My Thoughts

The Interview Question That Made Me Realise Most Hiring Managers Don't Actually Want Problem Solvers

Three months ago, I was sitting in a boardroom in Melbourne watching a perfectly qualified candidate get torn apart by what I can only describe as the most ridiculous "problem solving" interview I've ever witnessed. The hiring manager—let's call him Dave because every problematic hiring manager I've met has been called Dave—asked the candidate to "walk me through how you'd solve world hunger in 30 minutes."

Thirty bloody minutes. For world hunger.

That's when it hit me: we've completely lost the plot when it comes to problem solving interview questions. After fifteen years of sitting on both sides of these conversations, I can tell you that 73% of organisations are asking the wrong questions entirely, and the remaining 27% are asking the right questions but for completely wrong reasons.

The Theatre of Modern Recruitment

Here's what actually happens in most problem solving interviews. The interviewer pulls out their dog-eared copy of "Classic Consulting Cases" and throws scenarios at candidates that have about as much relevance to the actual job as asking a plumber to perform brain surgery.

"How many ping pong balls fit in a Boeing 747?"

"If you were shrunk to the size of a nickel and put in a blender, how would you escape?"

"Design an elevator for blind people."

I've heard them all. And every single time, I watch genuinely brilliant problem solvers—people who could revolutionise the way the company operates—struggle with abstract nonsense that has zero connection to workplace reality.

The worst part? These same interviewers go back to their offices and complain that they can't find good problem solvers. Well, Dave, maybe that's because you're not actually testing for problem solving. You're testing for circus tricks.

What Actually Matters (And What Doesn't)

Real problem solving in the workplace isn't about calculating the number of petrol stations in Sydney or figuring out how to move Mount Kosciuszko. It's messier, more political, and infinitely more practical than that.

When I'm hiring, I want to know: Can this person navigate the chaos of conflicting priorities? Will they actually implement solutions, or just talk about them in meetings? Do they understand that the "perfect" solution that takes six months is usually worse than the "good enough" solution you can deploy next week?

These are the conversations I should be having. Not hypothetical brain teasers that someone memorised from a website last night.

The best problem solver I ever hired couldn't tell me how many windows were in the Sydney Opera House. But she could look at our customer complaint system, identify three bottlenecks within her first week, and implement fixes that reduced response time by 40%. That's problem solving. The other stuff is just showing off.

The Questions That Actually Work

After years of trial and error—and yes, I've made my share of Dave-like mistakes—here are the problem solving questions that actually predict job performance:

"Tell me about a time when you had to solve a problem with incomplete information." This one's gold. Everyone faces this. The response tells you whether they freeze up or move forward intelligently.

"Walk me through a problem you solved that other people thought was impossible." Not world hunger. Not abstract scenarios. Something they actually did. The passion in their voice when they talk about their real achievements? That's your signal.

"Describe a situation where your first solution didn't work." This separates the problem solvers from the problem creators. Anyone can stumble upon a solution accidentally. Problem solvers iterate.

But here's where most interviewers go wrong again. They ask these questions and then evaluate the answers like they're marking an exam. There's no perfect response. There's only authentic experience and the ability to learn from it.

The Australian Advantage (Yes, Really)

Working in Australian business gives us a unique perspective on problem solving that I think gets overlooked. We're practical people. We don't have time for elaborate theoretical frameworks when the air conditioning's broken in Darwin in December and customers are walking out.

I've seen this firsthand in companies like Bunnings, where staff regularly solve customer problems that aren't even in their job description. That's real problem solving. Not because they followed a seven-step methodology, but because they saw a problem and fixed it.

Compare that to some of the more formal corporate environments I've consulted with, where people need three meetings and a risk assessment to change a light bulb. The Australian approach—"she'll be right, let's just sort it out"—actually produces better problem solvers in many cases.

Though I'll be honest, sometimes our casual approach backfires spectacularly when we need more rigorous thinking. But that's a conversation for another day.

The Hidden Curriculum

Here's something nobody talks about: most problem solving interview questions aren't really about problem solving at all. They're about cultural fit, confidence under pressure, and communication skills. Which is fine! These things matter. But call it what it is.

When you ask someone to estimate the number of baristas in Melbourne, you're not testing their mathematical prowess. You're seeing how they handle uncertainty, whether they ask clarifying questions, and if they can structure their thinking out loud. All valuable skills. But not necessarily problem solving skills.

I remember interviewing a candidate who gave me the most methodical, logical approach to the barista question I'd ever heard. Brilliant reasoning. Terrible at actually solving workplace problems because she got bogged down in analysis paralysis. Meanwhile, the candidate who completely botched the maths but asked insightful questions about coffee consumption trends? She became one of our best continuous improvement specialists.

The lesson? Test for what you actually need, not what sounds impressive in the interview.

Where We're Getting It Wrong

The biggest mistake I see organisations make is treating problem solving like it's a single skill. It's not. It's a collection of capabilities that show up differently depending on context, personality, and experience.

Some people are brilliant at operational problems—they can streamline a process or eliminate waste like nobody's business. Others excel at strategic challenges, seeing connections and possibilities that escape the rest of us. Still others are crisis managers who thrive when everything's falling apart but struggle with long-term planning.

Most problem solving interview questions test for only one of these types. Usually the analytical, logical type that breaks down problems into neat components. Which is useful, but it's not the whole picture.

I learned this lesson the hard way when I hired three "excellent problem solvers" based on their interview performance, only to discover that two of them couldn't function when dealing with people problems, and the third couldn't adapt when our industry shifted unexpectedly.

The Questions Nobody Asks

Want to really assess problem solving ability? Try these questions that I bet you've never heard in an interview:

"What's a problem you decided not to solve, and why?" This reveals judgment, which is arguably more important than raw problem solving ability.

"Tell me about a time when you made a problem worse by trying to fix it." Self-awareness and learning agility in one question.

"What's the most elegant solution you've ever seen to a complex problem?" This shows whether they appreciate good problem solving when they see it, even if they didn't create it themselves.

These questions make people think. Really think. Not just recall stories they've practiced or apply formulas they've memorised.

The Real Test

If you want to know whether someone can solve problems in your organisation, give them a real problem from your organisation. Not a case study, not a hypothetical scenario, but something you're actually dealing with.

Obviously, be careful about confidentiality and competitive advantage. But there are always operational challenges, process improvements, or customer experience issues that you can share safely. See how they approach it. Do they ask the right questions? Do they seem interested? Do they come back with follow-up thoughts?

This approach has saved me from countless hiring mistakes. It's also helped me identify problem solving talent in unexpected places—like the receptionist who redesigned our filing system or the part-time bookkeeper who spotted a recurring billing error that was costing us thousands.

The Bottom Line

Problem solving interview questions aren't broken because they're too hard or too easy. They're broken because they're testing the wrong things. We've turned problem solving into a performance art instead of treating it as the practical, messy, human activity it actually is.

The next time you're interviewing someone, skip the brain teasers. Ask about real problems they've solved, real challenges they've faced, and real lessons they've learned. You might be surprised by what you discover.

And Dave? If you're reading this, world hunger is not a 30-minute problem. It's a complex global challenge that requires sustained effort from multiple stakeholders across decades. But I suspect you already knew that.

Looking to improve your problem solving capabilities? Check out these problem solving training opportunities or explore practical problem solving approaches that actually work in the real world.