of Labor – Problem Solving and Critical Thinking

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Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.

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26 Expert-Backed Problem Solving Examples – Interview Answers

Published: February 13, 2023

Interview Questions and Answers

Actionable advice from real experts:

Biron Clark

Former Recruiter

Contributor

Dr. Kyle Elliott

Career Coach

Hayley Jukes

Editor-in-Chief

Biron Clark , Former Recruiter

Kyle Elliott , Career Coach

Hayley Jukes , Editor

As a recruiter , I know employers like to hire people who can solve problems and work well under pressure.

 A job rarely goes 100% according to plan, so hiring managers are more likely to hire you if you seem like you can handle unexpected challenges while staying calm and logical.

But how do they measure this?

Hiring managers will ask you interview questions about your problem-solving skills, and they might also look for examples of problem-solving on your resume and cover letter. 

In this article, I’m going to share a list of problem-solving examples and sample interview answers to questions like, “Give an example of a time you used logic to solve a problem?” and “Describe a time when you had to solve a problem without managerial input. How did you handle it, and what was the result?”

• Problem-solving involves identifying, prioritizing, analyzing, and solving problems using a variety of skills like critical thinking, creativity, decision making, and communication.
• Describe the Situation, Task, Action, and Result ( STAR method ) when discussing your problem-solving experiences.
• Tailor your interview answer with the specific skills and qualifications outlined in the job description.
• Provide numerical data or metrics to demonstrate the tangible impact of your problem-solving efforts.

What are Problem Solving Skills? 

Problem-solving is the ability to identify a problem, prioritize based on gravity and urgency, analyze the root cause, gather relevant information, develop and evaluate viable solutions, decide on the most effective and logical solution, and plan and execute implementation. 

Problem-solving encompasses other skills that can be showcased in an interview response and your resume. Problem-solving skills examples include:

• Critical thinking
• Analytical skills
• Decision making
• Research skills
• Technical skills
• Communication skills
• Adaptability and flexibility

Why is Problem Solving Important in the Workplace?

Problem-solving is essential in the workplace because it directly impacts productivity and efficiency. Whenever you encounter a problem, tackling it head-on prevents minor issues from escalating into bigger ones that could disrupt the entire workflow. 

Beyond maintaining smooth operations, your ability to solve problems fosters innovation. It encourages you to think creatively, finding better ways to achieve goals, which keeps the business competitive and pushes the boundaries of what you can achieve. 

Effective problem-solving also contributes to a healthier work environment; it reduces stress by providing clear strategies for overcoming obstacles and builds confidence within teams. 

Examples of Problem-Solving in the Workplace

• Correcting a mistake at work, whether it was made by you or someone else
• Overcoming a delay at work through problem solving and communication
• Resolving an issue with a difficult or upset customer
• Overcoming issues related to a limited budget, and still delivering good work through the use of creative problem solving
• Overcoming a scheduling/staffing shortage in the department to still deliver excellent work
• Troubleshooting and resolving technical issues
• Handling and resolving a conflict with a coworker
• Solving any problems related to money, customer billing, accounting and bookkeeping, etc.
• Taking initiative when another team member overlooked or missed something important
• Taking initiative to meet with your superior to discuss a problem before it became potentially worse
• Solving a safety issue at work or reporting the issue to those who could solve it
• Using problem solving abilities to reduce/eliminate a company expense
• Finding a way to make the company more profitable through new service or product offerings, new pricing ideas, promotion and sale ideas, etc.
• Changing how a process, team, or task is organized to make it more efficient
• Using creative thinking to come up with a solution that the company hasn’t used before
• Performing research to collect data and information to find a new solution to a problem
• Boosting a company or team’s performance by improving some aspect of communication among employees
• Finding a new piece of data that can guide a company’s decisions or strategy better in a certain area

Problem-Solving Examples for Recent Grads/Entry-Level Job Seekers

• Coordinating work between team members in a class project
• Reassigning a missing team member’s work to other group members in a class project
• Adjusting your workflow on a project to accommodate a tight deadline
• Speaking to your professor to get help when you were struggling or unsure about a project
• Asking classmates, peers, or professors for help in an area of struggle
• Talking to your academic advisor to brainstorm solutions to a problem you were facing
• Researching solutions to an academic problem online, via Google or other methods
• Using problem solving and creative thinking to obtain an internship or other work opportunity during school after struggling at first

How To Answer “Tell Us About a Problem You Solved”

When you answer interview questions about problem-solving scenarios, or if you decide to demonstrate your problem-solving skills in a cover letter (which is a good idea any time the job description mentions problem-solving as a necessary skill), I recommend using the STAR method.

STAR stands for:

It’s a simple way of walking the listener or reader through the story in a way that will make sense to them. 

Start by briefly describing the general situation and the task at hand. After this, describe the course of action you chose and why. Ideally, show that you evaluated all the information you could given the time you had, and made a decision based on logic and fact. Finally, describe the positive result you achieved.

Note: Our sample answers below are structured following the STAR formula. Be sure to check them out!

EXPERT ADVICE

Dr. Kyle Elliott , MPA, CHES Tech & Interview Career Coach caffeinatedkyle.com

How can I communicate complex problem-solving experiences clearly and succinctly?

Before answering any interview question, it’s important to understand why the interviewer is asking the question in the first place.

When it comes to questions about your complex problem-solving experiences, for example, the interviewer likely wants to know about your leadership acumen, collaboration abilities, and communication skills, not the problem itself.

Therefore, your answer should be focused on highlighting how you excelled in each of these areas, not diving into the weeds of the problem itself, which is a common mistake less-experienced interviewees often make.

Tailoring Your Answer Based on the Skills Mentioned in the Job Description

As a recruiter, one of the top tips I can give you when responding to the prompt “Tell us about a problem you solved,” is to tailor your answer to the specific skills and qualifications outlined in the job description. 

Once you’ve pinpointed the skills and key competencies the employer is seeking, craft your response to highlight experiences where you successfully utilized or developed those particular abilities. 

For instance, if the job requires strong leadership skills, focus on a problem-solving scenario where you took charge and effectively guided a team toward resolution. 

By aligning your answer with the desired skills outlined in the job description, you demonstrate your suitability for the role and show the employer that you understand their needs.

Amanda Augustine expands on this by saying:

“Showcase the specific skills you used to solve the problem. Did it require critical thinking, analytical abilities, or strong collaboration? Highlight the relevant skills the employer is seeking.”  

Interview Answers to “Tell Me About a Time You Solved a Problem”

Now, let’s look at some sample interview answers to, “Give me an example of a time you used logic to solve a problem,” or “Tell me about a time you solved a problem,” since you’re likely to hear different versions of this interview question in all sorts of industries.

The example interview responses are structured using the STAR method and are categorized into the top 5 key problem-solving skills recruiters look for in a candidate.

1. Analytical Thinking

Situation: In my previous role as a data analyst , our team encountered a significant drop in website traffic.

Task: I was tasked with identifying the root cause of the decrease.

Action: I conducted a thorough analysis of website metrics, including traffic sources, user demographics, and page performance. Through my analysis, I discovered a technical issue with our website’s loading speed, causing users to bounce. 

Result: By optimizing server response time, compressing images, and minimizing redirects, we saw a 20% increase in traffic within two weeks.

2. Critical Thinking

Situation: During a project deadline crunch, our team encountered a major technical issue that threatened to derail our progress.

Task: My task was to assess the situation and devise a solution quickly.

Action: I immediately convened a meeting with the team to brainstorm potential solutions. Instead of panicking, I encouraged everyone to think outside the box and consider unconventional approaches. We analyzed the problem from different angles and weighed the pros and cons of each solution.

Result: By devising a workaround solution, we were able to meet the project deadline, avoiding potential delays that could have cost the company $100,000 in penalties for missing contractual obligations.

3. Decision Making

Situation: As a project manager , I was faced with a dilemma when two key team members had conflicting opinions on the project direction.

Task: My task was to make a decisive choice that would align with the project goals and maintain team cohesion.

Action: I scheduled a meeting with both team members to understand their perspectives in detail. I listened actively, asked probing questions, and encouraged open dialogue. After carefully weighing the pros and cons of each approach, I made a decision that incorporated elements from both viewpoints.

Result: The decision I made not only resolved the immediate conflict but also led to a stronger sense of collaboration within the team. By valuing input from all team members and making a well-informed decision, we were able to achieve our project objectives efficiently.

4. Communication (Teamwork)

Situation: During a cross-functional project, miscommunication between departments was causing delays and misunderstandings.

Task: My task was to improve communication channels and foster better teamwork among team members.

Action: I initiated regular cross-departmental meetings to ensure that everyone was on the same page regarding project goals and timelines. I also implemented a centralized communication platform where team members could share updates, ask questions, and collaborate more effectively.

Result: Streamlining workflows and improving communication channels led to a 30% reduction in project completion time, saving the company $25,000 in operational costs.

5. Persistence 

Situation: During a challenging sales quarter, I encountered numerous rejections and setbacks while trying to close a major client deal.

Task: My task was to persistently pursue the client and overcome obstacles to secure the deal.

Action: I maintained regular communication with the client, addressing their concerns and demonstrating the value proposition of our product. Despite facing multiple rejections, I remained persistent and resilient, adjusting my approach based on feedback and market dynamics.

Result: After months of perseverance, I successfully closed the deal with the client. By closing the major client deal, I exceeded quarterly sales targets by 25%, resulting in a revenue increase of $250,000 for the company.

Tips to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills

Throughout your career, being able to showcase and effectively communicate your problem-solving skills gives you more leverage in achieving better jobs and earning more money .

So to improve your problem-solving skills, I recommend always analyzing a problem and situation before acting.

 When discussing problem-solving with employers, you never want to sound like you rush or make impulsive decisions. They want to see fact-based or data-based decisions when you solve problems.

Don’t just say you’re good at solving problems. Show it with specifics. How much did you boost efficiency? Did you save the company money? Adding numbers can really make your achievements stand out.

To get better at solving problems, analyze the outcomes of past solutions you came up with. You can recognize what works and what doesn’t.

Think about how you can improve researching and analyzing a situation, how you can get better at communicating, and deciding on the right people in the organization to talk to and “pull in” to help you if needed, etc.

Finally, practice staying calm even in stressful situations. Take a few minutes to walk outside if needed. Step away from your phone and computer to clear your head. A work problem is rarely so urgent that you cannot take five minutes to think (with the possible exception of safety problems), and you’ll get better outcomes if you solve problems by acting logically instead of rushing to react in a panic.

You can use all of the ideas above to describe your problem-solving skills when asked interview questions about the topic. If you say that you do the things above, employers will be impressed when they assess your problem-solving ability.

More Interview Resources

• 3 Answers to “How Do You Handle Stress?”
• How to Answer “How Do You Handle Conflict?” (Interview Question)
• Sample Answers to “Tell Me About a Time You Failed”

About the Author

Biron Clark is a former executive recruiter who has worked individually with hundreds of job seekers, reviewed thousands of resumes and LinkedIn profiles, and recruited for top venture-backed startups and Fortune 500 companies. He has been advising job seekers since 2012 to think differently in their job search and land high-paying, competitive positions. Follow on Twitter and LinkedIn .

Read more articles by Biron Clark

About the Contributor

Kyle Elliott , career coach and mental health advocate, transforms his side hustle into a notable practice, aiding Silicon Valley professionals in maximizing potential. Follow Kyle on LinkedIn .

About the Editor

Hayley Jukes is the Editor-in-Chief at CareerSidekick with five years of experience creating engaging articles, books, and transcripts for diverse platforms and audiences.

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Problem-solving skills and how to improve them (with examples)

What’s life without its challenges? All of us will at some point encounter professional and personal hurdles. That might mean resolving a conflict with coworkers or making a big life decision. With effective problem solving skills, you’ll find tricky situations easier to navigate, and welcome challenges as opportunities to learn, grow and thrive. 

In this guide, we dive into the importance of problem solving skills and look at examples that show how relevant they are to different areas of your life. We cover how to find creative solutions and implement them, as well as ways to refine your skills in communication and critical thinking. Ready to start solving problems? Read on.

What is problem solving? 

Before we cover strategies for improving problem solving skills, it’s important to first have a clear understanding of the problem solving process. Here are the steps in solving a problem:

• Recognise the issue you are facing 
• Take a look at all the information to gain insights
• Come up with solutions
• Look at the pros and cons of each solution and how it might play out
• Plan, organise and implement your solution
• Continuously assess the effectiveness of the solution and make adjustments as needed

Problem solving skills

There’s more to problem solving than coming up with a quick fix. Effective problem solving requires wide range of skills and abilities, such as:

• Critical thinking: the ability to think logically, analyse information and look at situations from different perspectives.
• Creativity: being able to come up with innovative, out-of-the-box solutions.
• Decision-making:  making informed choices by considering all the available information.
• Communication:  being able to express ideas clearly and effectively.
• Analytical skills: breaking down complex problems into smaller parts and examining each one.
• Time management:  allocating time and resources effectively to address problems.
• Adaptability: being open to change and willing to adjust strategies.
• Conflict resolution:  skillfully managing conflicts and finding solutions that work for all.

Examples of problem solving skills

Problem solving skills in the workplace are invaluable, whether you need them for managing a team, dealing with clients or juggling deadlines. To get a better understanding of how you might use these skills in real-life scenarios, here are some problem solving examples that are common in the workplace.

• Analytical thinking

Analytical thinking is something that comes naturally to some, while others have to work a little harder. It involves being able to look at problem solving from a logical perspective, breaking down the issues into manageable parts. 

Example scenarios of analytical thinking

Quality control: in a manufacturing facility, analytical thinking helps identify the causes of product defects in order to pinpoint solutions.

Market research: marketing teams rely on analytical thinking to examine consumer data, identify market trends and make informed decisions on ad campaigns.

• Critical thinking

Critical thinkers are able to approach problems objectively, looking at different viewpoints without rushing to a decision. Critical thinking is an important aspect of problem solving, helping to uncover biases and assumptions and weigh up the quality of the information before making any decisions. 

Example scenarios of critical thinking

• Strategic planning:  in the boardroom, critical thinking is important for assessing economic trends, competitor threats and more. It guides leaders in making informed decisions about long-term company goals and growth strategies.
• Conflict resolution: HR professionals often use critical thinking when dealing with workplace conflicts. They objectively analyse the issues at hand and find an appropriate solution.

Decision-making

Making decisions is often the hardest part of problem solving. How do you know which solution is the right one? It involves evaluating information, considering potential outcomes and choosing the most suitable option. Effective problem solving relies on making well-informed decisions.

Example scenarios of decision-making

• Budget allocation: financial managers must decide how to allocate resources to various projects or departments. 
• Negotiation:  salespeople and procurement professionals negotiate terms, pricing and agreements with clients, suppliers and partners.

Research skills

Research skills are pivotal when it comes to problem solving, to ensure you have all the information you need to make an informed decision. These skills involve searching for relevant data, critically evaluating information sources, and drawing meaningful conclusions. 

Example scenarios of research skills

• Product development: a tech startup uses research skills to conduct market research to identify gaps and opportunities in the market. 
• Employee engagement:  an HR manager uses research skills to conduct employee surveys and focus groups.

A little creative flair goes a long way. By thinking outside the box, you can approach problems from different angles. Creative thinking involves combining existing knowledge, experiences and perspectives in new and innovative ways to come up with inventive solutions. 

Example scenarios of creativity

• Cost reduction: creative problem solvers within a manufacturing company might look at new ways to reduce production costs by using waste materials.
• Customer experience: a retail chain might look at implementing interactive displays and engaging store layouts to increase customer satisfaction and sales.

Collaboration

It’s not always easy to work with other people, but collaboration is a key element in problem solving, allowing you to make use of different perspectives and areas of expertise to find solutions.

Example scenarios

• Healthcare diagnosis: in a hospital setting, medical professionals collaborate to diagnose complex medical cases.
• Project management: project managers coordinate efforts, allocate resources and address issues that may arise during a project's lifecycle.

Conflict Resolution

Being able to mediate conflicts is a great skill to have. It involves facilitating open communication, understanding different perspectives and finding solutions that work for everyone. Conflict resolution is essential for managing any differences in opinion that arise.

Example scenarios of conflict resolution

• Client dispute: a customer might be dissatisfied with a product or service and demand a refund. The customer service representative addresses the issue through active listening and negotiation to reach a solution.
• Project delay: a project manager might face resistance from team members about a change in project scope and will need to find a middle ground before the project can continue.

Risk management

Risk management is essential across many workplaces. It involves analysing potential threats and opportunities, evaluating their impact and implementing strategies to minimise negative consequences. Risk management is closely tied to problem solving, as it addresses potential obstacles and challenges that may arise during the problem solving process.

Example scenarios of risk management

• Project risk management: in a construction project, risk management involves identifying potential delays, cost overruns and safety hazards. Risk mitigation strategies are developed, such as scheduling buffers and establishing safety protocols. 
• Financial risk management: in financial institutions, risk management assesses and manages risks associated with investments and lending.

Communication

Effective communication is a skill that will get you far in all areas of life. When it comes to problem solving, communication plays an important role in facilitating collaboration, sharing insights and ensuring that all stakeholders have the same expectations. 

Example scenarios of communication

• Customer service improvement:  in a retail environment, open communication channels result in higher customer satisfaction scores.
• Safety enhancement:  in a manufacturing facility, a robust communication strategy that includes safety briefings, incident reporting and employee training helps minimise accidents and injuries.

How to improve problem solving skills 

Ready to improve your problem solving skills? In this section we explore strategies and techniques that will give you a head start in developing better problem solving skills. 

Adopt the problem solving mindset

Developing a problem solving mindset will help you tackle challenges effectively . Start by accepting problems as opportunities for growth and learning, rather than as obstacles or setbacks. This will allow you to approach every challenge with a can-do attitude.

Patience is also essential, because it will allow you to work through the problem and its various solutions mindfully. Persistence is also important, so you can keep adapting your approach until you find the right solution.

Finally, don’t forget to ask questions. What do you need to know? What assumptions are you making? What can you learn from previous attempts? Approach problem solving as an opportunity to  acquire new skills . Stay curious, seek out solutions, explore new possibilities and remain open to different problem solving approaches.

Understand the problem

There’s no point trying to solve a problem you don’t understand. To analyse a problem effectively, you need to be able to define it. This allows you to break it down into smaller parts, making it easier to find causes and potential solutions. Start with a well-defined problem statement that is precise and specific. This will help you focus your efforts on the core issue, so you don’t waste time and resources on the wrong concerns.

Strategies for problem analysis

• Start with the problem statement and ask ‘Why?’ multiple times to dig deeper.
• Gather relevant data and information related to the problem. 
• Include those affected by the problem in the analysis process.
• Compare the current problem with similar situations or cases to gain valuable insights.
• Use simulations to explore potential outcomes of different solutions.
• Continuously gather feedback during the problem solving process. 

Develop critical thinking and creativity skills

Critical thinking and creativity are both important when it comes to looking at the problem objectively and thinking outside the box. Critical thinking encourages you to question assumptions, recognise biases and seek evidence to support your conclusions. Creative thinking allows you to look at the problem from different angles to reveal new insights and opportunities.

Enhance research and decision-making skills

Research and decision-making skills are pivotal in problem solving as they enable you to gather relevant information, analyse options and choose the best course of action. Research provides the information and data needed, and ensures that you have a comprehensive understanding of the problem and its context. Effective decision-making is about selecting the solution that best addresses the problem.

Strategies to improve research and decision-making skills

• Clearly define what you want to achieve through research.
• Use a variety of sources, including books, articles, research papers, interviews, surveys and online databases.
• Evaluate the credibility and reliability of your information sources.
• Incorporate risk assessment into your decision-making process. 
• Seek input from experts, colleagues and mentors when making important decisions. 
• After making decisions, reflect on the outcomes and lessons learned. Use this to improve your decision-making skills over time.

Strengthen collaboration skills

Being able to work with others is one of the most important skills to have at work. Collaboration skills enable everyone to work effectively as a team, share their perspectives and collectively find solutions. 

Tips for improving teamwork and collaboration

• Define people’s roles and responsibilities within the team. 
• Encourage an environment of open communication where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas.
• Practise active listening by giving full attention to others when they speak. 
• Hold regular check-in sessions to monitor progress, discuss challenges and make adjustments as needed.
• Use collaboration tools and platforms to facilitate communication and document progress. 
• Acknowledge and celebrate team achievements and milestones. 

Learn from past experiences

Once you’ve overcome a challenge, take the time to look back with a critical eye. How effective was the outcome? Could you have tweaked anything in your process? Learning from past experiences is important when it comes to problem solving. It involves reflecting on both successes and failures to gain insights, refine strategies and make more informed decisions in the future. 

Strategies for learning from past mistakes

• After completing a problem solving effort, gather your team for a debriefing session. Discuss what went well and what could have been better.
• Conduct a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) of resolved problems. 
• Evaluate the outcomes of past solutions. Did they achieve the desired results? 
• Commit to continuous learning and improvement. 

Leverage problem solving tools and resources

Problem-solving tools and resources are a great help when it comes to navigating complex challenges. These tools offer structured approaches, methodologies and resources that can streamline the process. 

Tools and resources for problem solving

• Mind mapping:  mind maps visually organise ideas, concepts and their relationships. 
• SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis:  helps in strategic planning and decision-making.
• Fishbone diagram (Ishikawa Diagram): this tool visually represents the potential root causes of a problem, helping you identify underlying factors contributing to an issue.
• Decision matrices:  these assist in evaluating options by assigning weights and scores to criteria and alternatives.
• Process flowcharts:  these allow you to see the steps of a process in sequence, helping identify where the problem is occuring.
• Decision support software:  software applications and tools, such as data analytics platforms, can help in data-driven decision-making and problem solving.
• Online courses and training: allow you to acquire new skills and knowledge.

Regular practice

Practice makes perfect! Using your skills in real life allows you to refine them, adapt to new challenges and build confidence in your problem solving capabilities. Make sure to try out these skills whenever you can.

Practical problem solving exercises 

• Do puzzles, riddles and brainteasers regularly. 
• Identify real-life challenges or dilemmas you encounter and practice applying problem solving techniques to these situations.
• Analyse case studies or scenarios relevant to your field or industry. 
• Regularly review past problem solving experiences and consider what you learned from them. 
• Attend workshops, webinars or training sessions focused on problem solving. 

How to highlight problem solving skills on a resumé

Effectively showcasing your problem solving skills on your resumé is a great way to demonstrate your ability to address challenges and add value to a workplace. We'll explore how to demonstrate problem solving skills on your resumé, so you stand out from the crowd.

Incorporating problem solving skills in the resumé summary

A resumé summary is your introduction to potential employers and provides an opportunity to succinctly showcase your skills. The resumé summary is often the first section employers read. It offers a snapshot of your qualifications and sets the tone for the rest of your resumé.

Your resumé summary should be customised for different job applications, ensuring that you highlight the specific problem solving skills relevant to the position you’re applying for.

Example 1: Project manager with a proven track record of solving complex operational challenges. Skilled in identifying root causes, developing innovative solutions and leading teams to successful project completion.

Example 2:  Detail-oriented data analyst with strong problem solving skills. Proficient in data-driven decision-making, quantitative analysis and using statistical tools to solve business problems.

Highlighting problem solving skills in the experience section

The experience section of your resumé presents the perfect opportunity to demonstrate your problem solving skills in action. 

• Start with action verbs: begin each bullet point in your job descriptions with strong action verbs such as, analysed, implemented, resolved and optimised.
• Quantify achievements: use numbers and percentages to illustrate the impact of your solutions. For example: Increased efficiency by 25% by implementing a new workflow process.
• Emphasise challenges: describe the specific challenges or problems you faced in your roles. 
• Solution-oriented language: mention the steps you took to find solutions and the outcomes achieved.

Including problem solving skills in the skills section

The skills section of your resumé should showcase your top abilities, including problem solving skills. Here are some tips for including these skills.

• Use a subsection:  within your skills section, you could create a subsection specifically dedicated to problem solving skills – especially if the role calls for these skills.
• Be specific: when listing problem solving skills, be specific about the types of role-related problems you can address. 
• Prioritise relevant skills:  tailor the list of problem solving skills to match the requirements of the job you're applying for. 

Examples of problem solving skills to include:

• Creative problem solving
• Decision making
• Root cause analysis
• Strategic problem solving
• Data-driven problem solving
• Interpersonal conflict resolution
• Adaptability
• Communication skills
• Problem solving tools
• Negotiation skills

Demonstrating problem solving skills in project sections or case studies

Including a dedicated section for projects or case studies in your resumé allows you to provide specific examples of your problem solving skills in action. It goes beyond simply listing skills, to demonstrate how you are able to apply those skills to real-world challenges.

Example – Data Analysis

Case Study: Market Expansion Strategy

• Challenge:  the company was looking to expand into new markets but lacked data on consumer preferences and market dynamics.
• Solution: conducted comprehensive market research, including surveys and competitor analysis. Applied this research to identify target customer segments and developed a data-driven market-entry strategy.
• Result:  successfully launched in two new markets, reaching our target of 30% market share within the first year.

Using problem solving skills in cover letters

A well-crafted cover letter is your first impression on any potential employer. Integrating problem solving skills can support your job application by showcasing your ability to address challenges and contribute effectively to their team. Here’s a quick run-down on what to include:

• Begin your cover letter by briefly mentioning the position you're applying for and your enthusiasm for it.
• Identify a specific challenge or issue that the company may be facing, to demonstrate your research and understanding of their needs.
• Include a brief story or scenario from your past experiences where you successfully applied problem solving skills to address a similar challenge. 
• Highlight the positive outcomes or results achieved through your problem solving efforts. 
• Explain how your skills make you the ideal person to address their specific challenges.

Problem solving skills are essential in all areas of life, enabling you to overcome challenges, make informed decisions, settle conflicts and drive innovation. We've explored the significance of problem solving skills and how to improve, demonstrate and leverage them effectively. It’s an ever-evolving skill set that can be refined over time. 

By actively incorporating problem solving skills into your day-to-day, you can become a more effective problem solver at work and in your personal life as well.

What are some common problem solving techniques?

Common problem solving techniques include brainstorming, root cause analysis, SWOT analysis, decision matrices, the scientific method and the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle. These techniques offer structured approaches to identify, analyse and address problems effectively.

How can I improve my critical thinking skills?

Improving critical thinking involves practising skills such as analysis, evaluation and problem solving. It helps to engage in activities like reading, solving puzzles, debating and self-reflection.

What are some common obstacles to problem solving?

Common obstacles to problem solving include biases, lack of information or resources, and resistance to change. Recognising and addressing these obstacles is essential for effective problem solving.

How can I overcome resistance to change when implementing a solution?

To overcome resistance to change, it's essential to communicate the benefits of the proposed solution clearly, involve stakeholders in the decision-making process, address concerns and monitor the implementation's progress to demonstrate its effectiveness.

How can problem solving skills benefit my career?

Problem solving skills are highly valuable in a career as they enable you to navigate challenges, make informed decisions, adapt to change and contribute to innovation and efficiency. These skills enhance your professional effectiveness and can lead to career advancement and increased job satisfaction.

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What Are Problem-Solving Skills? (Examples Included)

Mike Simpson 0 Comments

By Mike Simpson

Problem-solving skills are important not just for work. In the words of Karl Popper , “All life is problem-solving.”

What on earth does that mean? Simply that being alive means facing challenges. With problem-solving skills, you can navigate issues with greater ease, making hard times, well, less hard.

But what are problem-solving skills? How do you know if you have them or not? Why do they matter to your job search? And what should you do if you don’t feel yours are up to snuff? Luckily, we’re about to get into all of that.

If you’re curious about the world of problem-solving skills, here’s what you need to know.

What Are Problem-Solving Skills?

Before we dig into any examples, let’s focus first on an important question: what are problem-solving skills.

To answer that question, let’s start with the barebones basics. According to Merriam-Webster , problem-solving is “the process or act of finding a solution to a problem.” Why does that matter? Well, because it gives you insight into what problem-solving skills are.

Any skill that helps you find solutions to problems can qualify. And that means problem-solving skills aren’t just one capability, but a toolbox filled with soft skills and hard skills that come together during your time of need.

The ability to solve problems is relevant to any part of your life. Whether your writing a grocery list or dealing with a car that won’t start, you’re actually problem-solving.

The same is true at work, too. Most tasks actually involve a degree of problem-solving. Really? Really.

Think about it this way; when you’re given an assignment, you’re being asked, “Can you do this thing?” Doing that thing is the problem.

Then, you have to find a path that lets you accomplish what you need to do. That is problem-solving.

Yes, sometimes what you need to handle isn’t “challenging” in the difficulty sense. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t count.

Besides, some of what you need to do will legitimately be hard. Maybe you’re given a new responsibility, or something goes wrong during a project. When that happens, you’ll have to navigate unfamiliar territory, gather new information, and think outside of the box. That’s problem-solving, too.

That’s why hiring managers favor candidates with problem-solving skills. They make you more effective in your role, increasing the odds that you can find solutions whenever the need arises.

How Are Problem-Solving Skills Relevant to a Job Search?

Alright, you probably have a good idea of what problem-solving skills are. Now, it’s time to talk about why they matter to your job search.

We’ve already touched on one major point: hiring managers prefer candidates with strong problem-solving skills. That alone makes these capabilities a relevant part of the equation. If you don’t show the hiring manager you’ve got what it takes to excel, you may struggle to land a position.

But that isn’t the only reason these skills matter. Problem-solving skills can help you during the entire job search process. After all, what’s a job search but a problem – or a series of problems – that needs an answer.

You need a new job; that’s the core problem you’re solving. But every step is its own unique challenge. Finding an opening that matches your skills, creating a resume that resonates with the hiring manager, nailing the interview, and negotiating a salary … those are all smaller problems that are part of the bigger one.

So, problem-solving skills really are at the core of the job search experience. By having strong capabilities in this area, you may find a new position faster than you’d expect.

Okay, you may be thinking, “If hiring managers prefer candidates with problem-solving skills, which ones are they after? Are certain problem-solving capabilities more important today? Is there something I should be going out of my way to showcase?”

While any related skills are worth highlighting, some may get you further than others. Analysis, research, creativity, collaboration , organization, and decision-making are all biggies. With those skills, you can work through the entire problem-solving process, making them worthwhile additions to your resume.

But that doesn’t mean you have to focus there solely. Don’t shy away from showcasing everything you bring to the table. That way, if a particular hiring manager is looking for a certain capability, you’re more likely to tap on what they’re after.

How to Highlight Problem-Solving Skills for Job Search

At this point, it’s ridiculously clear that problem-solving skills are valuable in the eyes of hiring managers. So, how do you show them that you’ve got all of the capabilities they are after? By using the right approach.

When you’re writing your resume or cover letter , your best bet is to highlight achievements that let you put your problem-solving skills to work. That way, you can “show” the hiring manager you have what it takes.

Showing is always better than telling. Anyone can write down, “I have awesome problem-solving skills.” The thing is, that doesn’t really prove that you do. With a great example, you offer up some context, and that makes a difference.

How do you decide on which skills to highlight on your resume or cover letter? By having a great strategy. With the Tailoring Method , it’s all about relevancy. The technique helps you identify skills that matter to that particular hiring manager, allowing you to speak directly to their needs.

Plus, you can use the Tailoring Method when you answer job interview questions . With that approach, you’re making sure those responses are on-point, too.

But when do you talk about your problem-solving capabilities during an interview? Well, there’s a good chance you’ll get asked problem-solving interview questions during your meeting. Take a look at those to see the kinds of questions that are perfect for mentioning these skills.

However, you don’t have to stop there. If you’re asked about your greatest achievement or your strengths, those could be opportunities, too. Nearly any open-ended question could be the right time to discuss those skills, so keep that in mind as you practice for your interview.

How to Develop Problem-Solving Skills If You Don’t Have Them

Developing problem-solving skills may seem a bit tricky on the surface, especially if you think you don’t have them. The thing is, it doesn’t actually have to be hard. You simply need to use the right strategy.

First, understand that you probably do have problem-solving skills; you simply may not have realized it. After all, life is full of challenges that you have to tackle, so there’s a good chance you’ve developed some abilities along the way.

Now, let’s reframe the question and focus on how to improve your problem-solving skills. Here’s how to go about it.

Understand the Problem-Solving Process

In many cases, problem-solving is all about the process. You:

• Identify the problem
• Analyze the key elements
• Look for potential solutions
• Examine the options for viability and risk
• Decide on an approach
• Review the outcome for lessons

By understanding the core process, you can apply it more effectively. That way, when you encounter an issue, you’ll know how to approach it, increasing the odds you’ll handle the situation effectively.

Try Puzzles and Games

Any activity that lets you take the steps listed above could help you hone your problem-solving skills. For example, brainteasers, puzzles, and logic-based games can be great places to start.

Whether it’s something as straightforward – but nonetheless challenging – as Sudoku or a Rubik’s Cube, or something as complex as Settlers of Catan, it puts your problem-solving skills to work. Plus, if you enjoy the activity, it makes skill-building fun, making it a win-win.

Look for Daily Opportunities

If you’re looking for a practical approach, you’re in luck. You can also look at the various challenges you face during the day and think about how to overcome them.

For example, if you always experience a mid-day energy slump that hurts your productivity, take a deep dive into that problem. Define what’s happening, think about why it occurs, consider various solutions, pick one to try, and analyze the results.

By using the problem-solving approach more often in your life, you’ll develop those skills further and make using these capabilities a habit. Plus, you may find ways to improve your day-to-day living, which is a nice bonus.

Volunteer for “Stretch” Projects

If you’re currently employed, volunteering for projects that push you slightly outside of your comfort zone can help you develop problem-solving skills, too. You’ll encounter the unknown and have to think outside of the box, both of which can boost critical problem-solving-related skills.

Plus, you may gain other capabilities along the way, like experience with new technologies or tools. That makes the project an even bigger career booster, which is pretty awesome.

List of Problem-Solving Skills

Alright, we’ve taken a pretty deep dive into what problem-solving skills are. Now, it’s time for some problem-solving skills examples.

As we mentioned above, there are a ton of capabilities and traits that can support better problem-solving. By understanding what they are, you can showcase the right abilities during your job search.

So, without further ado, here is a quick list of problem-solving skill examples:

• Collaboration
• Organization
• Decision-Making
• Troubleshooting
• Self-Reliance
• Self-Motivation
• Communication
• Attention to Detail
• Brainstorming
• Forecasting
• Active Listening
• Accountability
• Open-Mindedness
• Critical Thinking
• Flexibility

Do you have to showcase all of those skills during your job search individually? No, not necessarily. Instead, you want to highlight a range of capabilities based on what the hiring manager is after. If you’re using the Tailoring Method, you’ll know which ones need to make their way into your resume, cover letter, and interview answers.

Now, are there other skills that support problem-solving? Yes, there certainly can be.

Essentially any skill that helps you go from the problem to the solution can, in its own right, be a problem-solving skill.

All of the skills above can be part of the equation. But, if you have another capability that helps you flourish when you encounter an obstacle, it can count, too.

Reflect on your past experience and consider how you’ve navigated challenges in the past. If a particular skill helped you do that, then it’s worth highlighting during a job search.

If you would like to find out more about skills to put on a resume , we’ve taken a close look at the topic before. Along with problem-solving skills, we dig into a variety of other areas, helping you choose what to highlight so that you can increase your odds of landing your perfect job.

Putting It All Together

Ultimately, problem-solving skills are essential for professionals in any kind of field. By honing your capabilities and showcasing them during your job search, you can become a stronger candidate and employee. In the end, that’s all good stuff, making it easier for you to keep your career on track today, tomorrow, and well into the future.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Mike simpson.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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Enhancing Problem-Solving Skills for Word Problems: Impact of Diagram and Learner Expertise

• Cite this article
• https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2024.2394956

Introduction

The importance of cognitive load and levels of expertise, scaffolding problem structure, impact of a diagram and levels of learner expertise, the present study.

• Acknowledgements

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According to cognitive load theory, an expert learner can access prior knowledge to interpret a diagram with minimum effort. A novice learner who lacks prior knowledge, in contrast, would experience a high level of cognitive load when processing a diagram, which would interfere with learning. On learning to solve percentage problems, we investigated the effect of approach (non-algebra vs. algebra), with and without diagram support for two levels of learner expertise. Participants were 218 Asian students whose mean age was 15.00 ( SD  = 0.18). Contrary to our hypothesis, the presence or absence of a diagram may bore little, if any, benefit for students who were more knowledgeable. Considering two levels of learner expertise together, as hypothesized, performance outcomes favoring more knowledgeable students were greater for the unitary-pictorial approach than the equation-pictorial approach. Interestingly, the impact of a diagram was more pronounced for more knowledgeable students; however, with relevant prior algebra knowledge, the presence of a diagram (e.g., equation-pictorial approach) can also be helpful for less knowledgeable students. Overall, then, our research undertaking has yielded important implications for teaching and research purposes.

• Impact of a diagram
• levels of learner expertise
• cognitive load
• percentage problems
• problem-solving

Do we need to incorporate a diagram for effective learning of word problems? To what extent does incorporation of a diagram affect learners who have varying levels of expertise? Would the type of instructional approach (non-algebra vs. algebra) differentially affect learning outcomes for learners with varying levels of expertise? Consistent with prior research (Jitendra et al., Citation 2011 ; Mayer & Gallini, Citation 1990 ; Ngu et al., Citation 2018 ), we define a diagram or a picture as a visual representation that depicts the relationship between values and a variable cited in the problem text, which reflects the ‘problem structure’ of a word problem. A percentage problem such as “ Mary pays $350 in tax per month, which is 8% of her monthly income. What is her monthly income?” poses a challenge not only to middle school students (Baratta et al., Citation 2010 ) but also to the pre-service teachers (Koay, Citation 1998 ). Our examination of the literature indicates that the Australian Curriculum actually recommends the use of what is known as ‘the unitary approach’. The unitary approach emphasizes the unit ‘percentage’ concept for learning to solve such percentage problems ( Table 1 )—for example: “… calculate 1% of the monthly income, and then multiply this by 100% to solve the problem”. Our examination also showcases an interesting contention: mathematics textbooks in Singapore (e.g., Chow, Citation 2007 ) advocate the use of the ‘algebra approach’ (8% x = $350, solve for x ). What is poignant, though, is that neither the unitary approach nor the algebra approach involves the use of diagrams as visual representations to assist learners to uncover the problem structure that is embedded in the problem text.

Table 1. The unitary, unitary-pictorial, equation and equation-pictorial approaches for solving percentage problems.

Researchers have acknowledged the benefits of using diagrams to facilitate learning of word problems (Booth & Koedinger, Citation 2012 ; Jitendra et al., Citation 2011 ; Nathan et al., Citation 1992 ; Ngu et al., Citation 2009 ; Citation 2018 ); Schwonke et al., Citation 2009 ). However, the treatment condition differs from the control condition not only with respect to the diagram only (Jitendra et al., Citation 2011 ); thus, the presence of a diagram to facilitate learning of word problems is unclear. Moreover, from our understanding, the relationship between diagram support and levels of expertise is inconclusive. Existing research indicates that diagram support benefits both low prior knowledge students (Booth & Koedinger, Citation 2012 ) and high prior knowledge students (Schwonke et al., Citation 2009 ). Having said this, however, very little is known about the relationship between type of approach (i.e., non-algebra vs. algebra) and levels of expertise when one learns a specific type of word problems.

The significance of the present research undertaking lies in our attempt to address the limitations of the literature. Using an experimental study approach, our research investigation ( N  = 218 students) in regular classrooms seeks to examine the relationship between type of approach (i.e., unitary vs. unitary-pictorial [non-algebra]; equation vs. equation-pictorial [algebra]) and levels of learner expertise (i.e., less knowledgeable vs. more knowledgeable) for learning to solve percentage problems. We argue that a comparison of a dichotomy between two versions of a specific approach (e.g., unitary vs. unitary-pictorial [non-algebra]) in which we examine one variable only (i.e., without a diagram vs. a diagram) would provide more accurate assessment of the benefit of incorporating a diagram to facilitate learning of percentage problems across varying levels of learner expertise. Moreover, we also want to investigate whether the type of approach (non-algebra vs. algebra) would differentially affect performance outcomes across two levels of learner expertise on learning to solve percentage problems. Given that the present study focuses on instructional designs and variations in learner expertise, we choose to situate our study within the framework of cognitive load theory (Sweller et al., Citation 2011 , Citation 2019 ).

There are different theories or theoretical premises in education (e.g., behaviorism , constructivism ) that we may use to explain quality teaching and/or to facilitate effective learning experiences (Kolb et al., Citation 2001 ; Schunk, Citation 2008 ; Wiest, Citation 1967 ). One notable learning theory that has received considerable interest from scholars worldwide is John Sweller’s ( Citation 1994 , Citation 2005 , Citation 2012 ) cognitive load theory , which details the intricacy of what is known as the ‘human cognitive architecture’ that affects how people learn. Our human cognitive architecture consists of a working memory , which is constrained by its capacity to process new information (Cowan, Citation 2001 ; Peterson & Peterson, Citation 1959 ). In contrast, though, a person’s long-term memory has an unlimited capacity to store information in the form of what is known as ‘schemas’ (Tricot & Sweller, Citation 2014 ). Owing to the limitation of a person’s working memory, an instructional design that has multiple interrelated elements (e.g., integration of a diagram and solution procedure) would impose a high level of cognitive load for a novice learner, which in turn would interfere with learning. An element is anything that requires learning (e.g., a number, a symbol, a procedure) (Chen et al., Citation 2017 ). An expert learner who has prior knowledge, in contrast, would experience a low level of cognitive load. In this analysis, he or she can retrieve prior knowledge from the long-term memory and use it to process multiple interrelated elements as a single unit of element with minimum working memory resources (Kalyuga et al., Citation 2003 ). In other words, unlike novice learners, learners who are more knowledgeable may treat multiple interrelated elements as a single unit. For example, consider the following percentage-increase problem: “ Katie works at Hungry Jack and she earns $20 an hour. She will receive a pay rise of 5% starting next week. What will be Katie new pay for an hour?” A knowledgeable student who has relevant prior knowledge would solve this problem as follows: $20 + ($20 × 5%) = $21. As such, having a diagram that specifically aims to scaffold the problem structure (i.e., “new pay = original pay + increased amount”) would not add value and/or useful information for the knowledgeable student to solve the percentage-increase problem.

According to Mayer ( Citation 1985 ), the greatest hurdle to master a word problem lies in the problem representation, which requires a diagram to act as a visual aid to represent the underlying problem structure. Considering Mayer’s ( Citation 1985 ) acknowledgment, how do we design a diagram that could accurately capture the problem structure of a word problem? In a study involving elementary school students in Singapore, Ng & Lee ( Citation 2009 ) advocated the use of what is known as the ‘model method’ in order to assist with the representation of a word problem. A key aspect of the model method is to use the relative size of say, rectangles, to represent different quantities in problem text, resulting in the generation of different types of problem solution. For example, two rectangles that have identical dimensions are regarded as two units, and each of which can assume the role of a variable (e.g., x ).

The theoretical tenet of the model method (Ng & Lee, Citation 2009 ) has been explored by a number of researchers. For example, following on from Ng & Lee’s ( Citation 2009 ) premise, Chu et al. ( Citation 2017 ) adapted the model method to assist 7 th grade students to learn how to solve linear equations. Researchers have also recognized the importance of designing a diagram that reveals the problem structure of a word problem, as opposed to using a pictorial representation to display the storyline of a word problem (Hegarty & Kozhevnikov, Citation 1999 ). Designing a diagram to highlight a problem structure is more beneficial for learning than using it to indicate a storyline of a word problem. For example, designing a tree diagram to highlight the concept of probability may, in fact, help to enhance students’ understanding of probability (e.g., a tree diagram shows the probability of ¼ and ¾ as two branches originating from a node, which will then add up to 1 or 100%)(Schwonke et al., Citation 2009 ).

Researchers such as Jitendra et al. ( Citation 2011 ) have advocated the benefit of using schema-based instructions for learning word problems. The main premise here is to use a schematic diagram to capture the quantitative relationship between values and a variable that are embedded in the problem contexts. Jitendra et al.’s ( Citation 2011 ) research has noted that schema-based instructions are beneficial to both main stream students and students with learning difficulties (Jitendra et al., Citation 2016 ). In an earlier study, Dole ( Citation 2000 ) used a dual-scale number line and found that this successfully improved students’ performance outcomes for three types of percentage problem that are interrelated: (i) find part (25% of 60 =  x ), (ii) find percent ( x % of 60 = 15), and (iii) find-whole (25% of x  = 15). A dual-scale number line illustrates a dichotomy where one side denotes the percentage (%) and the other side, in contrast, denotes an unknown quantity is similar to the schematic diagrams that Jitendra et al. ( Citation 2011 ) proposed. Moreover, Dole’s ( Citation 2000 ) use of a dual-scale number line specifically portrays the problem structures of the three types of percentage problem in terms of the proportion concept.

Other studies including our own undertakings (e.g., Ngu et al., Citation 2014 ; Citation 2016 ) have also used diagrams to scaffold the problem structures of word problems (e.g., percentage-change problems). For example, in one of our earlier studies (Ngu et al., Citation 2014 ), we provided a diagram that consisted of a horizontal line divided into two portions by a vertical line, depicting the increased or decreased quantity as a fraction of the original quantity. The incorporation of such a diagram has helped students with their learning of percentage-change problems across different cultural settings (Ngu et al., Citation 2014 ; Citation 2016 ). Furthermore, our research has yielded evidence to showcase that the presence of a diagram assisted students with their learning of challenging percentage-change problems that have an unknown variable (e.g., x ) appearing twice in the equation (e.g., 72 =  x  + 15% x , solve for x )(Koedinger et al., Citation 2008 ).

Overall, then, as the preceding sections have shown, there is support for the inclusion and use of diagrams when learning to solve word problems (e.g., Jitendra et al., Citation 2011 ). In particular, the information portrayed in the diagrams have assisted students to formulate equations to solve word problems. In fact, this is the algebra approach which has been shown to be a powerful means for solving word problems (Kieran, Citation 1992 ). However, the merit of incorporating a diagram for learning to solve word problems goes beyond the context of algebra problem-solving. For example, Ngu et al. ( Citation 2018 ) have advanced this line of inquiry by incorporating a diagram in the unitary-pictorial approach for learning to solve challenging percentage-change problems. The diagram depicts the proportion concept that aligns percentage (%) and quantity—provides a clue to calculate the sub-goal of the unit percentage, which is central to the unitary-pictorial approach. In the present study, we used this unitary-pictorial approach (Ngu et al., Citation 2018 ) for a different type of percentage problems - the find-whole percentage problems.

While researchers have acknowledged the benefit of using diagrams to understand problem structures, the relation between the impact of a diagram and levels of learner expertise is somewhat less clear. For example, how do students with expertise knowledge differ from their novice counterparts in terms of utilization of relevant diagrams? A study by Mayer & Gallini ( Citation 1990 ) indicated that pictorial support aided students’ comprehension and understanding of science instructional texts, and that the benefit was greater for low prior knowledge learners. In a similar vein, Mayer ( Citation 1997 ) noted that pictorial support assisted students with low domain knowledge to understand the significance of multimedia materials. A study by Booth & Koedinger ( Citation 2012 ) further supports the beneficial effect(s) of incorporating diagrams for learning to solve word problems, especially for students of lower ability. In particular, exposure to diagrams enabled students of lower ability to perform better and to make fewer conceptual errors than those students who received instructions without the aid of diagrams.

An important issue for consideration relates to the challenge of building referential connections between textual material and its corresponding pictorial representation. This is particularly the case for novice learners whose domain knowledge is somewhat fragmented (Cox & Brna, Citation 1995 ; Hannus & Hyönä, Citation 1999 ; Stern et al., Citation 2003 ). They have limited ability to connect specific structural elements and their relation portrayed in a graph to corresponding information in the problem text. On learning to solve probability word problems, Schwonke et al. ( Citation 2009 ) found that the presence of diagrams was more helpful for students who had high rather than low prior knowledge. Apparently, as assessed by gaze data, active processing of diagrams increases conceptual understanding of the problem structure. Schwonke et al.’s ( Citation 2009 ) findings are similar to those of Hannus & Hyönä’s ( Citation 1999 ) findings, which showed that high-ability students spent more time on relevant aspects of not only the text but also the diagram than low-ability students.

Overall, research has obtained mixed findings in regard to the impact of a diagram and levels of learner expertise upon learning to solve word problems. Some studies show promising results for low prior knowledge students (e.g., Booth & Koedinger, Citation 2012 ), whereas other studies are in favor of high prior knowledge students (e.g., Schwonke et al., Citation 2009 )—for example, high-ability students experience greater learning gains following more effortful processing of texts that are coupled with diagram support. Such discrepancies, in fact, form logical grounding for our current research undertaking. Moreover, in line with existing research development, our design of diagrams emphasizes the proportion concept and seeks to capture the problem structure of percentage problems (e.g., Jitendra et al., Citation 2011 ). In the next section, we outline the design of the four instructional approaches: unitary approach , unitary-pictorial approach , equation approach , equation-pictorial approach . As we discuss later, we wish to explore the algebra approach and the non-algebra approach for learning, with and without diagram support. Table 1 contains examples of all four mentioned instructional approaches.

The unitary approach

Step 1: identify the values cited in the problem context.

Step 2: calculate a unit percentage, which is the sub-goal of the solution procedure.

Step 3: multiply the sub-goal by 100% to obtain the answer.

This unitary approach does not have a diagram to scaffold the problem structure, which is the proportion concept. Therefore, irrespective of a student’s level of expertise (e.g., the student could be a novice), he may in fact struggle to use the unitary approach to solve percentage problems.

The unitary-pictorial approach

The main difference between the unitary-pictorial approach and the unitary approach is the fact that the former has a diagram. The diagram scaffolds the proportion concept, which is central to the problem structure of percentage problems ( Table 1 ). Specifically, the diagram aligns the percentage with the quantity: 8% with $350, and 100% with monthly income (i.e., the solution). As a result, the diagram provides a clue for students to calculate the sub-goal, which is the unit percentage. Having calculated the sub-goal, the monthly income will be: sub-goal × 100. Similar to the model designed by Ng & Lee ( Citation 2009 ), we expect to find that a diagram would better assist those students that are more knowledgeable to gain insight into the relative size of the quantities in relation to differential percentage (i.e., 8% aligns with a smaller quantity than that of 100%).

The equation approach

Step1: the use of a variable (e.g., x ) to represent, say, the monthly income.

Step 2: the integration of values and the variable in an equation – for example: 8% × x = $350.

Step 3: demonstrating how to solve for the unknown (e.g., x ).

Again, regardless of a student’s level of expertise, he may struggle to identify the problem structure of the percentage problem in the problem context without diagram support.

The equation-pictorial approach

Consider two levels of learner expertise separately, for less knowledgeable students, differential performance outcomes would not occur: (i) between the unitary approach and the unitary-pictorial approach, and (ii) between the equation approach and the equation-pictorial approach.

Consider two levels of learner expertise separately, for more knowledgeable students, performance outcomes would: (i) favor the unitary-pictorial approach over the unitary approach, and (ii) favor the equation-pictorial approach over the equation approach.

Consider two levels of learner expertise together, performance outcomes favoring students who are more knowledgeable would be more pronounced for the unitary-pictorial approach than the unitary approach.

Consider two levels of learner expertise together, performance outcomes favoring students who are more knowledgeable would be more pronounced for the equation-pictorial approach than the equation approach.

Overall, then, the present study is novel for its use of comparable and contrasting instructional approaches to examine students’ learning of percentage problems. Significant in this case is our proposed premise, contextualized within the framework of cognitive load theory (Sweller, Citation 2012 ; Sweller et al., Citation 2011 ), which consists of the use of visualizations to scaffold the problem structure of percentage problems. What makes the proposed research inquiry unique is our focus on variations of existing knowledge of the subject matter—for example, what would be the relative efficiency of the unitary approach and the unitary-pictorial approach for a student who has limited knowledge of percentage problems?

Participants

Drawing from two private secondary schools, 218 Asian students (boys = 49%, girls = 51%) whose mean age was 15.00 ( SD  = 0.18) consented to participate in the study. English language was the medium of instruction and students followed National Curriculum for Secondary School Mathematics. The mathematics teachers indicated that students had learned percentage problems in previous year via the unitary approach and the equation approach.

The materials comprise a pretest that has identical content as the post-test, an instruction sheet, and acquisition problems. The pretest (or post-test) consists of 10 simple problems and two complex problems. The simple problems resemble the acquisition problems given that they share similar problem structure (Reed, Citation 1987 ). There are two complex problems where the first complex problem has two parts, and the second complex problem has three parts. Students needed to adapt the solution procedure of the simple problems in order to solve these complex problems. We assigned one mark for a practice problem, a simple problem, and each part of a complex problem solved correctly irrespective of whether students provided solution steps. We disregarded computational errors. We assigned zero mark if students made errors in the procedural steps.

The instruction sheet for each approach comprises the definition of percentage, which is common across the four approaches, and review of prior knowledge and a worked example ( Table 1 ). The review of prior knowledge emphasizes specific concepts pertaining to a particular approach. For the unitary approach and the unitary-pictorial approach, the focus is on the unit percentage in relation to proportion concept (e.g., If 6 kg of apples cost $30, what is the cost of 1 kg of apples? ). For the equation approach and the equation-pictorial approach, the review highlights the concept of variable and equation solving skills. For example, placing 2 x  = 6 and 10% x  = 200 side-by-side so that students could compare and identify the same method to solve both linear equations.

The acquisition problems for each approach consists of six worked example—practice problem pairs. The implementation of multiple worked example—practice problem pairs to facilitate learning was in line with prior studies (e.g., van Gog et al., Citation 2011 ). Each pair consists of a worked example pairs with a practice problem that shares a similar problem structure. Students needed to study each worked example and solved a practice problem.

Two researchers together with three mathematics teachers in each school implemented the data collection. We obtained ethics clearance (Approval No. HE15-314) prior to data collection. We randomly assigned students from each school to four groups and they completed the intervention in a specific venue in the school. We did not include five students who failed to complete all test materials in the final data analysis.

We applied the same experimental procedure across the two schools. We informed the students that they were going to learn percentage problems. We further informed students that the procedure consisted of a few written tasks: a pretest (10 min), an acquisition phase that comprised an instruction sheet (5 min) and acquisition problems (15 min), and a post-test (10 min). We advised students to read the written instruction in the first page of each task before they began, and to seek help if they had trouble understanding the materials in the acquisition phase. Furthermore, we instructed students to complete each task individually and not to discuss the tasks with their classmates. We asked students to try their best to complete the written tasks and informed them that the written tasks would not contribute toward their school mathematics assessment. We distributed and collected each task after the time had expired with one exception—we collected the instruction sheet after the acquisition phase.

Firstly, students across the four approaches sat for a pretest. Secondly, students in the respective approach completed the acquisition phase in which they studied an instruction sheet and completed six pairs of worked example—practice problem. During the acquisition phase, students were allowed to access the instruction sheet while solving the practice problems. We did not assist students to solve the practice problems. Lastly, all students completed a post-test. In sum, students across the four groups were matched with same time and materials to complete the intervention. The only difference between the four groups was the design of the instructional approach.

The pretest had a Cronbach’s alpha of .91. The practice problems had a Cronbach’s alpha of .69 after deleting the 6 th practice problem, because only a few students attempted this practice problem. The post-test had respective Cronbach’s alpha of .83 and .87 for the simple problems and the complex problems. Prior studies have used students who studied at different year levels (e.g., Year 8 vs. Year 9)(Bokosmaty et al., Citation 2015 ) and mean scores of pretests (Blayney et al., Citation 2016 ; Ngu et al., Citation 2023 ) as relevant indexes to differentiate students’ levels of prior knowledge. Accordingly, we used the mean scores of a pretest as a point of reference to classify students into two levels of expertise (Blayney et al., Citation 2016 ). In this case, to ensure a sufficient gap between less and more knowledgeable students, we assigned those students whose mean scores were less than .15 as ‘less knowledgeable’ students ( N  = 71), and the rest as ‘more knowledgeable’ students ( N  = 142).

Table 2 presents the means and standard deviations of the practice problems, and the post-test that comprised both the simple problems and the complex problems. We used a 2 × 2 ANOVA factorial design to examine the effect of instructional approach (i.e., unitary vs. unitary-pictorial; equation vs. equation-pictorial) and learner expertise (i.e., less knowledgeable vs. more knowledgeable) on learning to solve percentage problems. The independent variables are instructional approach and learner expertise, whereas the dependent variables are the practice problems, and the simple problems and the complex problems in the post-test. We used pairwise comparison to examine performance outcomes within an individual level of learner expertise (i.e., less knowledgeable or more knowledgeable) and between two levels of expertise (i.e., less knowledgeable vs. more knowledgeable).

Table 2. Means (proportion) and standard deviations of scores for the practice problems, simple problems and complex problems in the post-test.

The unitary approach and the unitary-pictorial approach.

We performed 2 (approach) × 2 (learner expertise) ANOVAs to analyze the mean scores of the practice problems, and the simple problems and the complex problems in the post-test. As shown in Table 3 , a statistically significant main effect of learner expertise was found; however, neither the main effect of the approach nor the approach × learner expertise interaction effect was statistically significant.

Table 3. ANOVA for performance outcomes as a function of instructional approaches and levels of learner expertise.

When we consider the two levels of learner expertise separately:

Differential performance outcomes between the unitary approach and the unitary-pictorial approach were not observed across the practice problems, and the simple problems and thecomplex problems, irrespective of students’ level of knowledge (i.e., less knowledgeable or more knowledgeable students). Such results support hypothesis 1 but not support hypothesis 2, which stated that performance outcomes would favor the unitary-pictorial approach for more knowledgeable students.

For the practice problems, performance outcomes favored more knowledgeable students for the unitary-pictorial approach ( p  = 0.01) but not the unitary approach ( p  = 0.06). As shown in Figure 1 , differential performance outcomes between the less and more knowledgeable students were greater for the unitary-pictorial approach ( M  = 0.73 vs. 0.89, Cohen’s d  = 0.63) than the unitary approach ( M  = 0.78 vs. 0.89, Cohen’s d  = 0.53). Such results, in this case, support hypothesis 3.

For the simple problems, a similar pattern of results emerged. In support of hypothesis 3, more knowledgeable students outperformed less knowledgeable students for the unitary approach ( p <.001) as well as the unitary-pictorial approach ( p <.001). As indicated in Figure 1 , performance outcomes favoring more knowledgeable students on simple problems were greater for the unitary-pictorial approach ( M  = 0.64 vs. M  = 0.89, Cohen’s d  = 0.94) than the unitary approach M  = 0.72 vs. M  = 0.92, Cohen’s d  = 0.75). However, differences in effect sizes for the unitary-pictorial approach vs. the unitary approach were rather small.

For the complex problems, again, a similar pattern of results occurred. The more knowledgeable students outperformed the less knowledgeable students for the unitary approach ( p  = 0.04) and the unitary-pictorial approach ( p <.001), thus supporting hypothesis 3. As revealed in Figure 1 , performance outcomes for the complex problems in favor of more knowledgeable students were greater for the unitary-pictorial approach ( M  = 0.01 vs. M  = 0.37, Cohen’s d  = 1.53) than the unitary approach ( M  = 0.09 vs. M  = 0.27, Cohen’s d  = 0.65).

Figure 1. 2 (approach) × 2 (learner expertise) ANOVA.

Note . Regarding the practice problems, simple problems and complex problems in the post-test: (i) the unitary-pictorial approach was not better than the unitary approach irrespective of less knowledgeable students (support hypothesis) or more knowledgeable students (not support hypothesis), and (ii) differential performance outcomes favored more knowledgeable were greater for the unitary-pictorial approach than the unitary approach (support hypothesis).

The equation approach and the equation-pictorial approach

As shown in Table 3 , the two-way ANOVA results for the practice problems, the simple problems and the complex problems of the equation approach and the equation-pictorial approach mirror that of the unitary approach and the unitary-pictorial approach. A significant main effect of the learner expertise was found. In contrast, both the main effect of approach and the approach × learner expertise interaction effect were nonsignificant.

Differential performance outcomes between the equation approach and the equation-pictorial approach were not observed for the practice problems, the simple problems, and the complex problems, irrespective of students’ level of knowledge (i.e., less knowledgeable or more knowledgeable students). Thus, the results support hypothesis 1 (ii) but not hypothesis 2 (ii), which stated that performance outcomes would favor the equation-pictorial approach for more knowledgeable students.

For the practice problems, as shown in Figure 2 , differential performance outcomes between less and more knowledgeable students were relatively small across the equation approach and the equation-pictorial approach. Thus, from this account, hypothesis 4 is not supported.

For the simple problems, contrary to hypothesis 4, as displayed in Figure 2 , differential performance outcomes between less knowledgeable and more knowledgeable students were greater for the equation approach ( M  = 0.74 vs. M  = 0.91, Cohen’s d  = 0.62) than the equation-pictorial approach ( M  = 0.86 vs. M  = 0.95, Cohen’s d  = 0.48). Indeed, more knowledgeable students outperformed less knowledgeable students for the equation approach ( p  = 0.01) but not the equation-pictorial approach ( p  = 0.14). It appears that the presence of a diagram in the equation-pictorial approach provided equivalent learning benefit for both less knowledgeable and more knowledgeable students. This may be due to the algebra foundation of less knowledgeable students, which appeared to be on par with more knowledgeable students.

For the complex problems, the more knowledgeable students outperformed less knowledgeable students for the equation approach ( p  = 0.01) as well as the equation-pictorial approach ( p  = 0.01). As revealed in Figure 2 , differential performance outcomes between less and more knowledgeable students for the complex problems were almost the same across the equation approach ( M  = 0.14 vs. M  = 0.36, Cohen’s d  = 0.84) and the equation-pictorial approach ( M  = 0.11 vs. M  = 0.32, Cohen’s d  = 0.81). Thus, the results partially support hypothesis 4, which stated that performance outcomes favoring more knowledgeable students would be greater for the equation-pictorial approach.

Figure 2. 2 (approach) × 2 (learner expertise) ANOVA.

Note . (i) For the practice problems, simple problems and complex problems, the equation-pictorial approach was not better than the equation approach irrespective of less knowledgeable students (support hypothesis) or more knowledgeable students (not support hypothesis), and (ii) differential performance outcomes did not favor more knowledgeable students across the equation approach and the equation-pictorial approach for the practice problems (not support hypothesis), differential performance outcomes on simple problems favored more knowledgeable students for the equation approach (contradict hypothesis), and differential performance outcomes between less and more knowledgeable students for the complex problems were almost the same across the equation approach and the equation-pictorial approach (partially support hypothesis).

The uniqueness of the present study lies in our seeking to elucidate theoretical understanding of the relative effectiveness of four instructional approaches with the inclusion or exclusion of diagrams. Does the provision of a diagram help students (e.g., those with limited prior knowledge) to successfully solve percentage problems? Our focus here is to consider a comparison between students of less knowledgeable and those of more knowledgeable when engaging in two different types of instructional design: the non-algebra approach (i.e., unitary, unitary-pictorial) vs. the algebra approach (i.e., equation, equation-pictorial). Overall, then, as reported in the preceding sections, findings that we have ascertained make meaningful theoretical and practical contributions to the study of instructional practice and level of learner expertise.

Theoretical contributions

On learning to solve word problems, as the extant literatures have shown that diagram support (e.g., the use of visual representations) may provide useful scaffold to help students uncover problem structures that often are embedded in problem texts. Our research undertaking, as reported earlier, indicates some interesting evidence and theoretical insights for consideration. Considering two levels of learner expertise separately, irrespective of students’ level of knowledge (i.e., less knowledgeable vs. more knowledgeable), we find that the unitary-pictorial approach and the equation-pictorial approach were not ‘better’ than the unitary approach and the equation approach, respectively. This finding is unexpected and somewhat of a surprise, contradicting one of our original hypotheses, which stated that incorporation of a diagram as a visual aid would have a greater impact on students who are more knowledgeable (Hannus & Hyönä, Citation 1999 ; Schwonke et al., Citation 2009 ).

In line with the design principles of cognitive load theory (Sweller et al., Citation 2011 ; Citation 2019 ), it is plausible for more knowledgeable students to take advantage of their prior knowledge of a unit concept to successfully solve percentage problems, using the unitary approach with or without the aid of diagrams (Schwonke et al., Citation 2009 ). Similarly, prior algebra problem-solving experience could have enabled more knowledgeable students to use either the equation approach or the equation-pictorial approach to solve the percentage problems efficiently. As a result, visual aids such as diagrams do not make discernible learning effects for more knowledgeable students when learning to solve percentage problems. Again, in line with the premise of cognitive load theory, students who lack relevant prior knowledge are less likely to know how to interpret diagrams for the purpose of generating solutions for the percentage problems (Cox & Brna, Citation 1995 ; Hannus & Hyönä, Citation 1999 ; Stern et al., Citation 2003 ).

Interestingly, viewing the two levels of learner expertise together, we find that students who were more knowledgeable actually outperformed students who were less knowledgeable for the non-algebra approaches (i.e., unitary, unitary-pictorial) and, to a lesser extent, the algebra approaches (i.e., equation, equation-pictorial). As to why this is the case, we need to consider the Asian learning-sociocultural context as a contributing factor. Asian students are more familiar with algebra problem-solving as opposed to non-algebra problem-solving strategies (Cai, Citation 2000 ; Ngu et al., Citation 2018 ). Thus, we reason that Asian students in this study, irrespective of their knowledge levels (e.g., level of prior knowledge) were somewhat grounded in ‘comparable’ algebra foundation, which indeed may help them to coordinate the relation between values and a variable in the diagram with the solution procedure. With this in mind, we purport that less knowledgeable students may also benefit from the equation-pictorial approach.

Practical implications

When viewing the two levels of learner expertise together, it is plausible to advocate that there is benefit for educators to use instructional designs that are accompanied by diagrams to assist students of different levels of expertise. For example, from our findings, the positive effect for such discourse is evident with students of high expertise for the non-algebra approach (unitary-pictorial) as well as the algebra approach (equation-pictorial), although somewhat of a lesser extent. We also encourage the provision of diagram support for students who are less knowledgeable. There is evidence that less knowledgeable students were not inferior to more knowledgeable students with respect to the equation-pictorial approach. (e.g., performance outcomes for the practice problems). It appears that prior algebra knowledge may enable all students to benefit from the diagram in the equation-pictorial approach. It is advisable therefore for educators to improve students’ prior algebra knowledge and incorporate diagrams to help students overcome the obstacle of identifying the problem structure of word problems.

Limitations and future directions

We acknowledge that our research undertaking has several important caveats for consideration. First, we note that for both the unitary-pictorial approach and the equation-pictorial approach, we used a worked example that consisted of problem text, a diagram, and a solution procedure. What is problematic or contentious is whether and/or the extent to which the diagram itself actually aided students to understand the solution procedure. As a result, we encourage researchers to use what is known as ‘gaze data analysis’ (Schwonke et al., Citation 2009 ) to determine whether participants process information in the diagram and the solution procedure simultaneously or independently of each other. This may help to tease out what we term as ‘cognitive convolution’ (i.e., is there too much information (e.g., diagram + text) to process at any moment in time, confounding a student’s comprehension and understanding?).

Second, the current study investigated the relationship between levels of learner expertise and: (i) the dichotomy between two versions of a specific approach (e.g., without a diagram vs. a diagram), and (ii) type of approach (i.e., non-algebra vs. algebra). We firmly believe it is appropriate to use a 2 (approach) × 2 (level of expertise) ANOVA to elucidate the potent role of a diagram and type of approach upon performance outcomes across two levels of students’ knowledge (e.g., students who are more knowledgeable). Nonetheless, additional research could consider a 4 (approach) × 2 (level of expertise) methodological design to examine a comparison between different instructional approaches (e.g., unitary approach vs. equation approach) and two levels of student knowledge (e.g., less knowledgeable students vs. more knowledgeable students) with a focus to determine which approach is most effective for a given level of student prior knowledge for learning to solve percentage problems.

Third, the diagram in the equation-pictorial approach scaffolds the proportion concept for subsequent generation of solution procedure. It is plausible for researchers to expand on the equation-pictorial approach and consider alternatives. For example, in terms of diagram support, consider the use of a pie chart to represent, say, 8% x = $350, where x represents the whole circle, and 8% x represents a fraction of the whole, x. As a result, then, a pie chart may be used to scaffold a fraction of the whole quantity. A follow-up study is needed to compare these two versions of the equation-pictorial approach.

Fourth, considering Stern et al.’s ( Citation 2003 ) earlier design and, more recently, Rellensmann et al.’s ( Citation 2022 ) innovative design, educators could ask students to draw a diagram (e.g., a pie chart) rather than having them passively read information from a given diagram. Opportunities to construct (e.g., drawing a diagram) rather than to simply read and passively interpret a given diagram may assist students to actively seek out crucial information for meaningful understanding. This recommendation, in particular, aligns with the tenets of constructivist teaching (Almala, Citation 2006 ; Jonassen, Citation 1991 ; White, Citation 2002 ), which emphasize the importance of participation , active construction , individual initiative and volition , etc. Therefore, examining the construction of diagrams for students of varying knowledge levels would contribute empirically to the literature—for example, consider the following: would it be more helpful for a less knowledgeable student to construct a diagram to uncover the problem structure that is embedded in the problem text of a word problem?

Fifth, the complexity of a word problem may determine how we design a diagram to accurately capture the problem structure of the word problem. In the present study, both the unitary-pictorial approach (i.e., non-algebra approach) and the equation-pictorial approach (i.e., algebra approach) share a similar diagram that portrays the proportion concept needed to solve the percentage problems. Specifically, the percentage problems in this study do not have irrelevant information in the cover stories, neither do they require the use of objects (such as in the trigonometry problems) to construct a spatial relationship between objects in order to capture the underlying problem structure (Rellensmann et al., Citation 2022 ). Having said this, however, future research could examine the relationship between the complexity of word problems and the design of diagrams to scaffold - underlying problem structures.

Sixth, Mathematics educators tend to regard problem solving in the context of solving ill-structured word problems that usually have multiple solution paths (Jee Yun & Kim, Citation 2016 ). Cognitive science researchers, in contrast, are more inclined to study problem-solving within the context of well-structured word problems that have fixed solution paths and, to a lesser extent, ill-structured problems (Sweller et al., Citation 2011 ). In the present study, we investigated the percentage problems, which are a type of well-structured word problems that have fixed solution paths (Sweller et al., Citation 2011 ). In terms of clarity and potential empirical contribution then, future inquiry may wish to examine the relationship between ill-structured word problems that have multiple solution paths, different types of instructional approach (e.g., non-algebra vs. algebra), with or without diagram support, and levels of learner expertise.

Seventh, in line with existing research (e.g., Mayer & Gallini, Citation 1990 ) and our research pertaining to percentage problems (Ngu et al., Citation 2023 ; Ngu et al., Citation 2018 ), the present study used the term ‘pictorial’ in the unitary-pictorial approach and the equation-pictorial approach to denote the visual representations, scaffolding the underlying problem structures of percentage problems. Nonetheless, as suggested by one of the reviewers, it may be more appropriate to use ‘diagram’ instead of ‘pictorial’ to represent a problem structure of a word problem. Thus, researchers may wish to consider the alternative term ‘unitary-diagram approach’ instead of ‘unitary-pictorial approach’ so as to avoid misinterpretation of using the term ‘pictorial’ to denote a storyline of a word problem (Hegarty & Kozhevnikov, Citation 1999 ).

Finally, central to the present study is our attempt to develop appropriate instructional designs that could help facilitate quality learning experiences in mathematics. Quality learning experiences, in this case, may espouse personal enjoyment (Hagenauer & Hascher, Citation 2014 ; Koops, Citation 2017 ), engagement in mastery and deep learning (O’Grady & Choy, Citation 2008 ; Senko & Miles, Citation 2008 ), and personal experience of flow (Asakawa, Citation 2010 ; Csíkszentmihályi, Citation 2014 ). A follow-up study could examine the relationship between appropriate instructional designs (without a diagram vs. a diagram, non-algebra vs. algebra) and quality learning experiences and other adaptive-related outcomes in mathematics. For example, aside from effective cognitive processing (e.g., the processing of visual representations), how does the utilization of visualizations serve to motivate novice learners?

The present study is unique for its emphasis on examining the dichotomy of a specific type of instructional approach (without a diagram vs. a diagram) across two types of instructional approach (non-algebra vs. algebra) and two levels of learner expertise, which has not been investigated by prior researchers. Can the presence of a diagram improve the effectiveness of a specific instructional approach (e.g., equation vs. equation-pictorial)? Our research interest to identify the relative effectiveness of the dichotomy of a specific type of instructional approach (unitary vs. unitary-pictorial) lends itself to students of varying levels of expertise. For example, students who lack prior knowledge may find it more difficult to identify and/or to interpret the problem structure that is embedded in the diagram. It is also plausible that the presence or absence of a diagram bears little, if any, benefit for more knowledgeable students. Overall, considering two levels of learner expertise together, our research undertaking has yielded a number of interesting findings—for example: (i) performance outcomes favoring more knowledgeable students were more pronounced for the unitary-pictorial approach than the equation-pictorial approach, and (ii) with relevant prior algebra knowledge, less knowledgeable students also benefited from the equation-pictorial approach. From an educational point of view, the current results can help mathematics educators to make informed decision regarding when to incorporate diagrams in order to cater for students’ diverse learning needs.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the teachers and students of the schools who participated in this study. A special thank is extended to the reviewers for their insights and critical comments, which helped to shape the final version of the article.

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Authorization Specialist

The Authorization Specialist works with providers, patients, ancillary departments, pharmacy and insurance carriers to ensure that all information is coded correctly to obtain authorizations for maximum reimbursements.

• Administrative, Secretarial & Clerical
• Opening on: Sep 9 2024
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Associates Degree and three years relevant patient financial/insurance services experience (preferably in a healthcare setting) or equivalent combination of education and experience. Working knowledge of medical terminology, familiarity with medical coding and written/oral communication skills required. Excellent problem solving skills, computer and keyboarding skills required. This position requires strong knowledge of ICD, CPT, and J codes to effectively communicate all information to insurance carriers. Ability to maintain good public relations with patients, families, co-workers and other individuals as necessary.

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