Applicants for an interview should be able to handle many questions and should have the ability to think on their feet.
While almost candidates prepare for an interview by going through the most commonly asked questions related to one’s academic qualifications and past work experiences, it is also essential to prepare for some offbeat questions.
One such question is when hiring managers ask you to give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem.
Hence, on such occasions, you must be able to draw from your experiences and narrate how you used your reasoning powers and analytical skills to overcome a problem by working through it logically.
It does not matter which sector you belong to. Every sector has problems, and you need to approach them with a level head.
What you must ensure is that your response must be logical. Do not give examples where chance played a significant factor in helping you solve the problem. To answer this question, you must be able to look back on your career and pick out critical incidents that benefited the company because of your logical reasoning.
Why Do Employers Ask You to Give an Example Where You Used Logic to Solve a Problem?
Employers ask you to give this example to ensure that you are logical in your approach while solving a problem. Many applicants these days mention problem-solving skills and logical reasoning as their skills while preparing their resumes.
However, no matter what they claim, there is no way to find out how good they are at what they claim until after they have been recruited. And in most cases, candidates often fall short of expectations, especially at the junior level.
They are too overwhelmed at work or depend on others to devise a solution.
While teamwork is to be encouraged, a candidate must also have the potential to solve a problem with logic if they progress in their career and take on a leadership role in the future. Asking them to give real-life examples is one of the best ways in which the hiring managers can evaluate the applicants. They can determine whether you will fit in with the company’s ethos in the long run and whether your skills will benefit the department.
The Best Way to Response When Asked to Give an Example When You Used Logic to Solve a Problem
Before you answer this question, you need to be careful about how to frame your responses. Here are some tips to help you out.
1. Draw From Your Previous Experiences
You must spend some time thinking about your experiences where you had a successful outcome after facing a problem. It is important to provide concrete answers at this point.
You can mention how the firm went through a lull during the production process, and you stepped in to increase the production without increasing the budget.
Suppose you are interviewing for your first job. In that case, you can relate an experience from your college days where you took on a difficult assignment or project and logically went through it for the desired outcome, making sure your college team won.
2. Relate the Example to the Position You Are Applying For
You must have encountered quite a few challenging situations and various phases of your work life, but choosing an example, choose the one most relevant to the position you are applying for.
This will help you align your response to the job you are interested in, and your employers will see that you are the perfect fit. They will understand that you can use your reasoning powers to solve problems specific to the industry, not just any random problem you have encountered.
3. Understanding the Company’s Value System
Every company has a code of conduct and follows a set of ethics. You must go through the mission statement on the company website to understand its core value.
When it comes to decision-making, companies are very particular about who they want to be a part of the organization. They are hiring from the best talent pool from across the world, and you have to know how you can add value to the company.
While using logic and reasoning is essential, you must also be aligned with the company’s core values. This will set you apart from the ones who are only interested in the corporate rat race to further their careers.
Bonus Read: Situational Interview Questions and Answers
4. Use Story-Telling Techniques
One of the best ways to put the message across that you can use logic to solve a problem is to use a storytelling technique. That does not entail using complicated plots and subplots with intricate details to dramatize how you solved a problem at the workplace, far from it.
You can use the STAR Method instead to show how you took specific steps to solve a problem logically.
It is an established tool where you form concise answers to discuss a situation, a given problem, what action you took to solve the task, and the result.
To do so, first, you need to provide details of the problem and explain the circumstances. Next, you have to state the objective of solving the problem. For example, the solution must be to cut costs or increase customer engagement.
After that, you must talk about the step-by-step process you use to solve the matter logically.
You can also talk about any specific hurdles your way and what challenges you and your team had to face. Finally, it would be best if you talked about the result and improvements that were brought about after solving the problem.
5. Framing Your Response
While framing your response, you mustn’t sound overconfident about solving the problem. Your approach should be that of reporting. However, you can include any words of praise that your supervisor had for you after you solved the problem.
You can also state your enthusiasm after solving the problem and how it increased your confidence, preparing you to take on more challenging projects in the future.
You can also check in with the interviewer and ask whether they need more details about the scenario. Finally, always highlight how solving the problem helped the company and helped increase the revenue or resulted in other positive changes.
6. Practicing Your Response
You have to be systematic in your approach while giving an example of how you used logic to solve a problem. You can do so by practicing in front of a mirror or with a friend.
You must always use a step-by-step format to prepare the answer, Be because it will help you highlight the logical steps you have taken to solve the problem. It will also prevent you from getting confused in a new environment while facing a panel of interviewers. Work on your voice modulation and try to work on your body language as well.
Some Example Answers to Help You Answer When You Used Logic to Solve a Problem
Here are some sample answers to help you answer this question. You can customize them according to the specific job role you are applying for.
Example of Customer Service
You can talk about how you were an executive with the customer service team and the challenges you faced.
A customer approached the desk and asked about the new discount offers. However, the store’s mobile application had glitches, and the system was not recognizing the customer’s code.
However, I did not want the customer to be disappointed, so I manually verified the code of each customer and punched in the details accurately. I also tested the different discount codes and cross-checked them with the information stored in the database.
In the meantime, I informed the IT team, and they were working on solving the glitch. In the end, the customers left happy, and the store made a good profit that day.
Example from Health Care
You can talk about the challenges you faced one day as a nurse.
As a nurse, I must use my problem-solving skills regularly to diagnose patients and provide them with the best possible treatment.
A few months back, a patient came in with a stomach problem. While initially it was thought to be stomach flu, I enquired about the patient’s diet. The problem continued increasing as the patient returned, despite repeated medication doses.
In the end, after much questioning and tests, it was diagnosed that the patient was allergic to chestnuts. Once it was removed from her diet, she recovered completely.
Example of Business Scenario
You can talk about how you solved the problem for a business house as an employee.
The business was going through a slump, and it was impossible to increase production without increasing the budget. The aim was to reduce costs so that production could go up.
I systematically conducted market research and found new vendors who would sell the raw materials in bulk and at lower prices without compromising the quality of the products. I also used quantitative analysis to ensure how it will increase the revenue over the subsequent months.
Once I presented the report, the new vendors were brought on board. The production increased by 22%, also increasing the company’s profit.
Example from IT
You can talk about meeting challenges in an IT company.
I worked as an analyst in an IT company and had to analyze data sets. I noticed that our competitors’ revenue was increasing while ours was more or less stagnant. It was not in sync with our forecasts.
To avoid such anomalies in the future, I made sure that we upgraded the analytics model and also updated how we conducted market research and used data. I also checked the new model myself multiple times, and the accuracy of predictions went up by 26%.
Conclusion
Being able to stay calm and think logically in stressful situations is difficult, and it is a quality that is much appreciated by hiring managers. Hence, if you can show this ability, you will remarkably increase your chances of being hired. It is essential to be logical and creative while working at a job.
When the time comes, one has to use both these aspects to overcome difficulties. If you can answer this question with confidence, then there is very little that will stop you, and you can pass the interview with flying colors.
