Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Well, hello and
welcome to our podcast Success
Secrets and Stories.
I'm your host, john Wondoloski,and I'm here with my co-host
and friend, greg Powell Greg,hey, everybody.
And when we put together thispodcast, we wanted to put out a
helping hand and help that nextgeneration and help answer the
(00:35):
question of what does it mean tobe a leader?
Today, we want to talk about asubject that I think supports
that concept, about a subjectthat I think supports that
concept.
So I wanted to talk aboutsomething that I thought was
kind of an interesting article,that really I saw the video
first and I thought the videowas really entertaining and it's
(00:58):
something that I think youshould see.
It was on Indeed, and thedescription is indeedcom
backslash advice, backslashresume cover letter and it was
written by Jeniker Hereti and itwas updated in May 30th of 2025
(01:19):
.
And she did a wonderful articleand I think it's interesting in
both her example and what shetalked about as far as how to do
a resume.
So let's just start from thebeginning.
She starts out withproblem-solving skills.
Show employers that you havethe ability to handle challenges
, to think critically and tofind effective solutions.
(01:40):
These abilities are essentialfor improving business processes
, managing tasks and adapting tounexpected situations.
Beyond the workplace, strongproblem-solving skills can also
help you make a better decisionand build stronger relationships
in everyday life.
Developing these skills can setyou up apart professionally and
(02:05):
support you in terms ofsuccesses in other areas of your
life.
So, in this article that sheput together, she wanted to
discuss problem-solving skillsand provide tips to improve your
own skills and to highlightthem during your job search.
She goes on to say that havingthe ability to help individuals
(02:29):
to identify the root cause of anissue is key, evaluate the
potential solutions andimplement the most effective one
.
While problem solving is oftenviewed as a standalone skill, it
actually draws on a range ofrelated abilities critical
thinking, communication,adaptability, technical
(02:50):
expertise.
These skills are essentialacross virtually every
profession and career level.
For example, a registered nursemight use active listening and
clear communication tounderstand a patient's concerns,
while also applying technology,knowledge and medical
conditions and treatments,recognizing that when the
(03:13):
situation starts to escalate orthey need to contact a physician
.
That's all part of effectivedecision-making.
It ensures the best possibleoutcome for the patient.
So you're looking for theseskills in terms of how someone
is applying for a job andwhether they can demonstrate
(03:35):
that, since you have the HRexperience, and what would
actually interest somebody whenthey're reading a resume, I
thought this was an interestingtwist on trying to share that
knowledge.
Why don't you help out withthat description?
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Thanks, john.
So we're saying you want tohire a real problem solver.
So what should you be lookingfor in a resume?
How to highlight problemsolving skills during a job
search.
That's what we're going to helpyou with.
Demonstrating yourproblem-solving skills on your
resume and cover letter can helpemployers quickly see the value
that you could bring to theirteam.
(04:10):
These skills are especiallyimportant for roles in customer
service, engineering, managementand any position that involves
overcoming challenges, makingdecisions or improving processes
.
So you want to showcaseproblem-solving skills on that
resume.
You can highlightproblem-solving abilities in
several key areas of your resume, most notably in the skills,
(04:33):
achievements and experiencesections.
So under skills, be specificInstead of listing
problem-solving.
Break it down into moreactionable terms that reflect
both your technical skills andyour soft skills, like data
analysis, conflict resolution,decision making or creative
thinking.
You want to tailor your skillsto match the requirements in the
(04:56):
job description.
Now let's move to experience.
In the experience section, usebullet points to describe how
you address specific challengesand past roles.
We used to call this behavioralinterviewing.
What did you do to make it workright?
Highlight the actions you tookand the results you achieved,
using measurable outcomes whenpossible.
And then the achievementsection.
(05:18):
In the achievement section,emphasize standout moments where
your problem problem solvingskills made a clear impact, very
tangible impact.
Maybe you got recognized orrewarded.
Use language that showsinitiative and results.
Showcasing problem solvingskills in a cover letter right,
because that's the first thingthat the prospective employer is
going to see.
(05:38):
Your cover letter gives youmore room to tell your story,
because you're looking for printspace right.
Choose one compelling exampleof a time you successfully
solved a problem, ideally onethat's relevant to the role that
you're trying to apply for.
Alternatively, reference achallenge mentioned in the job
posting or implied by thecompany's overall goals.
Then briefly outline how youwould approach solving that
(06:01):
problem using your particularexpertise.
For example, if a company islooking to expand its social
media reach, you might mentionhow you previously grew an
Instagram audience by 60%through targeted content
strategies and engagementtactics.
This shows that you understandthe employer's needs and you're
already thinking about how to bea solution-oriented team.
(06:24):
Member John.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Yeah, so when you're
writing a resume and you're
trying to make that impact toget past the HR department sorry
, greg, but that really is theessence they're looking for
people who have those skill sets.
And just let's talk about someof the things that she brought
up, examples of problem-solvingskills.
So the first skill she broughtup was research, and to solve a
(06:48):
problem effectively, you'reexpected to first identify the
root cause, fully understand it,so you can gather the
information and researchtechniques or consult
experienced colleagues to expandyour knowledge.
These are all the kind ofthings that they're looking for
that should be on your resume.
Another example of activelistening.
(07:09):
I think it might be hard to doan example of that, but active
listening is typically involvingfocusing on the speaker,
understanding their message,reflecting on what they've had
to say and respondingthoughtfully, retaining the
information for future reference.
This can enable you to identifyunderlying problems and gather
(07:31):
important information andunderstand the different
perspectives when addressing anissue.
Adaptability, I think, is oneof those skill sets that people
are looking for within a resume.
Adaptability is a valuableskill in terms of problem
solving, especially in dynamicwork environments where
(07:51):
circumstances can shift rapidly.
Being adaptable means stayingopen to change, quickly
adjusting your approach whenneeded and remain effective.
Flexible thinkers are morelikely to test different
strategies and embrace feedback,leading to more resilient, more
(08:11):
effective problem-solvingprocesses.
Analysis is another one of thosekey steps in terms of what
people are looking for in aresume To show that you have the
ability to solve problems.
That involves strong analyticalskills and that can help you
understand the issue and developeffective solutions.
Next is one of my favorites sobeing a creative thinker and you
(08:32):
can show examples of creativethinking and your ability to
look at a problem from newangles and develop innovative,
out-of-the-box ideas.
These skills support thegeneration of creative solutions
and for me, just to get fromher text, I always had the what
if?
Question, trying to push thatpiece of what do you think we
(08:55):
should do next?
Having the ability to be acreative thinker.
Individuals and teams candiscover alternatives and break
through common roadblocks.
This process involvesbrainstorming, mind mapping and
simply stepping away from theproblem and viewing it from a
fresh perspective.
(09:16):
Often, the best solutions canbe found in creativity is
actually combined with theanalytical reasoning.
Greg, do you have a few more?
Speaker 1 (09:28):
Absolutely, john.
Let's jump into decision making.
Decision making can be animportant aspect of effective
problem solving.
Depending on your industryexperience, you may be able to
make quick decisions to solveproblems.
However, strong research andanalytical skills are useful for
those who are less experiencedin their field.
In addition, there may beinstances where it may be ideal
(09:50):
to take the time needed todevelop a thoughtful solution or
to escalate the issue tosomeone with greater expertise,
communication skills and, if youcan imagine an image where
you've got thinking, listening,speaking nonverbal, and those
are all balls.
They're all interacting.
They're all balls, they're allinteracting.
(10:14):
Strong communication skills areessential for every stage of the
problem-solving process,whether you're collaborating
with a team or discussing theissue with a supervisor.
Clear and respectfulcommunication can ensure
everyone is aligned and everyoneis informed.
It enables smoother sharing ofinsights, identification of root
issues and discussion ofpotential solutions.
Listening actively, as Johnmentioned before, asks
(10:40):
clarifying questions andarticulates ideas clearly, so
you can contribute to betterdecision-making and help teams
reach consensus on the bestsolutions.
Dependability Dependability canbe an important skill for
effective problem solvers.
Timely resolution of issues canbe critical in the workplace,
and employers may greatly valueindividuals who can be trusted
(11:00):
to identify and implementsolutions quickly and
efficiently, skill that enhancescollaboration within a group,
resulting in improved overallperformance.
This shared focus on overcomingchallenges can build trust and
help a team to generateinnovative solutions more
(11:22):
effectively, john.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
The next category is
brainstorming.
Brainstorming can be aneffective problem-solving
technique that helps generateideas and solutions through
group discussions.
The cooperative approachtypically encourages a variety
of views and enables members tobuild their own ideas and
discover innovative solutions totheir own challenges.
(11:45):
Critical thinking challengesCritical thinking, and this in a
resume.
I think is really important tooIf you can show examples of
when critical thinking was avital problem solving
application for structured or alogical approach to address a
challenge.
(12:06):
It typically begins withaccurately identifying a problem
, followed by evaluatingpotential solutions and
determining the best course ofactions for implementation.
This methodology and processensures that decisions are
well-informed, grounded inreason and lead to effective and
(12:27):
substantial outcomes in theworkplace.
So the author came up with away of trying to define this in
terms of how do you apply theseskills that they're looking for
in a resume and you want to tryto show some kind of example, if
you're trying to get people toread your resume, that there is
actually strategies that areapproached in terms of
effectively making a changeIdentifying a problem to define
(12:50):
the issues clearly, gather theinformation by collecting data
and input from others, generatepossible solutions by
brainstorming or other ideas.
This is how those solutionsstart to become reality.
Evaluate your options anddemonstrate that you had
actually engaged others in theprocess.
Choose the best solution andusually, if it's on a resume,
(13:15):
you want to make sure that youwere the one who made that
selection, that you were engagedin making that decision.
The next part I think is themost important on a resume is to
make sure that you show thatyou've implemented the solution,
that you've created an actionplan and you've created a
solution, that you've created anaction plan and you've created
a kind of strong teamwork andcommunication that is necessary
to get the results that you'relooking for.
(13:36):
And there's the magic words atthe end results.
Did you get the outcome thatyou were looking for?
Did you find a solution?
Can you prove it?
All those things are whatpeople are looking for.
If they're going to be hiringfrom the outside, which is
usually the hardest thing to do,is looking for the talent when
it's not in-house and trying tobring in new people.
(13:58):
They have these skill sets andespecially problem solving is
one of the bigger challenges ifyou're looking for people that
have that skill set coming in.
People that have that skillsetcoming in, greg.
Any comments as far as resumelooking and those kind of
important keys that you werelooking for.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Yeah, the only thing
I would add, John, is make sure
you have an elevator speech ofsome sort in there that would
identify your skillset ofproblem solving.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
You want them to walk
away having confidence that
you've done this before, you canapply that experience to the
new job and that you're ready toroll and an elevator speech for
those that aren't familiar withthe term is a one-minute or
two-minute description of whatyou would tell the president of
a company, while they're sittingin an elevator, before he hits
his floor, of who are you andwhat are you doing.
(14:47):
Boom, that's exactly it.
John, yeah, so hopefully, ifthis was helpful and it was some
help in terms of your resume,you'll like what you've heard.
So I wrote a book to help you,at the same time building your
(15:09):
leadership toolbox, and that'swhat we're doing today trying to
put things into your toolbox.
My book's available at Amazonand Barnes, noble and other
websites.
The podcast is what you'relistening to and thank you.
It's also available on Appleand Google and Spotify and
others.
A lot of what we talk about isreally from the MBR program from
(15:29):
Dr Gerst.
It's available onsuccessgrowthacademycom.
If you want to get a hold of me, it's wando75.jw at gmailcom.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
And Greg.
I can be reached at gpowell374at gmailcom.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
And the music has
been brought to you by my
grandson.
So drop us a line, tell us whatyou think, and the music has
been brought to you by mygrandson.
So drop us a line, tell us whatyou think, and we do appreciate
it.
Well, greg, thanks.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Thanks, John, as
always.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Next time yeah.