problem solving skills required

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.

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.

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

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.

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

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

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.

Recent Job Searches

Workplace Communication: What Is Active Listening?

Inductive Reasoning: What Is It? (With Examples)

Top 8 Skills Employers Look For In Job Candidates (With Examples)

How to Write a Conclusion for a Research Paper

Topics: Desired Traits , Skills

Oh no! We couldn't find anything like that.

Try another search, and we'll give it our best shot.

7 Problem Solving Skills Marketing Managers Need & How to Improve Them

Updated: November 19, 2021

Published: November 03, 2021

Think back to a time you had to solve a problem but didn't have all of the right information. What did you do? Situations like this pop up all the time at work and put your problem solving skills to the test.

marketing managers collaborate to use problem solving skills

As a marketing manager, one may think your job doesn't revolve around problem solving. But it's an essential part of putting out fires at work — and making sure there's a process in place to prevent issues from happening again.

Download Now: 5 Free Skill Development Templates

Whether you're making decisions that affect an entire team or simply creating solutions for yourself, strong problem solving skills can help you grow as a person and a professional.

In this post, we'll cover what it means to come up with creative solutions and how to hone the skills to approach problems like a pro.

What are problem solving skills?

Problem solving skills allow you to notice an issue, identify the root cause, design an effective solution, and successfully implement it. This includes the skills to evaluate whether or not your plan achieved the results you wanted.

The best problem solvers can anticipate problems before they arise and take action to prevent them or lessen the impact. They use logic to define what needs to change and creativity to propose innovative solutions.

Having strong problem solving skills can help you impress your manager, contribute unique ideas, and achieve your goals. It also means you can work through the core steps of solving a problem:

While there are many types of problem solving skills, many are considered soft skills that you develop over time. Think communication skills, people skills, social skills, and personality traits. For example, a marketing manager needs to be able to solve a conflict between team members or devise a plan to keep their campaigns going if the company marketing budget is cut.

While problem solving skills can require you to use your technical ability, you have to establish a number of specific soft skills to identify issues and implement solutions.

Problem Solving Skills Examples

No matter your career path, being an effective problem solver is beneficial for personal and career growth. Here's a look at the skills you may use when solving a problem:

Problem Solving Skills Marketing Managers Need

A marketing manager who notices issues and makes decisions to solve them is a valuable addition to any company. This type of person gets things done and motivates others to do the same.

The further you grow in your career, the more problem solving skills you need to have in your toolkit. The higher up you get in an organization, decisions become riskier, solutions are often more vague, and the potential impact can be monumental to the company.

Let's look at the top problem solving skills you need to be a successful marketing manager.

1. Analytical Skills

Solving any problem starts with analyzing the issue — you have to go beyond the symptoms of the problem to find the root cause.

Maybe your team is routinely going over budget on social campaign spend. Instead of micro-managing every detail, analytical skills help you dig into the problem to see what may be going wrong. You find that your social media coordinators can set up campaigns correctly, but they lack the basic budgeting skills to keep spending on track. So you devise a training program to teach them about profit, loss, and financial forecasting.

Being analytical can include a number of essential problem solving skills for marketers:

2. Creativity

Once you discover the true problem, you can come up with the ideal solution. This is where you put your creative problem solving skills to the test. And for those who question whether creativity plays into solving problems, creativity is one of Indeed's top 20 in-demand skills for 2021 across all industries and fields.

Sometimes the solution to a problem is not always straight-forward, and can require creative thinking and other points of view to be resolved.

Creativity comes in many styles. Engineers can create innovative code, and writers can come up with new blog styles. For marketing managers, creativity plays out in a number of problem solving skills:

3. Judgment

With dozens of solutions before you, how do you choose the best one? Through exercising sound judgment. Developing good judgment lets you consider the nature of a problem, possible setbacks, costs and resources, decision makers, and how to implement a solution. You can compare between options and select the solution that's right for each unique situation.

As a marketing manager, you can showcase your judgment skills through:

4. Communication

Communication skills are the foundation of problem solving and one of the top leadership skills . As a manager, you need to be able to articulate your opinions, brainstorm with a colleague, and give feedback to a direct report. Being a good communicator also helps you relay your decision on a solution and align everyone to tackle it together.

Without specific problem solving communication skills, issues can't be resolved quickly and efficiently. That's why to be an effective leader and expert problem solver, it's important to make sure you have the following communication skills:

5. Organization

Once you've chosen a solution to a problem and communicated it to your team, you still have to create a process to carry out your plan. Organization skills help you implement the steps everyone needs to take, which can improve alignment and efficiency.

Setting up a strategy for your solution uses a number of problem solving skills including:

6. Teamwork

No marketing manager is an island. Teamwork is essential for working with others and contributing to a company's mission. It's necessary for exchanging ideas, delegating tasks, and working toward a solution.

Even if your role is largely independent work, you still need teamwork to collaborate with colleagues in different departments and keep your goals on track. But as a marketer, your role usually involves interacting with multiple people (if not dozens) per day. So you need to develop the skills that will make everyone want you on their team.

7. Evaluation

When problem solving, evaluation skills let you assess if a solution is working and help you make the necessary adjustments. These are similar to analytical skills, but often require more patience and flexibility in case your strategy didn't go as planned. It's important to know whether or not your plan is working as quickly as possible so you can pivot and try another solution.

How to Improve Problem Solving Skills

Developing your problem solving skills isn't as straightforward as mastering Excel. But marketing managers can take several steps to improve their skills and advance their careers.

Question your decisions.

Relying on your gut instinct isn't the path to expert problem solving skills. Instead, try taking time to consciously question why you make decisions and what the outcomes may be if you choose one option over another. You can ask yourself:

Look for opportunities to solve more problems.

Many experiences in your personal and professional life help you hone your problem solving skills, often without you even realizing it. You can gain or improve your skills by doing any of the following:

Find models and games to improve your problem solving skills.

A combination of proven models and fun mental games can help you develop problem solving skills. Some can hone your decision-making abilities, while others let you determine the cost of the possible solutions. Depending on which set of skills you want to improve, look to options like:

Demonstrating Problem Solving Skills

Knowing how to solve problems at work is not only crucial for contributing to company goals — it's also a must-have for moving to management positions. That's why it's important to highlight the skills you already have. This includes adding problem solving skills to your resume and showcasing your abilities during job interviews.

Whether you're looking for a marketing manager role or wondering what to say next time an opportunity to advance at your current company opens up, start with the STAR method . It's designed to help you think through your experiences so you can articulate your specific problem solving skills. Make sure to give an overview of a challenge you had to overcome, how you approached it, what solution you found, and what outcome you achieved.

Honing your problem solving skills makes you more valuable as a manager and team member. So putting in time to develop the skills most relevant to your current (and future!) roles can make it easier to climb the ladder and come up with efficient, effective solutions.

Don't forget to share this post!

The Best Ways to Get Visibility from Your CMO and Other Marketing Execs Who Can Move You Forward [Data]

How to Give Off Good Boss Energy, According to 9 HubSpot Leaders

20 Technical Skills Every Marketer Needs

Leadership Styles: The 11 Most Common & How to Find Your Style [Quiz]

10 Ways to Establish Yourself as an Industry Thought Leader

15+ Organizational Skills Every Leader Needs [+ Ways to Develop Them]

23 Stats We Gained from Surveying Marketing Leaders [New Data]

MBO (Management by Objectives): Everything You Need to Know

Why Self-Awareness in Leadership is a Must-Have for Success

Leadership vs. Management: Key Differences You Should Know

5 free templates to help individuals develop, improve, and master skills.

Back to Articles

The 8 Problem-Solving Skills to Master in the Workplace

Build and maintain strong problem-solving skills to make a huge impact on your career. Problems arise daily at work. Learn how to face all workplace problems head-on.

What Are Common Problem Solving Skills?

Essential problem-solving skills, open-mindedness, active listening skills , analytic skills, research skills, communication skills.

Dependability

Teamwork skills, how to show your problem-solving skills .

Career Success

9 monday motivation tricks to try.

Need to motivate—and fast? Here are some Monday motivation quotes, tricks, and more to get back into the swing of things!

How to Overcome Your Biggest Career Insecurities For Good

Got insecurities at work? Sure, we all have things that make us feel less-than or even downright impostor-y at work. Here's how to combat your biggest insecurities at work.

How to Introduce Yourself Professionally

Looking to make a great first impression at your new job? Here's our in-depth how-to on how to introduce yourself professionally.

30+ Positive Character Traits of a Great Employee

We talk a lot about the hard skills you need at work and the soft skills you should have to succeed. But how do you showcase your best character traits in the interview process and throughout your career?

How Manifestation Actually Works + How to Manifest Your Next Career Opportunity

Sometimes, we all need to manifest what we want from the inside out. Skeptical? Read this article and change your mind.

24 Tips to Master Your First Day of Work

Sometimes it feels like getting the job is just getting past the first hurdle. Here's how to get through your first day at work with ease—while impressing all of your new coworkers. You've got this.

How to Reduce Your Chances of Being Laid Off

Layoffs are top of the news cycle—and for a good reason. Is there anything employees can do to avoid their chances of being laid off? We have a few tips to help avoid layoffs.

10 Power Moves to Help You Pivot, Reboot, and Build a Career of Purpose

No matter your age or employment status, these ten Power Moves are designed to help you take control of your career.

How to Run Meetings Like a True Leader: 25 Tips And Tricks

It's time to build more effective meetings. Here's what productive, meaningful meetings look like—and how to run them.

Get the Best Career Advice Delivered To Your Inbox

Join our newsletter to stay in the loop.

By clicking "submit," you agree to receive emails from Career Contessa and accept our web terms of use and privacy policy .

IMAGES

6 Best Problem Solving Skills to Adopt!
Where the problem solving skills are necessary?
Problem-Solving Skills and Techniques Explained
15 Ways to Learn How to Improve Problem Solving Skills
What are the examples of problem-solving skill?- Problem Solving
5 Powerful formulas to develop your problem solving skills

VIDEO

Problem Solving Skills
Why problem solving skills you have ?
Easy to make flying paper windmill(DIY crafts for kids)
Mr. Ong's Viral TikTok Puzzle with More than 700,000 views
How To Improve Problem Solving Skills For Your Work Life
2 DSA Practice

COMMENTS

What Are Problem-Solving Skills? Definition and Examples
Problem-solving skills are the ability to identify problems, brainstorm and analyze answers, and implement the best solutions. An employee with
Problem solving: the mark of an independent employee
analytical skills · innovative and creative thinking · a lateral mindset · adaptability and flexibility · level-headedness · initiative · resilience (in order to
Problem Solving Skills
Problem Solving · Creativity. Problems are usually solved either intuitively or systematically. · Researching Skills. Defining and solving problems often requires
What Are Problem-Solving Skills? Definitions and Examples
What are problem-solving skills? · Active listening · Analysis · Research · Creativity · Communication · Decision-making · Team-building.
Problem Solving Skills: What Are They?
Problem-solving skills help you solve issues quickly and effectively. It's one of the key skills that employers seek in job applicants, as
The Top 5 Problem-Solving Skills Employers Want In 2023
Problem-solving is a complex skill. It involves critical thinking, decision-making, creativity, and information processing. Effective problem-
What Are Problem-Solving Skills? (Definition, Examples, And How
Summary. Problem-solving skills include analysis, creativity, prioritization, organization, and troubleshooting. To solve a problem, you need to
7 Problem Solving Skills Marketing Managers Need & How to
What are problem solving skills? · Identify and define the problem. · Come up with possible solutions. · Evaluate the options. · Choose the best
The 8 Problem-Solving Skills to Master in the Workplace
Essential Problem-Solving Skills · Open-Mindedness · Active Listening Skills · Analytic Skills · Creativity · Research Skills · Communication Skills · Dependability.
The importance of problem solving skills in the workplace
Problem-solving skills allow you to find candidates who are cognitively equipped to handle anything their jobs throw at them. Problem solvers can observe, judge