The core skill behind every job and how to show you have it

If you go through 10 job descriptions across different industries, levels, and roles, you’ll notice there’s 1 requirement that sits at the core of every single job.

Problem-solving skills.

In simple terms, problem solving is about fixing things. It’s being able to identify a situation that needs to change, understand what a better outcome looks like, figure out how to get there, and then evaluate whether what you did actually worked.

The reason why it exists in every job description is because every job exists to solve problems.

But the meaning of “problem solving” is different for different roles.

In this newsletter, I’ll break down:

• What does problem solving actually means across different roles and industries

• How to show it in your job applications

• How to prove you have it in interviews

Before we do that, let’s get a word from our partners.

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Problem solving = different meaning for different roles

I’ve had 4 different roles over the course of my career.

I’ve worked as a consultant, a project manager, an IT implementation manager, and now I run My First Australian Offer.

In each of these roles, the meaning of problem solving was completely different.

In my first role as a consultant, problem solving was largely analytical. It involved breaking down client problems, and using structured frameworks, to arrive at a solution.

In my project management role with the Aboriginal Housing Office, problem solving was less about frameworks and more about coordination. It involved liaising with the Aboriginal residents and tradies, and figuring out how to get solar installations completed during COVID.

As an IT implementation manager, problem solving meant setting and managing the expectations of CTOs and their tech teams.

This is the first thing you need to get clear on.

What does problem solving actually mean in the context of the job you’re applying or interviewing for?

Until you understand that, you won’t be able to show it in a way that feels relevant.

Problem solving for a nurse is very different to problem solving for a data analyst, which is again very different to problem solving for a sales representative.

Until you are actually working in that role, you won’t know exactly what problem solving looks like day-to-day. But you can get a pretty clear idea by carefully reviewing the position description.

Look at what the role is responsible for. Look at the challenges it is trying to solve. Look at the outcomes it is measured on.

That’s where you start to understand what problem solving actually means in that context.

Showing problem solving skills in your application

There are two main places where you can show problem solving in your job applications: your resume and your cover letter.

In many ways, it’s easier to show it in a cover letter because you have more space to explain your thinking and walk someone through how you approached a situation.

However, cover letters are not really required for every application, which is why the real focus needs to be on your resume.

Now, what most students tend to do is, whenever they’re trying to show problem solving or any soft skill, they just add it to the skills section.

Skills: Problem Solving | Team player | Communication | Detail Oriented | Collaborator

This is what we call a weak signal.

Recruiters see the same thing in every resume, and it doesn’t give them any real context around what you’ve actually done, how you approach problems, or what you’re capable of.

They are not looking for claims, they’re looking for evidence.

The only place where you can really show that is in your experience section, through your bullet points, or in your projects where you can actually explain what you did.

Here’s what you need to do:

As you write your bullets for each past job and other experiences, the goal is to go beyond just listing what you did.

Every bullet should reflect a problem you had to deal with, how you approached it, and what happened as a result.

A simple way to think about this is:

• What was the challenge?

• What did you do about it?

• What was the outcome?

For example, let’s say you were working as a project coordinator and had to deal with delays in a project due to misalignment between internal teams and external vendors.

Instead of writing something like:

“Coordinated project timelines and stakeholder communication”

We write:

Coordinated cross-functional teams and external vendors to resolve project delays by identifying gaps in communication and implementing a weekly progress tracking system, helping bring the project back on schedule and reducing delays by 30%

Another important recommendation is to use the right language to strengthen this.

Words like analysed, identified, evaluated, coordinated, and resolved signal that you actively think through problems rather than just executing tasks.

Proving your problem solving skills in an interview

Here are some of the most commonly asked behavioural questions in graduate interviews:

• Tell me about a time you were managing multiple priorities. How did you go about managing them?

• Tell me about a time when you were working with diverse teams. How did you manage that?

• Tell me about a time when a project was not going as per the plan or you dealt with failure. How did you manage that?

• Tell me about a time when you were working with tough stakeholders. What was the approach that you took there?

On the surface, these questions look like they are testing different skills. But all of them are centred around the same thing.

They are testing your problem solving.

With most behavioural questions, the go-to advice you’ll hear is to follow the STAR approach.

I’m not a huge fan of relying on it too strictly because it often leads to answers that feel mechanical and lack depth.

If you think about any strong story, whether it’s Harry Potter, Spider-Man, or The Lord of the Rings, in each and every one of them, there’s a protagonist living their normal life (Situation), a villain appears who tries to make their life miserable (Challenge), the protagonist responds (Action), and then there’s a final resolution which in most cases is protagonist saving the world (Result).

You want to use this same storytelling approach in your behavioural answers.

The key difference here from the usual STAR approach is the emphasis on the challenge. You need to clearly explain what made the situation difficult, because if the problem sounds small or unclear, your solution will never come across as impressive.

Let’s take this as an example:

This is a strong answer because it goes beyond just showing that you can manage multiple priorities.

It shows you can solve problems + you’ve worked with government clients, led teams, written high-value project proposals, managed stakeholders, and delegated effectively.

That’s what makes this powerful. It shows depth, range, and impact of your problem solving, which is exactly the kind of profile employers want to hire.