Logic And Problem Solving

This gives the interviewer insight into how people are likely to function on the job- but it also means that the interviewee needs a little more preparation to be successful.When interviewers give you prompts like- ‘Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem-‘ they are looking for more than just your command of the procedures and protocols of the job.

If you see someone else’s code or have someone to guide you, you can follow along.

But maybe you feel uncertain about doing it yourself and have trouble turning your thoughts into code at first even though you understand the syntax or logic.

I organized a cross-shift problem solving team that spent the next day going back through our product codes and orders to find the discrepancy- so that we had the shortest possible delay on properly packing and shipping out orders- and I helped to keep our packing department moving forward during the delay by designing and implementing a short-term hand-tracking system that sidestepped the computer until the crisis was over.

That way- our longest delay shipping out an order was 48 hours.

Your own answers to behavioral interview questions should be about this specific- and they should also reflect the same kinds of stages of description and explanation.

To get to your best response- keep practicing throughout your interview preparation period.

If you are making even a popular game like Hangman, be sure to read through any rules even if you’ve played it before.

I once was asked to make a game like Hangman that I realized was “Evil Hangman” only after I read through the instructions (it was a trick! Sometimes I’ll even try explaining the problem to a friend and see if her understanding of my explanation matches the problem I am tasked with.

The longer you take to answer- the more likely it is that the listener will miss a detail or misunderstand the point.

The best answers will last about as long as an elevator speech—long enough to tell a clear- brief story and make a point- but that is all.