Ready to Roar: Problem Solving
July 16, 2024
LSU produces highly capable students that are ready to enter the workplace of any
discipline. The combination of professional experiences, academic pursuits, and involvement
opportunities on and off campus produce graduates that are: Ready to Roar.
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Problem solving
What is problem solving?
The process of designing, evaluating, and implementing a strategy to answer an open-ended question or achieve a desired goal. Problem solving is a complex skill that requires a combination of critical thinking, creativity, and analytical skills.
What problem solving looks like:
- Developing an action plan to address a problem in an ethical and reasonable manner.
- Listening to multiple parties, evaluating their complaints, and identifying possible solutions.
- Suggesting multiple creative options on a team project.
- Managing conflict empathetically, ensuring that all parties feel valued and heard.
- Identifying areas of growth in an organization and implementing the plan to affect growth.
- Responding to changes in real time to not impede progress towards a goal.
Where to build problem solving skills as a student:
- Class projects
- Roommate conflicts
- Student employment
- Student research (LSU Discover)
- Student organization judicial roles
- Professional internships
How employers may ask about problem solving:
- Tell me about a major conflict you recently handled. Were you successful in resolving it?
- Have you ever been in a situation where you had to act based on your morals vs popular opinion?
- Describe a situation that required several things to be done at the same time.
- Guide me through an experience where you had to anticipate the needs of someone else and create a plan to effectively address those needs.
- Can you describe a time when you had to multitask effectively?
How to put problem solving skills on your resume:
- Generated creative solutions to solve new problems that arose on the job.
- Benchmarked with competitors and compiled into a 20-minute presentation for 11+ sales directors.
- Tested a variety of equipment using factors such as three-point bed, torque, and column strength.
- Provided product recommendations to increase customer satisfaction and managed customer complaints.
- Researched appropriate product materials based on needed strength and heat endurance.
- Counseled residents in the process of resolving interpersonal conflicts between roommates and suite members.
- Assessed student progress and incorporated new techniques and language to explain complex content.
- Managed restaurant seating chart and ensured that all servers received the appropriate amount
of customers throughout every shift.
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