Alpha Bits

Information, insights and advice regarding today’s IT and pharmaceutical recruitment landscape. 

Showcase Your Problem Solving Skills

In many fields, problem-solving skills are a must. They allow you to navigate challenges and find solutions effectively, making you more efficient in your role.

However, highlighting your problem-solving skills when applying to pharmacy degree jobs or other positions can seem difficult. But by using the right approach, it can be easier than you’d expect.

If you want to showcase your problem-solving skills during your job search, here’s how to go about it.

Add the Right Achievements to Your Resume

In many cases, professional accomplishments do require some problem-solving to make them happen. So if you have an achievement in your background that required a creative solution of your own design, discussing it in your application can be a great way to show you’re a problem-solver.

While this approach is a bit indirect, as you may never actually use the term “problem-solving” when describing the accomplishment, it does convey the message. Plus, it can be incredibly effective because you’re showing – not telling – the hiring manager that you excel in that area, making it a compelling approach.

For example, you can give them insights into your problem-solving skills by referencing other analytical capabilities or project management success, as these often go together. This allows you to show the hiring manager your problem-solving process without discussing it directly.

Prepare Examples for Your Interview

When it comes time to interview, you can showcase your problem-solving skills by having a few great examples ready. Any situation where you had to overcome an obstacle, navigate the unexpected, or troubleshoot an issue can be a great option. All of these require problem-solving, and by describing how you overcame the hurdle, you give them insights into your problem-solving skills.

As for how you work these examples in, they can be used when answering a range of interview questions. First, the hiring manager may ask you to describe a time you used problem-solving skills outright. This gives you a clear opening to share your most compelling one.

Second, many other questions are essentially asking for that kind of example, just indirectly. For example, if the hiring manager asks you to describe a time you overcame an obstacle, had to adapt to changing priorities, or other situations that require quick thinking and agility, they may also work as places to highlight your problem-solving capabilities.

Finally, many hiring managers pose hypotheticals, asking you to describe how you’d navigate a scenario. While you can explain your process, you can also work in a relevant example along the way. With that approach, your answer is no longer hypothetical, as an actual event supports it. That can be a great way to showcase your capabilities using an example, even though you weren’t specifically asked to provide one.

Apply Today And Join The Alpha Consulting Team

Ultimately, all of the options above can help you highlight your problem-solving skills during a job search. If you’d like to find out more, visit our blog, and if you are looking for pharmacy degree jobs or similar positions, the team at Alpha Consulting wants to hear from you. Contact us today.