Problem Solving Skills

Problem-solving skills help you determine why an issue is happening and how to resolve that issue. Learn more about problem-solving skills and how they work.

What Are Problem-Solving Skills?

Your ability to rapidly and efficiently solve problems is facilitated by these skills. Employers prioritize people who possess this competence since these individuals have a tendency to be independent. It takes quick thinking to pinpoint the root of the problem and put a fix in place.

Instead of a hard skill acquired through school or training, problem-solving is regarded as a soft skill (a personal strength). By being familiar with frequent problems in your business and picking up tips from more seasoned workers, you can enhance your problem-solving abilities.

How Problem-Solving Skills Work

Problem-solving starts with identifying the issue. For example, a teacher might need to figure out how to improve student performance on a writing proficiency test. To do that, the teacher will review the writing tests looking for areas of improvement. They might see that students can construct simple sentences, but they're struggling with writing paragraphs and organizing those paragraphs into an essay.

To solve the problem, the teacher would work with students on how and when to write compound sentences, how to write paragraphs, and ways to organize an essay.