Career Sidekick

Interview Questions

Comprehensive Interview Guide: 60+ Professions Explored in Detail

26 Good Examples of Problem Solving (Interview Answers)

By Biron Clark

Published: November 15, 2023

Employers like to hire people who can solve problems and work well under pressure. A job rarely goes 100% according to plan, so hiring managers will be more likely to hire you if you seem like you can handle unexpected challenges while staying calm and logical in your approach.

But how do they measure this?

They’re going to ask you interview questions about these problem solving skills, and they might also look for examples of problem solving on your resume and cover letter. So coming up, I’m going to share a list of examples of problem solving, whether you’re an experienced job seeker or recent graduate.

Then I’ll share sample interview answers to, “Give an example of a time you used logic to solve a problem?”

Problem-Solving Defined

It is the ability to identify the problem, prioritize based on gravity and urgency, analyze the root cause, gather relevant information, develop and evaluate viable solutions, decide on the most effective and logical solution, and plan and execute implementation. 

Problem-solving also involves critical thinking, communication, listening, creativity, research, data gathering, risk assessment, continuous learning, decision-making, and other soft and technical skills.

Solving problems not only prevent losses or damages but also boosts self-confidence and reputation when you successfully execute it. The spotlight shines on you when people see you handle issues with ease and savvy despite the challenges. Your ability and potential to be a future leader that can take on more significant roles and tackle bigger setbacks shine through. Problem-solving is a skill you can master by learning from others and acquiring wisdom from their and your own experiences. 

It takes a village to come up with solutions, but a good problem solver can steer the team towards the best choice and implement it to achieve the desired result.

Watch: 26 Good Examples of Problem Solving

Examples of problem solving scenarios in the workplace.

  • Correcting a mistake at work, whether it was made by you or someone else
  • Overcoming a delay at work through problem solving and communication
  • Resolving an issue with a difficult or upset customer
  • Overcoming issues related to a limited budget, and still delivering good work through the use of creative problem solving
  • Overcoming a scheduling/staffing shortage in the department to still deliver excellent work
  • Troubleshooting and resolving technical issues
  • Handling and resolving a conflict with a coworker
  • Solving any problems related to money, customer billing, accounting and bookkeeping, etc.
  • Taking initiative when another team member overlooked or missed something important
  • Taking initiative to meet with your superior to discuss a problem before it became potentially worse
  • Solving a safety issue at work or reporting the issue to those who could solve it
  • Using problem solving abilities to reduce/eliminate a company expense
  • Finding a way to make the company more profitable through new service or product offerings, new pricing ideas, promotion and sale ideas, etc.
  • Changing how a process, team, or task is organized to make it more efficient
  • Using creative thinking to come up with a solution that the company hasn’t used before
  • Performing research to collect data and information to find a new solution to a problem
  • Boosting a company or team’s performance by improving some aspect of communication among employees
  • Finding a new piece of data that can guide a company’s decisions or strategy better in a certain area

Problem Solving Examples for Recent Grads/Entry Level Job Seekers

  • Coordinating work between team members in a class project
  • Reassigning a missing team member’s work to other group members in a class project
  • Adjusting your workflow on a project to accommodate a tight deadline
  • Speaking to your professor to get help when you were struggling or unsure about a project
  • Asking classmates, peers, or professors for help in an area of struggle
  • Talking to your academic advisor to brainstorm solutions to a problem you were facing
  • Researching solutions to an academic problem online, via Google or other methods
  • Using problem solving and creative thinking to obtain an internship or other work opportunity during school after struggling at first

You can share all of the examples above when you’re asked questions about problem solving in your interview. As you can see, even if you have no professional work experience, it’s possible to think back to problems and unexpected challenges that you faced in your studies and discuss how you solved them.

Interview Answers to “Give an Example of an Occasion When You Used Logic to Solve a Problem”

Now, let’s look at some sample interview answers to, “Give me an example of a time you used logic to solve a problem,” since you’re likely to hear this interview question in all sorts of industries.

Example Answer 1:

At my current job, I recently solved a problem where a client was upset about our software pricing. They had misunderstood the sales representative who explained pricing originally, and when their package renewed for its second month, they called to complain about the invoice. I apologized for the confusion and then spoke to our billing team to see what type of solution we could come up with. We decided that the best course of action was to offer a long-term pricing package that would provide a discount. This not only solved the problem but got the customer to agree to a longer-term contract, which means we’ll keep their business for at least one year now, and they’re happy with the pricing. I feel I got the best possible outcome and the way I chose to solve the problem was effective.

Example Answer 2:

In my last job, I had to do quite a bit of problem solving related to our shift scheduling. We had four people quit within a week and the department was severely understaffed. I coordinated a ramp-up of our hiring efforts, I got approval from the department head to offer bonuses for overtime work, and then I found eight employees who were willing to do overtime this month. I think the key problem solving skills here were taking initiative, communicating clearly, and reacting quickly to solve this problem before it became an even bigger issue.

Example Answer 3:

In my current marketing role, my manager asked me to come up with a solution to our declining social media engagement. I assessed our current strategy and recent results, analyzed what some of our top competitors were doing, and then came up with an exact blueprint we could follow this year to emulate our best competitors but also stand out and develop a unique voice as a brand. I feel this is a good example of using logic to solve a problem because it was based on analysis and observation of competitors, rather than guessing or quickly reacting to the situation without reliable data. I always use logic and data to solve problems when possible. The project turned out to be a success and we increased our social media engagement by an average of 82% by the end of the year.

Answering Questions About Problem Solving with the STAR Method

When you answer interview questions about problem solving scenarios, or if you decide to demonstrate your problem solving skills in a cover letter (which is a good idea any time the job description mention problem solving as a necessary skill), I recommend using the STAR method to tell your story.

STAR stands for:

It’s a simple way of walking the listener or reader through the story in a way that will make sense to them. So before jumping in and talking about the problem that needed solving, make sure to describe the general situation. What job/company were you working at? When was this? Then, you can describe the task at hand and the problem that needed solving. After this, describe the course of action you chose and why. Ideally, show that you evaluated all the information you could given the time you had, and made a decision based on logic and fact.

Finally, describe a positive result you got.

Whether you’re answering interview questions about problem solving or writing a cover letter, you should only choose examples where you got a positive result and successfully solved the issue.

Example answer:

Situation : We had an irate client who was a social media influencer and had impossible delivery time demands we could not meet. She spoke negatively about us in her vlog and asked her followers to boycott our products. (Task : To develop an official statement to explain our company’s side, clarify the issue, and prevent it from getting out of hand). Action : I drafted a statement that balanced empathy, understanding, and utmost customer service with facts, logic, and fairness. It was direct, simple, succinct, and phrased to highlight our brand values while addressing the issue in a logical yet sensitive way.   We also tapped our influencer partners to subtly and indirectly share their positive experiences with our brand so we could counter the negative content being shared online.  Result : We got the results we worked for through proper communication and a positive and strategic campaign. The irate client agreed to have a dialogue with us. She apologized to us, and we reaffirmed our commitment to delivering quality service to all. We assured her that she can reach out to us anytime regarding her purchases and that we’d gladly accommodate her requests whenever possible. She also retracted her negative statements in her vlog and urged her followers to keep supporting our brand.

What Are Good Outcomes of Problem Solving?

Whenever you answer interview questions about problem solving or share examples of problem solving in a cover letter, you want to be sure you’re sharing a positive outcome.

Below are good outcomes of problem solving:

  • Saving the company time or money
  • Making the company money
  • Pleasing/keeping a customer
  • Obtaining new customers
  • Solving a safety issue
  • Solving a staffing/scheduling issue
  • Solving a logistical issue
  • Solving a company hiring issue
  • Solving a technical/software issue
  • Making a process more efficient and faster for the company
  • Creating a new business process to make the company more profitable
  • Improving the company’s brand/image/reputation
  • Getting the company positive reviews from customers/clients

Every employer wants to make more money, save money, and save time. If you can assess your problem solving experience and think about how you’ve helped past employers in those three areas, then that’s a great start. That’s where I recommend you begin looking for stories of times you had to solve problems.

Tips to Improve Your Problem Solving Skills

Throughout your career, you’re going to get hired for better jobs and earn more money if you can show employers that you’re a problem solver. So to improve your problem solving skills, I recommend always analyzing a problem and situation before acting. When discussing problem solving with employers, you never want to sound like you rush or make impulsive decisions. They want to see fact-based or data-based decisions when you solve problems.

Next, to get better at solving problems, analyze the outcomes of past solutions you came up with. You can recognize what works and what doesn’t. Think about how you can get better at researching and analyzing a situation, but also how you can get better at communicating, deciding the right people in the organization to talk to and “pull in” to help you if needed, etc.

Finally, practice staying calm even in stressful situations. Take a few minutes to walk outside if needed. Step away from your phone and computer to clear your head. A work problem is rarely so urgent that you cannot take five minutes to think (with the possible exception of safety problems), and you’ll get better outcomes if you solve problems by acting logically instead of rushing to react in a panic.

You can use all of the ideas above to describe your problem solving skills when asked interview questions about the topic. If you say that you do the things above, employers will be impressed when they assess your problem solving ability.

If you practice the tips above, you’ll be ready to share detailed, impressive stories and problem solving examples that will make hiring managers want to offer you the job. Every employer appreciates a problem solver, whether solving problems is a requirement listed on the job description or not. And you never know which hiring manager or interviewer will ask you about a time you solved a problem, so you should always be ready to discuss this when applying for a job.

Related interview questions & answers:

  • How do you handle stress?
  • How do you handle conflict?
  • Tell me about a time when you failed

Biron Clark

About the Author

Read more articles by Biron Clark

Continue Reading

15 Most Common Pharmacist Interview Questions and Answers

15 most common paralegal interview questions and answers, top 30+ funny interview questions and answers, 60 hardest interview questions and answers, 100+ best ice breaker questions to ask candidates, top 20 situational interview questions (& sample answers), 15 most common physical therapist interview questions and answers, 15 most common project manager interview questions and answers, create a professional resume for free.

No-sign up or payment required.

  • Business Essentials
  • Leadership & Management
  • Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB)
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • *New* Digital Transformation
  • Finance & Accounting
  • Business in Society
  • For Organizations
  • Support Portal
  • Media Coverage
  • Founding Donors
  • Leadership Team

problem solving skills under pressure

  • Harvard Business School →
  • HBS Online →
  • Business Insights →

Business Insights

Harvard Business School Online's Business Insights Blog provides the career insights you need to achieve your goals and gain confidence in your business skills.

  • Career Development
  • Communication
  • Decision-Making
  • Earning Your MBA
  • Negotiation
  • News & Events
  • Productivity
  • Staff Spotlight
  • Student Profiles
  • Work-Life Balance
  • Alternative Investments
  • Business Analytics
  • Business Strategy
  • Business and Climate Change
  • Design Thinking and Innovation
  • Digital Marketing Strategy
  • Disruptive Strategy
  • Economics for Managers
  • Entrepreneurship Essentials
  • Financial Accounting
  • Global Business
  • Launching Tech Ventures
  • Leadership Principles
  • Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
  • Leading with Finance
  • Management Essentials
  • Negotiation Mastery
  • Organizational Leadership
  • Power and Influence for Positive Impact
  • Strategy Execution
  • Sustainable Business Strategy
  • Sustainable Investing
  • Winning with Digital Platforms

Leadership Under Pressure: 3 Strategies for Keeping Calm During a Crisis

Business leader advising team during meeting

  • 19 Dec 2019

To become an effective leader, there are several core capabilities you should have—ranging from the ability to influence and inspire others to knowing how to act decisively. While these traits are important in your daily role as a leader, they are especially critical during times of stress.

The demanding situations and crises you face over the course of your career are likely to be the moments that define who you are as a leader and, potentially, as a person. How you act in these scenarios can impact how your employees and co-workers remember you.

When managers break down , so can their teams, resulting in hindered performance and lower morale. This can cause your employees to miss deadlines, make mistakes, and potentially lose customers—the exact opposite of what you need during times of crisis.

Research shows it’s common for leaders to react poorly in high-stress situations. Specifically, 53 percent become more closed-minded and controlling during times of crisis, instead of open and curious. A further 43 percent become more angry and heated.

If you’re in a leadership position, learning how to control yourself and maintain a level head during challenging times will serve you well over the course of your career. But that can be easier said than done. Here are three techniques that can help you manage your team during a crisis while also keeping calm.

Strategies for Leading Under Pressure

1. wait to act.

A leader is someone who responds to a situation calmly and with a well-thought-out plan. Before you jump headfirst into problem-solving, take a deep breath and pause to collect your thoughts and assess the situation with a clear mind.

This advice is the most important tip that Harvard Business School Professor Nancy Koehn, who teaches a free, online leadership lesson about legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton, learned when she studied former US President Abraham Lincoln’s method of leadership.

“One of the things Lincoln cultivated in high-stakes situations was to do nothing in the moment,” she explains. “He wasn’t living with nonstop social media. But he was constantly bombarded by people and important issues demanding his attention. In such an environment, his rule was that the higher the stakes, the less likely he was to do anything.”

In a crisis, it’s important to take a deep breath and remain as calm as possible—especially as the stakes rise or as circumstantial turbulence accelerates—before responding in order to move forward with an actionable plan and to avoid creating mass panic.

“The smallest pause before picking up the phone, sending out the tweet, or saying something to someone will help a leader gather his or her thoughts and maximize the chances that he or she makes a smart move,” Koehn says.

How to Become a More Effective Leader | Access Your Free E-Book | Download Now

2. Build a Strong Support System

Leaders rarely go it alone—it’s why they usually have a board of advisors, why former US President John F. Kennedy relied on his brother, or why Abraham Lincoln had two secretaries and a cabinet from which he frequently sought input.

“Great leaders have people around them who understand how to maintain a grounded, calm presence,” Koehn says. “It’s important they have advisors who are calm as well.”

To recruit a strong counsel, make sure the people around you have strength of character. Are they confident in their own viewpoints, but also open-minded and communicative? Do they support your vision? Besides quality leadership values, they should have diverse experience and emotional intelligence skills so they can take on a variety of responsibilities and help you lead to the best of your ability.

Koehn also recommends ensuring your management team is reliable so you can stay grounded and maintain a presence of equanimity. This can help people make the right decisions and successfully navigate through crisis.

It’s often said that success never happens in a vacuum. The amount of work your team puts in, along with their attitudes and ability to ask the right questions, can make or break success, so keep this in mind when you build your support network.

3. Understand the Reality of the Situation

It’s crucial to recognize the reality of a situation and acknowledge your limitations during a crisis, no matter how difficult that might be.

“Realize that in the heat of the moment, nothing an individual leader can do can solve the whole situation,” Koehn says. “You’re better off acting from your strongest, calmest self than you are taking the first reactive, immediate action.”

While a problem can seem overwhelming at first, the best way to approach it is to break it down step-by-step. Doing so can help you gain a clear picture of the circumstances, enabling you to work closely with your counsel, prioritize your next steps, and delegate effectively.

Once you’ve decided on a plan, stick to it and rely on yourself and your team to complete the tasks assigned and carry out a successful resolution.

Become a more courageous leader with this free lesson| Learn More

Becoming an Effective Leader

Becoming an effective leader takes work. Not only do you need to constantly hone your leadership skills, but you must also maintain poise under pressure and learn to adapt to various situations.

It also requires developing a personal leadership style . Like any successful leader, you don’t have to do it alone. Taking leadership courses can help you learn skills and qualities to use both in your personal and professional life.

Some of the benefits of taking a strategic leadership class include the opportunity to learn how to use your strengths and weaknesses to your advantage, practice your skills, and gain feedback from experienced leaders.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to become the president of a country or a business executive. You can become an effective leader at any stage of your career by becoming a go-to subject matter expert, consistently lending new and creative ideas in meetings, building networks throughout your company, voicing and articulating visions on how your organization can move forward, and much more.

Do you want to improve your leadership capabilities? Download our e-book on how to become a more effective leader or take our free, 35-minute leadership lesson about legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton, and discover how you can develop the skills to lead with courage and conviction.

problem solving skills under pressure

About the Author

loading

How it works

For Business

Join Mind Tools

Article • 7 min read

Coping Under Pressure

Survive and thrive under pressure.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

problem solving skills under pressure

Do you ever have so much to do that you don't know where to begin? Maybe you sometimes feel overburdened by others' expectations of you, or disappointed with the progress you've made. When you're under pressure, it's easy to feel like this.

Pressure is an everyday part of our working lives. Philosopher Thomas Carlyle said, "No pressure, no diamonds," suggesting that, in manageable doses, it can energize and motivate you to perform and achieve.

Too much of it, however, can tip the balance the other way. The trick to making pressure work for you, and not against you, is to find the "sweet spot" between having too little and too much of it.

Here, we look at how to stay in control when pressure starts to weigh you down.

Where Does Pressure Come From?

There are two kinds of pressure – internal and external.

Internal pressures stem from pushing yourself too hard, or from worrying about your ability to meet others' expectations of you and those that you have of yourself. You might drive yourself to be your company's number one salesperson, for example, or doubt your ability to perform at a speaking engagement.

External pressures come from the circumstances or the people around you – a micromanager, for example, making you work in a certain way, or giving you a hefty workload that exceeds your capacity to deal with it.

Some external pressures have little connection with your job, but the way you react to them can negatively impact how you work. A long commute, illness, financial difficulties, family responsibilities, bereavements, or a dangerous workplace can all weigh heavily on you and affect how you behave.

In extreme cases, you may even feel pressured to take risks, to act against your values, or to take part in illegal activities, such as "massaging" figures to reduce your organization's tax bill. Read our article, When to Speak Up , for advice on how best to handle these dangerous situations.

Measuring the Toll of Too Much Pressure

The idea that increasing pressure stimulates people to perform better and better, until an optimum point is reached, dates back to 1908. Psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson found that, when pressure exceeds this optimum point, it has the opposite effect and performance starts to suffer. This conclusion still holds today. [1]

The negative impact of pressure first shows with mild dissatisfaction and a minor deterioration in the quality of a person's work. When the pressure becomes excessive, they can succumb to stress, anxiety and unhappiness.

If the situation doesn't quickly improve, and the excessive pressure is prolonged, the person runs the risk of burning out . Worse still, they could become physically ill or develop psychological and emotional issues such as depression, or behavioral problems like aggressiveness.

Be careful not to confuse pressure with stress – they are quite different. Pressure can be a very positive quality. Experiencing it, yet feeling calm and in control, can spur people on to achieve great things. It's only when it keeps building and that sense of calm and order is replaced by a feeling of being out of control that stress happens, and has a wholly negative effect.

How to Thrive Under Pressure

A sensible lifestyle is central to coping with pressure, so exercise regularly, drink alcohol moderately, maintain a healthy diet, and get plenty of sleep. These commonsense steps aren't enough on their own, however. Responding proactively to pressure can help you to manage its negative impact on you. Here are some strategies to help.

  • Stay on Top: Pressure is a positive force when you're in command of the situation. Lose your sense of control, however, and you can quickly feel overwhelmed and anxious. Developing an internal locus of control can boost your ability to monitor and deal with rising pressure – because you believe you are responsible for your own success and that you can have a positive influence on the situation you're in.
  • Managing Pressure With the Inverted-U: Consider how your ability, personality and self-confidence, and the complexity of your work, might influence how much pressure you feel. Addressing your "weak spots" and balancing these influences can help you to optimize your performance. The Inverted-U model is a useful tool for doing this.
  • Manage Your Response: With a positive mindset, pressured situations can be opportunities to shine, learn and develop. Use them as your motivation to succeed. Cognitive Restructuring can help you to turn negative situations around so that they work in your favor. Try to tackle pressure head on, too, because it's unlikely to go away by itself.
  • Be Organized: Taking control of your workload enables you to manage it when pressure starts to build. The Demand-Control Model can help you to do this.
  • Boost Your Self-Belief: Pressure often stems from doubting your abilities. Try to appreciate your qualities and work on your self-belief.
  • Work on Your Self-Control: We all know that our emotions can run high when we have "a lot on our plate," so it's important to develop your ability to cope in these situations. Check out our article on using emotional intelligence for more on this.
  • Energize Yourself: Without energy, you're likely to feel "flattened" by pressure, and lack the drive to tackle it. So, pump up your energy levels to regain your focus, and to improve your ability to withstand and respond to pressure.
  • Ask for Help: Don't be afraid to ask for help if you feel under too much pressure. Decide where the pressure is coming from and ask your boss, colleagues, friends, family, or whoever in your support network is appropriate, for advice or help.

Relaxation exercises are a great way of putting things into perspective when you're under pressure. Take a look at our article on physical relaxation techniques for some handy techniques for "winding down."

You experience pressure when you worry about living up to your own or other people's expectations.

You may also feel it in situations that you have no control over, and when you don't have the time or the means to do what is being demanded of you.

Excessive pressure can bring on the psychological, physical, emotional, and behavioral problems associated with stress, so being able to deal with it effectively is an essential skill.

By consciously opting to respond positively and confidently, and by focusing on solutions, you and your team members can go beyond simply coping and learn to thrive under pressure.

[1] Yerkes, R. and Dodson, J. (1908). 'The Relation of Strength of Stimulus to Rapidity of Habit-Formation,' Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology , Volume 18, Issue 5. (Available here .)

You've accessed 1 of your 2 free resources.

Get unlimited access

Discover more content

Rest, relaxation and sleep.

Recharging Your Batteries the Natural Way

Self-Assessment

How Good Is Your Anger Management?

Controlling Your Anger Before It Controls You

Add comment

Comments (0)

Be the first to comment!

problem solving skills under pressure

Enhance your in-demand workplace skills

Top skills - leadership, management, communication and more - are available to develop using the 3,000+ resources available from Mind Tools.

Join Mind Tools today!

Sign-up to our newsletter

Subscribing to the Mind Tools newsletter will keep you up-to-date with our latest updates and newest resources.

Subscribe now

Business Skills

Personal Development

Leadership and Management

Most Popular

Newest Releases

Article ai77em3

How to Get the Feedback You Need

Article aljc8px

5 Steps For Collaborating Successfully

Mind Tools Store

About Mind Tools Content

Discover something new today

Brush up on your interview skills.

Preparing for an interview

Developing Emotional Intelligence

Enhancing Your EQ

How Emotionally Intelligent Are You?

Boosting Your People Skills

What's Your Leadership Style?

Learn About the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Way You Like to Lead

Recommended for you

Giving feedback using the boost model.

Providing Helpful and Constructive Feedback

Business Operations and Process Management

Strategy Tools

Customer Service

Business Ethics and Values

Handling Information and Data

Project Management

Knowledge Management

Self-Development and Goal Setting

Time Management

Presentation Skills

Learning Skills

Career Skills

Communication Skills

Negotiation, Persuasion and Influence

Working With Others

Difficult Conversations

Creativity Tools

Self-Management

Work-Life Balance

Stress Management and Wellbeing

Coaching and Mentoring

Change Management

Team Management

Managing Conflict

Delegation and Empowerment

Performance Management

Leadership Skills

Developing Your Team

Talent Management

Problem Solving

Decision Making

  • Coaching Skills Training
  • Coaching TIPS²™
  • Continuous Improvement Coaching
  • Courageous Conversations Workshop
  • Executive Coaching Program
  • Feedback 360
  • Safety Coaching
  • Sales Coaching Training Program
  • Free Consultation
  • Applied Strategic Thinking®
  • Strategic Leadership Course
  • Strategic Teaming
  • Strategy Development Processes and Services
  • Communication Training for Managers
  • Conflict and Collaboration
  • Confronting Racism Workshop
  • Delegation & Accountability
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workshop
  • Flexible Leadership
  • Leading Change
  • Leading Groups to Solutions
  • Leading Innovation
  • Mid-Level Management Training
  • Qualities of Leadership
  • Bottom Line Leadership
  • Customized Leadership Development Programs
  • Leadership Development Program Design
  • Mini-MBA & Operational Finance
  • Problem Solving and Decision Making in the Workplace
  • Transition to Leadership
  • Virtual Leadership
  • High-Performance Teamwork
  • Leadership Team Alignment Workshop
  • Orienteering
  • Corporate Outdoor Training and Team Building
  • Retreats for Teams
  • Innovation Skills Training
  • Personal Impact Workshop
  • Supervisor Training Programs
  • Customization of CMOE’s Learning Library
  • Full Curriculum Development and Design
  • Learning & Development Advisory Services
  • Bottom Line Leadership Training
  • Consulting Services
  • Leadership Retreats
  • Learning and Development Consulting Services
  • Needs Analysis and Organization Assessments
  • Transformation & Change Solutions
  • Facilitator Training Workshop
  • Empathic Leadership
  • Supervisor Development Series
  • All Courses
  • Digital Learning
  • Books and Publications
  • Assessments and Surveys
  • Clients Served
  • History and Experience
  • Meet the CMOE Team
  • Testimonials
  • Articles & Tools
  • Scenario Templates
  • Certified Partners
  • Event Resources
  • Industry Insights
  • Resource Library
  • Video Library
  • News and Events
  • Professional Accreditation and Continuing Education Units
  • Surveys & Assessments

How to Build Your Ability to Work Under Pressure

The ability to work under pressure means you can still perform your job duties well, even in the presence of stress. These stressors may be caused by unforeseen circumstances and uncontrollable variables or by factors that can be predicted. To work effectively under pressure, you must not let these stressors distract you; it’s essential that you remain level-headed.

What is a good example of working under pressure?

Some examples of working under pressure include

  • Working extra hours to meet deadlines
  • Taking on the roles of coworkers who are ill
  • Completing a rushed order or quick-turnaround assignment
  • Taking charge of a new department
  • Having your skills or performance reviewed by a manager

If you can work well under pressure , you can instantly improve your chances of getting a job, among other benefits, such as:

  • You save time by finishing tasks more efficiently.
  • You’re more focused.
  • You channel more energy into your assignments.

How to Build the Ability to Work Under Pressure: 5 Tips

If you’re wondering how to work under pressure, here are five ways you can better develop your ability:

1. Create a Strategy Plan

Failing to plan is planning to fail. No matter how much pressure you’re facing in a given situation, you should take time to plan your course of action. You should never “wing it” or “shoot from the hip” when dealing with stressful situations; this may lead to you missing important details that could cause an even bigger headache down the line.

Planning also lets you see the situation from a broader perspective, helping you to understand what is really at stake. Once you’ve developed your plan, break it down into smaller, more-manageable steps. This will keep you from feeling overwhelmed or falling even further behind, which will only add to your stress. Then, work on staying resilient, working through one step at a time, and seeing the task through to the end.

2. Prepare for What You Know

You may not be able to plan for every possible contingency, but you can prepare for the known variables. If working under pressure comes in the form of important deadlines, sales pitches, presentations, or other items scheduled on your calendar, plan accordingly.

The only thing worse than getting caught off guard by unforeseen circumstances is being unprepared for the things you knew were coming. Those are the failures that can get you in the most trouble.

3. Delegate When Possible

If you manage a team, don’t try to take everything on by yourself. Rally the troops and spread the work around so that everyone contributes to managing the task load and the pressure that comes with it.

Even if you don’t manage a team, you can still ask for help. Look to your managers or other coworkers to see if they can help on the project. Chances are good that they’ll be happy to lighten your load as long as it doesn’t put too much pressure on their other responsibilities.

4. Adopt a “Done is Better than Perfect” Mindset

Crunch time is no time to be a perfectionist. In these situations, recognize that you have limited time and resources; just focus on delivering the essential tasks or items for whatever you have to do.

Don’t spend too much time focusing on tiny details, and don’t micromanage others into doing that either. Just focus on what needs to be accomplished for the project to be delivered—no more and no less.

5. Schedule Breaks (and Take Them)

When working under pressure, it’s easy to skip lunch and regular breaks when working on a complicated and rushed assignment. But taking those breaks will help ease the burden. Take five minutes to decompress, take a walk, get a drink of water, and free your mind from the task at hand for a little while.

Know Your Limits of Stress

While the ability to work under pressure is a good quality to have in any industry, be aware of how much pressure you can withstand before you reach your limit. People can only handle so much pressure at a time—and trying to push past your threshold can be seriously detrimental to your physical and mental well-being.

Working under significant pressure shouldn’t be the norm. If you feel like your assignments constantly put you under intense pressure, you may be working for a dysfunctional leader or an organization that simply asks too much of you.

Many job interviewers will ask about your ability to work under pressure, so it’s important for you to have a satisfactory response. Take a look at why this question is so important to employers, how you should respond, and what you can do to work more effectively under pressure.

Why Do Employers Ask About Working Under Pressure?

Prospective employers will usually ask you about your ability to handle pressure in order to gauge your flexibility. Even if you’re the most organized and prepared person in the world, unexpected changes and events still occur. So, if you want to progress in the interview process, you’ll need to share an experience where you adapted well to stressful conditions.

How to Prove You Can Work Under Pressure During an Interview

Maybe you’re an absolute pro when it comes to working under pressure. You and your previous coworkers know this, but how do you demonstrate the ability to work under pressure during an interview?

When asked about your ability to work under pressure, give concrete and specific examples. Try to think of a time when pressure made you more productive and had a positive outcome. Your response should follow a three-part structure:

1. Tell a Story

Start by setting the scene. What was the stressful situation? What caused it? What specific challenges were you or your team facing? What would the consequences of failure be?

Give your interviewer enough information so he or she can fully understand the kind of pressure you were under. Once that is properly established, move on to describing the actions you took.

2. Explain Your Solution

Talk about what you did to adapt to the stressful situation. This may be an outline of the plan you devised to attack the difficult task, an explanation of your level-headed mindset, or a description of a collaborative effort you led with your coworkers to maintain productivity.

You might also choose to explain the skills you’ve developed from dealing with stressful situations, like learning to prioritize tasks or knowing when to ask for help.

3. Share the Results

To prove your success at working under pressure, share the results. Did you complete the task on time and with satisfactory quality? In what ways was your company positively affected by your actions?

By backing up your narrative with measurable results, you can provide a stronger response and nail the interview.

What Not to Say About Working Under Pressure

There are a few kinds of details you should not share, no matter how well they show your ability to remain calm under pressure. These include the categories below:

  • Stressful situations you caused – Even if you redeemed yourself later, it’s best to avoid telling stories about problems you created.
  • The amount of stress you felt – Employers don’t want to know how stressed you get, they just want to know how you handle stress when you experience it. Additionally, you should never say you are “immune to stress;” the interviewer is unlikely to believe you or may assume that you are simply unaware of stressors in the workplace (neither of which reflect well on you).

Start Preparing for Your Next Job Today

You don’t need to hold off on your next career move. Start preparing for your next job by developing the talents employers seek. One way you can achieve this is by enrolling in CMOE’s Personal Impact workshop . The Personal Impact workshop is designed to help you develop your ability to influence others and become an exceptional employee. If you have more questions about this or our other courses, contact us .

Recommended For You:

Leadership development workshops, get exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.

When you subscribe to our blog and become a CMOE Insider.

And the best part?

It's 100% free.

As Featured In:

The Better Business Bureau has determined that CMOE meets accreditation standards. These standards verify that CMOE’s product quality and competence enhance customer trust and confidence.

©2023 Center for Management & Organization Effectiveness. All rights reserved.

Banner

  • Wigan and Leigh College
  • Learning Resources
  • Study Skills Guides
  • Employability Skills
  • Working under pressure
  • Employability
  • Communication & Interpersonal Skills
  • Written Communication Skills
  • Verbal Communication Skills
  • Adaptability & Flexibility Skills
  • Persuading, Influencing & Negotiation
  • Teamworking Skills
  • Leadership Skills
  • Planning and Organisation Skills
  • Problem Solving and Analytical Skills
  • Self-motivation & Initiative

What is the ability to work under pressure?

Why do employers value the ability to work under pressure, examples of how the ability to work under pressure can be developed or evidenced.

  • The Employable Digital Student
  • Using Social Media for job hunting and networking
  • Developing Professionalism
  • Online Safety & Security This link opens in a new window
  • Tutorial Quiz This link opens in a new window

problem solving skills under pressure

“The stress or urgency of matters requiring attention, the burden of physical or mental distress and the constraint of circumstances.”

The ability to work under pressure involves dealing with constraints which are often outside of your control - these might be resource or time constraints, the difficulty of the task or having insufficient knowledge required to complete the task, or unforeseen changes or problems. Effective planning and time-management (to mitigate or allow for unexpected problems for example) can reduce the likelihood of some pressurised situations occurring, but will not eradicate them completely. 

Changes and unexpected events, problems or challenges can - and do - often occur, regardless of how well-planned or organised you are. The ability to respond effectively to pressure and stress is therefore extremely important in any line of work. How you respond will vary from person to person; some people thrive on it and perform better when under pressure, others may panic or become ineffective. It is important that you are aware of how you act in such situations and what steps you can take to improve your effectiveness if necessary. 

  • Dealing with an emergency.
  • Overcoming problems or issues to achieve a goal, e.g. losing assignment data or work.
  • Reorganising responsibilities in a group task if one member unexpectedly drops out.
  • Managing well when work is unexpectedly busy or short staffed
  • << Previous: Self-motivation & Initiative
  • Next: The Employable Digital Student >>
  • Last Updated: Jan 15, 2024 1:11 PM
  • URL: https://libguides.wigan-leigh.ac.uk/Employability_Skills

The Resolve Blog Logo

Problem Solving and Decision Making - Two Essential Skills of a Good Leader

Darren Matthews

Related Articles

Problem solving and decision making are two fascinating skillsets. We call them out as two separate skills – and they are – but they also make use of the same core attributes.

They feed on a need to communicate well, both through questioning and listening, and be patient and not rushing both processes through. Thus, the greatest challenge any leader faces when it comes to solving problems and decision making is when the pressure of time comes into play. But as Robert Schuller highlights in his quote, allowing problem-solving to become the decision means you’ll never break free from the problem.

“Never bring the problem-solving stage into the decision-making stage. Otherwise, you surrender yourself to the problem rather than the solution.”—Robert H. Schuller

So how does a leader avoid this trap? How do they ensure the problem solving doesn’t become the be-all and end-all?

The 7 steps of Effective Problem Solving and Decision Making

A vital hurdle every leader must overcome is to avoid the impulsive urge to make quick decisions . Often when confronted with a problem, leaders or managers fall back in past behaviours. Urgency creates pressure to act quickly as a result, the problem still exists, just side-lined until it rears its ugly head again.

Good problem solving opens opportunity. A notable example of this is the first principles thinking executed by the likes of Elon Musk and others. Understanding the fundamentals blocks of a process and the problem it’s creating can lead to not just the problem but accelerate beyond it.

So, to avoid the trap, and use problem solving and decision making effectively , you should embody yourself with the following seven steps.

1.      What is the problem?

Often, especially in time-critical situations, people don’t define the problem. Some label themselves as fire-fighters, just content with dowsing out the flames. It is a reactionary behaviour and one commonplace with under-trained leaders. As great as some fire-fighters are, they can only put out so many fires at one time, often becoming a little industry.

The better approach is to define the problem, and this means asking the following questions:

  • What is happening? ( What makes you think there is a problem?)
  • Where is it taking place?
  • How is it happening?
  • When is it happening?
  • Why is it happening?
  • With whom is it happening? (This isn’t a blame game…all you want to do is isolate the problem to a granular level.)
  • Define what you understand to be the problem in writing by using as few sentences as possible. (Look at the answers to your what, where, why, when, and how questions.)

2.      What are the potential causes?

Having defined the problem it is now time to find out what might be causing the problem. Your leadership skills: your communication skills need to be strong, as you look to gather input from your team and those involved in the problem.

Key points:

  • Talk to those involved individually. Groupthink is a common cause of blindness to the problem, especially if there is blame culture within the business.
  • Document what you’ve heard and what you think is the root cause is.
  • Be inquisitive. You don’t know what you don’t know, so get the input of others and open yourself up to the feedback you’ll need to solve this problem.

3.      What other ways can you overcome the problem?

 Sometimes, getting to the root cause can take time. Of course, you can’t ignore it, but it is important to produce a plan to temporarily fix the problem. In business, a problem will be costing the business money, whether it be sales or profit. So, a temporary fix allows the business to move forward, providing it neutralises the downside of the original problem.

4.      How will you resolve the problem?

At this stage, you still don’t know what the actual problem is. All you have is a definition of the problem which is a diagnosis of the issue. You will have the team’s input, as well as your opinions as to what the next steps should be.

If you don’t, then at this stage you should think about reassessing the problem. One way forward could be to become more granular and adopt a first-principles approach.

  • Break the problem down into its core parts
  • What forms the foundational blocks of the system in operation?
  • Ask powerful questions to get to the truth of the problem
  • How do the parts fit together?
  • What was the original purpose of the system working in this way?
  • Name and separate your assumptions from the facts
  • Remind yourself of the goal and create a new solution

Solve hard problems with inversion

Another way is to invert the problem using the following technique:

1. Understand the problem

Every solution starts with developing a clear understanding of what the problem is. In this instance, some clarity of the issue is vital.

2. Ask the opposite question

Convention wisdom means we see the world logically. But what if you turned the logical outcome on its head. Asking the opposite questions brings an unfamiliar perspective.

3. Answer the opposite question

It seems a simple logic, but you can’t just ask the opposite question and not answer it. You must think through the dynamics that come from asking the question. You're looking for alternative viewpoints and thoughts you've not had before.

4. Join your answers up with your original problem

This is where solutions are born. You’re taking your conventional wisdom and aligning it with the opposite perspective. So often the blockers seen in the original problem become part of the solution.

5.      Define a plan to either fix the problem permanently or temporarily

You now know the problem. You understand the fix, and you are a position to assess the risks involved.

Assessing the risks means considering the worst-case scenarios and ensuring you avoid them. Your plan should take into the following points:

  • Is there any downtime to implementing the solution? If so, how long, and how much will it cost? Do you have backup systems in place to minimise the impact?
  • If the risk is too great, consider a temporary fix which keeps current operations in place and gives you time to further prepare for a permanent fix.
  • Document the plan and share it with all the relevant stakeholders. Communication is key.

Here we see the two skills of problem solving and decision making coming together. The two skills are vital to managing business risks as well as solving the problem.

6.      Monitor and measure the plan

Having evolved through the five steps to this stage, you mustn’t take your eye off the ball as it were.

  • Define timelines and assess progress
  • Report to the stakeholders, ensuring everyone is aware of progress or any delays.
  • If the plan doesn’t deliver, ask why? Learn from failure.

7.      Have you fixed the problem?

Don’t forget the problem you started with. Have you fixed it? You might find it wasn’t a problem at all. You will have learnt a lot about the part of the business where the problem occurred, and improvements will have taken place.

Use the opportunity to assess what worked, what didn’t, and what would have helped. These are three good questions to give you some perspective on the process you’ve undertaken.

Problem solving and decision making in unison

Throughout the process of problem solving, you’re making decisions. Right from the beginning when the problem first becomes clear, you have a choice to either react – firefight or to investigate. This progresses as move onto risk assessing the problem and then defining the solutions to overcome the issue.

Throughout the process, the critical element is to make decisions with the correct information to hand. Finding out the facts, as well as defeating your assumptions are all part of the process of making the right decision.

Problem solving and decision making – a process 

Problem solving isn’t easy. It becomes even more challenging when you have decisions to make. The seven steps I’ve outlined will give you the ability to investigate and diagnose the problem correctly.

  • What is the problem?
  • What are the potential causes?
  • What other ways can you overcome the problem?
  • How will you resolve the problem?
  • Define a plan to either fix the problem permanently or temporarily.
  • Monitor and measure the plan.
  • Have you fixed the problem?

Of course, this logical step by step process might not enable you to diagnose the issue at hand. Some problems can be extremely hard, and an alternative approach might help. In this instance, first principles thinking or using the power of inversion are excellent ways to dig into hard problems. Problem solving and decision making are two skills every good leader needs. Using them together is an effective way to work.

Subscribe to Decision Growth

Two types of decision journal are on the desk waiting to be used.

Why Using a Decision Journal Is a Power Move No One Talks About

A young professional woman thinking about her cognitive biases.

Cognitive Biases Explained: How Our Mind Fools Us

Get weekly lessons on decision growth.

11 Secrets to Performing Well Under Pressure

By editorial staff | jan 4, 2016.

problem solving skills under pressure

It isn’t easy to stay calm under pressure. Too often, we psych ourselves out thinking about all the little things that could go wrong. But keeping your cool during stressful situations doesn’t have to be a struggle. Whether you’ve got an exam or an interview for your dream job coming up, here are 11 tips and tricks to keep you feeling zen on your big day.

1. MAKE A LIST OF YOUR FEARS.

Afraid you’ll forget the last line of your speech, or the most important facts on a final exam? Make a list (written or mental) of your fears and worries ahead of time, and think of possible solutions—so that even if something does go wrong, you’ll be prepared. Often, the mere act of breaking down a high-pressure situation into its component stressful parts will help you realize there’s actually less to be afraid of than you thought.

2. GET ENCOURAGEMENT FROM A LOVED ONE.

Ask a friend, family member, or significant other for some positive encouragement. A recent study found that people who had loved ones describe a time when they were at their best, just before facing a challenge, had improved problem-solving skills. Being reminded of our “best selves” can help us feel more confident and perform better in the moment.

3. PRACTICE AHEAD OF TIME.

Feeling prepared is one of the best ways to stave off anxiety. While practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect, it will make you more confident in the moment. To ensure you get the most out of practicing, however, make sure to practice deliberately. A groundbreaking 1993 cognitive psychology study found that just putting in hours of effort isn’t enough to master a skill—targeting and addressing your weaknesses is just as, if not more, important than spending a long time practicing. For example, if you’re rehearsing a big speech, don’t just memorize what you’re going to say. Thinking about—and practicing—performance elements like intonation, eye contact, the emphases you’ll put on different words, even the specific way you plan to hold the microphone, will help calm your nerves and make you feel like a master of public speaking.

4. DON’T OVERTHINK IT.

Sometimes, even after you’ve practiced something to perfection, when it comes time to perform you can get in your own way by overthinking. Try to clear your mind, and trust yourself. Banishing distractions can help you enter what sports psychologists call a “flow state”: a heightened state of calm concentration that helps athletes stay in the moment and remain relaxed. “Flow states” are said to transcend conscious thought, and, though the term is most often applied to professional athletes, can be experienced by anyone who’s fully absorbed in what they’re doing.

5. TRY TO HAVE FUN.

A small attitude adjustment—seeing your high-pressure moment as a challenge rather than a threat—can help you feel more ambitious and less fearful. And, if you find your positive mindset slipping, stop and remind yourself of all the things you have control over in the situation. Cognitive behavioral therapists believe that feelings of control can help boost confidence levels, and serve to remind people that they’re able to shape the outcome of a situation.

6. REMIND YOURSELF THAT (SOMETIMES) IT’S OKAY TO FAIL …

Okay, this one doesn’t apply to genuine life or death situations, but for most of us, failure isn’t the end of the world. Mess up that job interview? Eventually, you’ll have another one. Failure is disappointing, but it’s a part of life. And, counter-intuitively, acknowledging the possibility of failure can help take some of the pressure off—making it more likely that you’ll succeed.

7. … AND THAT ANXIETY IS NORMAL.

There’s a whole range of phobias associated with high-pressure situations: “fear of public speaking,” “stage fright,” “performance anxiety”—and they’re all totally normal. Some scientists believe the fight-or-flight response we have in high-pressure scenarios may have had beneficial evolutionary origins, helping early humans recognize socially perilous situations.

8. TUNE IN TO YOUR SENSES.

Stress isn’t just psychological, it’s also physiological. It helps to be mindful not only of the thoughts stressing you out, but of how your body is feeling. If your heart is beating too fast and your throat is dry, taking a few deep breaths and grabbing a glass of water can make a big difference.

9. BRING A GOOD LUCK CHARM.

It might sound silly, but studies have shown that a little superstition can actually bring real luck. It’s all about increasing your confidence, which in turn will make you more likely to succeed. Plus, once you’ve experienced success once with your good luck charm, it’ll serve as a reminder of that success—and your ability to prevail under pressure—during future stressful events.

10. BUILD A MEMORY PALACE.

Lots of high pressure situations involve memorization: Whether you’re taking a test, delivering a dramatic monologue, giving a speech, or trying to remember the names of the people you’re about to meet with, worrying about a lapse in memory can make a trying situation even more stressful. If you’re worried about remembering a long list of facts or names, imagine putting each one in a separate room in a familiar building, along with an associative item. So, for instance, if you’re going to a dinner party with new clients George, Janet, and Jim, think of an image connected to each of their names (for example, George Washington’s wooden teeth for George), and place each item in a familiar room (the kitchen of your childhood home, for instance). Imagine walking through each room and seeing the items there to help you keep track of each name.

11. MEDITATE FOR TEN MINUTES.

A 2010 study found that students who meditated for just 10 minutes before a test scored almost a grade higher on average. Since stress can deplete some of our brain’s processing power, meditating before a high-pressure situation can calm us down and also keep us mentally sharp.

Nobody knows the importance of keeping your cool under pressure like the pint-size geniuses on Lifetime’s Child Genius: Battle of the Brightest . Tune in to the season premiere on Thursday, January 7 th at 8/7c to see how the competitors stack up.

ResumeHead

  • Cover Letter

Emphasizing Work Under Pressure Skills on Your Resume

problem solving skills under pressure

When it comes to job applications, employers are looking for candidates who can handle the pressure of challenging tasks and meet tight deadlines. Therefore, highlighting your work under pressure skills on your resume can make you stand out from other applicants. In this article, we will discuss the importance of emphasizing work under pressure skills on your resume and provide effective strategies to communicate these skills to potential employers. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of how to showcase your ability to thrive in high-pressure situations, and increase your chances of getting hired. Let’s dive in!

Understanding Work Under Pressure Skills

When job hunting or updating a resume, it’s not uncommon to see phrases like “works well under pressure” or “thrives in high-stress situations” as desirable skills for certain positions. But what exactly does it mean to have work under pressure skills, and why is it important to emphasize them on a resume?

Definition of Work Under Pressure

Simply put, work under pressure refers to the ability to handle and manage stress, deadlines, and unexpected challenges in the workplace. It’s the capacity to perform effectively and efficiently even in the face of difficult circumstances, without compromising the quality of work.

Essential Components of Work Under Pressure Skills

There are several key components that make up effective work under pressure skill set, including:

Time Management

Being able to manage time effectively is a crucial component of work under pressure. This means the ability to prioritize tasks and allocate time appropriately, as well as being able to adapt to changes in deadlines or timelines.

Adaptability

Work under pressure requires a certain level of adaptability. This means being able to adjust to changing circumstances or priorities, while still maintaining focus on the end goal.

Communication

Effective communication is key when working under pressure. This means being able to communicate clearly and succinctly, as well as knowing when to ask for help or delegate tasks.

Problem-Solving

Problem-solving skills are essential when working under pressure. This means the ability to think creatively and quickly identify solutions to unexpected challenges.

Common Misconceptions about Work Under Pressure Skills

Despite the importance of work under pressure skills, there are several common misconceptions about what it means to work well under pressure. Some of these include:

Working Faster

Contrary to popular belief, work under pressure does not necessarily mean working faster. It’s more about being able to manage time effectively and prioritize tasks to ensure that deadlines are met without sacrificing quality.

Not Needing Help

Working under pressure does not mean that you have to go it alone. In fact, effective collaboration and delegation can be key components of work under pressure skills.

Enjoying Stressful Situations

Finally, it’s important to dispel the myth that those who work well under pressure actually enjoy stressful situations. While it’s true that some people may be more equipped to handle stress than others, working under pressure is still a challenging and often uncomfortable experience.

Understanding what it means to have work under pressure skills can be a valuable asset when crafting a resume or preparing for a job interview. By emphasizing these skills and dispelling common misconceptions, job seekers can demonstrate their ability to handle stress and unexpected challenges in the workplace.

Identifying Work Under Pressure Skills in Yourself

When it comes to emphasizing work under pressure skills on your resume, it’s important to first identify and assess these skills within yourself. This requires self-reflection and a deep understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. Here are some techniques for recognizing work under pressure skills in yourself:

Self-Reflection and Assessment

Take the time to reflect on your past experiences and identify the work situations where you felt under pressure. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • How did you react to the pressure?
  • Were you able to stay calm and focused?
  • Did you come up with creative solutions and strategies to accomplish the task at hand?
  • Were you able to manage your time effectively while under pressure?
  • Did you work well with others or independently?

Be honest with yourself and use these answers to assess your work under pressure skills.

Techniques for Recognizing Work Under Pressure Skills in Yourself

Another technique for recognizing work under pressure skills in yourself is to ask for feedback from those you have worked with. Reach out to colleagues, supervisors, or mentors and ask them to provide examples of times you worked under pressure and how you handled the situation. This feedback can provide valuable insight into your work under pressure skills and help you identify areas for improvement.

Additionally, consider taking a personality or strength assessment, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or StrengthsFinder. These assessments can help you understand your natural tendencies and strengths, which can be useful in identifying work under pressure skills.

Identifying Personal Examples of Utilizing Work Under Pressure Skills

Once you have identified your work under pressure skills using self-reflection, assessment, and feedback, it’s important to provide personal examples of how you have utilized these skills. When highlighting these examples in your resume, be sure to use specific, measurable accomplishments to demonstrate your skills. For example:

  • Increased sales by 50% during a busy holiday season while managing a team of five.
  • Successfully completed a complex project with a tight deadline while maintaining a high level of quality.
  • Resolved a customer service issue under pressure, resulting in positive feedback and repeat business.

By providing specific examples of how you have demonstrated work under pressure skills, you can show potential employers that you can handle high-pressure situations with confidence and success.

Identifying work under pressure skills in yourself requires self-reflection, assessment, and feedback. Once identified, using specific examples in your resume can help emphasize these skills and demonstrate your ability to handle high-pressure situations.

Identifying Work Under Pressure Skills in Others

As someone who is experienced in working under pressure, you may have valuable insights on how to identify the same skills in others. Recognizing work under pressure skills in colleagues, mentors, and other professionals can help you build a stronger team, identify potential leaders, and improve your overall collaboration.

Techniques for recognizing work under pressure skills in others

There are a few different techniques you can use to identify work under pressure skills in others. Some of them include:

Observation and communication: You can observe how your colleagues or peers react and deal with tight deadlines, challenging goals, and unexpected obstacles. By asking questions and communicating with them, you can gain a better understanding of their approach to pressure, whether they remain calm or become frazzled, and how they prioritize tasks.

Looking at past performance: Looking at how a person has performed in past situations that required them to work under pressure is a good indication of how they may behave in the future. Take a look at their past work history, projects completed, and how they met challenging goals.

Analyzing personality traits: Certain personality traits such as adaptability, perseverance, and resilience lend themselves well towards working under pressure. Look for individuals with these qualities or those who have demonstrated success in fast-paced, high-pressure environments.

Taking note of how they handle multiple tasks simultaneously: Multitasking is a critical skill to have when working under pressure. Observe whether your colleagues or peers can complete multiple tasks simultaneously while still meeting deadlines and delivering quality work.

Analyzing job descriptions for work under pressure skill requirements

When analyzing job descriptions, pay close attention to keywords and descriptions that signal work under pressure. Some common phrases that indicate pressure include “tight deadlines,” “fast-paced environment,” “ability to handle a high workload,” and “adaptable in changing circumstances.”

Additionally, look for job responsibilities that require employees to handle multiple tasks or work on projects that are time-sensitive.

If you’re hiring for a position, incorporating work under pressure requirements into the job description can help attract the best candidates who thrive in challenging environments.

Identifying work under pressure skills in colleagues, mentors, and other professionals

Once you’ve identified individuals who possess work under pressure skills, it’s essential to acknowledge and appreciate their talents. Here are a few ways to identify these skills in your colleagues, mentors, and other professionals:

Acknowledge their ability to complete work under tight timelines: Give them praise in person or over email to let them know their work doesn’t go unnoticed.

Offer opportunities for them to take on challenging projects: Challenging projects give individuals the chance to showcase their skills and build their credibility.

Ask for their input when working on a deadline: Individuals who demonstrate strong work under pressure skills are likely excellent problem solvers. Allow them to provide input and help you find solutions to challenges.

Highlighting Work Under Pressure Skills on Your Resume

When it comes to resumes, employers often look for candidates who can handle pressure and perform well under tight deadlines. Highlighting your work under pressure skills can set you apart from other applicants and make you a strong candidate for the job. Here are some strategies for incorporating and emphasizing your work under pressure skills on your resume.

Incorporating work under pressure skills into your resume

One way to incorporate your work under pressure skills into your resume is by including them in your summary or objective statement. For example, you could write something like: “Dynamic and adaptable professional skilled at thriving under pressure and delivering high-quality results in fast-paced environments.”

Another way is to list your work under pressure skills in your skills section. This is a good option if you have a lot of relevant skills that you want to showcase. Some of the work under pressure skills that you can include are:

  • Ability to work well under tight deadlines
  • Strong time-management skills
  • Ability to prioritize tasks effectively
  • Flexibility and adaptability
  • Resilience and ability to handle stress

Strategies for showcasing work under pressure skills on your resume

Once you have incorporated your work under pressure skills into your resume, the next step is to showcase them effectively. One strategy is to use action verbs that demonstrate your ability to perform well under pressure. Some examples include:

  • Managed multiple projects simultaneously under tight deadlines
  • Delivered high-quality work despite time constraints
  • Prioritized tasks effectively to meet project deadlines
  • Adapted quickly to changing situations and requirements

In addition to using action verbs, you should also use quantifiable achievements to back up your claims. For example, instead of saying “Managed multiple projects simultaneously under tight deadlines,” you could say “Managed 10 projects in a month, all of which were completed on time and under budget.”

Using action verbs and quantifiable accomplishments to emphasize work under pressure skills

Finally, make sure to emphasize your work under pressure skills throughout your resume. You can do this by using action verbs and quantifiable accomplishments in your work experience section. For example, you could say:

  • “Managed a team of 5 designers to deliver a website redesign project on time and under budget”
  • “Successfully completed a project with a tight deadline that required working overtime and on weekends”
  • “Prioritized tasks effectively to meet project deadlines and achieved a 95% customer satisfaction rating”

By following these strategies, you can effectively highlight your work under pressure skills on your resume and increase your chances of landing your dream job.

Example of a Resume Highlighting Work Under Pressure Skills

When it comes to creating a winning resume, emphasizing your work under pressure skills could make all the difference. Here is an example of a resume that highlights work under pressure skills:

1234 Main Street | Anytown, USA 12345 | (555) 555-5555 | [email protected]

Objective: To obtain a challenging position in an organization where my skills, education, and experience can be utilized and enhanced.

Work Experience:

Marketing Executive

ABC Company, Anytown, USA

  • Increased the company’s revenue by 20% within six months of employment by developing strategies for online and offline marketing, advertising, and sales campaigns.
  • Successfully managed multiple projects simultaneously, often under tight deadlines and with limited resources.
  • Maintained a positive and collaborative team environment, ensuring timely and successful project completion.

Customer Service Representative

XYZ Corporation, Anytown, USA

  • Assisted customers with their inquiries, concerns, and complaints via phone and email.
  • Achieved a customer satisfaction rating of 95% for three consecutive months.
  • Responded to customer inquiries promptly, meeting or exceeding the company’s established response time targets.
  • Managed a high volume of customer inquiries while maintaining a professional, friendly, and empathetic demeanor.

Bachelor of Business Administration

University of XYZ, Anytown, USA

  • Excellent project management and leadership skills.
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to work effectively under pressure and within tight deadlines.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and Salesforce.

This resume follows a standard format, including a clear objective statement, work experience section, education, and skills. Notice how the candidate highlights their ability to work under pressure in the bullet points under their work experience section. By doing so, they demonstrate their value to the employer, indicating that they can handle high-stress situations effectively.

To customize this example to your own resume, start by identifying your strengths and accomplishments that showcase your work under pressure skills. Then, follow these steps:

  • Use the same resume format but include your own information in each section.
  • Be sure to include specific examples of how you’ve handled high-pressure situations – such as tight deadlines, complex projects, or difficult customers.
  • Focus on using action verbs and quantifiable results to demonstrate your ability to work under pressure effectively.
  • Tailor your skills section to highlight abilities that are relevant to the specific job you are applying for.

Emphasizing your work under pressure skills on your resume can be a powerful way to stand out to potential employers. By using the example above as a guide and customizing it to your own strengths and experiences, you can craft a winning resume that highlights your ability to handle high-stress situations with ease.

Writing a Cover Letter that Highlights Work Under Pressure Skills

When it comes to job applications, employers are often looking for candidates who can handle high-pressure situations and work effectively under stress. This is particularly true for industries such as healthcare, finance, and media, where deadlines and emergencies can occur at any time.

As a job seeker, it’s important that you emphasize your ability to handle stress and work under pressure in your cover letter. Not only does this make you a more attractive candidate, but it also gives employers a sense of confidence in your ability to perform well in high-stress situations.

Importance of emphasizing work under pressure skills in cover letters

Emphasizing your work under pressure skills in a cover letter can greatly improve your chances of being called for an interview. By highlighting instances where you have successfully completed projects under tight deadlines or handled difficult situations calmly and effectively, you demonstrate to potential employers that you have the skills they are looking for.

Additionally, if stress is a major component of the job you’re applying for, employers may consider your ability to work under pressure a key factor in their hiring decision.

Techniques for showcasing work under pressure skills in a cover letter

There are several techniques you can use to showcase your work under pressure skills in your cover letter:

Start with a strong opening sentence that highlights your experience in high-stress situations. For example, “As someone who thrives under pressure, I’m excited to apply for the [Job Title] position at [Company Name].”

Use specific examples to demonstrate your ability to work under pressure. For instance, you can mention a particularly challenging project you completed under a tight deadline or an emergency situation you handled calmly and effectively. Be sure to emphasize the outcome and how your actions made a positive impact.

Use strong, confident language that conveys your ability to handle stress. Avoid words like “try” or “hope” and instead use words like “successful,” “confident,” and “calm.”

Tailor your cover letter to the specific job and industry you’re applying for. Highlight skills and experiences that are most relevant to the role and that demonstrate your ability to handle pressure within that particular context.

Sample cover letter with work under pressure skills highlighted

Dear Hiring Manager,

I’m writing to express my interest in the [Job Title] position at [Company Name]. As someone who thrives under pressure, I’m excited about the opportunity to apply my skills to this challenging and rewarding role.

Throughout my career, I have demonstrated a strong ability to work effectively under stress. For example, in my previous role as a [Previous Job Title], I was responsible for managing a team of [Number] employees and overseeing complex projects with tight deadlines. Despite the high-pressure environment, I was consistently able to meet or exceed project goals while also providing my team with the support and resources they needed to be successful.

Tips for Interviewing with Work Under Pressure Skills

When it comes to interviewing for a job that requires work under pressure skills, you can expect to face certain common interview questions. These questions are designed to help the interviewer assess your ability to handle high-pressure situations and to see how you respond to stress. Here are a few examples of common interview questions related to work under pressure skills:

  • Can you describe a time when you had to complete a difficult task under a tight time constraint?
  • How do you prioritize your workload when you’re facing multiple deadlines?
  • Have you ever had to manage a crisis situation? If so, how did you handle it?
  • Do you work better under pressure, or do you prefer to have more time to complete a task?

To effectively answer these types of questions, it’s important to have a strategy in place. One effective strategy is the STAR method, which stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This involves briefly describing the situation, explaining the task at hand, outlining the action you took, and detailing the positive result that was achieved. This method helps you to provide a clear, concise, and organized response to interview questions.

In addition to the STAR method, there are other techniques you can use to demonstrate your work under pressure skills during an interview. Here are a few examples:

  • Use specific examples: When responding to interview questions, use specific examples from your past work experiences to illustrate your ability to work under pressure.
  • Show confidence: Demonstrate your confidence and enthusiasm when describing your work under pressure skills.
  • Highlight your problem-solving abilities: Emphasize your ability to think on your feet and to come up with creative solutions to problems in high-pressure situations.
  • Showcase your communication skills: Explain how you effectively communicate with team members and higher-ups during high-pressure situations.

Preparing for a job interview that involves work under pressure skills requires a strategic approach. By using the STAR method and effectively demonstrating your work under pressure skills through specific examples, confidence, problem-solving abilities, and communication skills, you can increase your chances of impressing the interviewer and landing the job.

Developing Work Under Pressure Skills

One essential skill that employers look for when hiring is the ability to work under pressure. Being able to handle various tasks simultaneously and deliver work on time is an indispensable trait that is highly sought after in almost all industries.

Therefore, it is important to improve your work under pressure skills and practice them regularly. Here are some techniques, strategies, and resources to help you develop and enhance your skills in this area:

Techniques for Improving Work Under Pressure Skills

Organization – Keep a to-do list and prioritize tasks. When you know what you have to do and when it is due, it’s easier to manage your workload.

Time Management – Use your time wisely by creating a schedule and sticking to it. This helps you to avoid frustration and overwhelm when deadlines approach.

Positive Mindset – Keep a positive outlook and focus on solutions instead of problems. This will help you stay motivated and calm in stressful situations.

Communication – Communicate with your team or manager when you feel overwhelmed. Being honest about your limits and asking for help when needed is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Self-Care – Take care of yourself by getting enough sleep, exercising, and eating well. Investing in self-care will allow you to perform at your best when facing pressure.

Strategies for Practicing Work Under Pressure Skills

Simulate High-Pressure Environments – Create a project with a tight deadline, and give yourself limited resources to complete it. This creates a high-pressure environment in which you can practice staying calm and focused.

Build Resilience – Practice mindfulness techniques such as deep breathing, visualization, and meditation to reduce stress and build resilience.

Challenge Yourself – Take on new and challenging projects to push yourself out of your comfort zone. This will help you build adaptability and flexibility in managing uncertain and high-pressure situations.

Learn from Experience – Reflect on your past experiences and identify what worked and what didn’t. Use these insights to develop plans to handle similar situations in the future.

Resources for Developing Work Under Pressure Skills

Online Courses and Books – Take online courses or read books on time management, stress management, and productivity to learn skills and techniques to manage pressure.

Networking and Mentors – Connect with people who have experience in your field and seek their advice on how they have tackled high-pressure situations.

Practice Groups – Join or create a practice group where you can work with others to develop your skills in a safe and supportive environment.

Coaching and Counseling – Seek the help of a coach or counselor to work on improving your emotional intelligence, leadership skills, and communication skills.

Developing and highlighting your work under pressure skills can make you a valuable asset to any organization.

Related Articles

  • Accepting a Job Offer by Email: Dos and Don’ts for 2023
  • The Best Resume Layout for 2023: Free Template and Tips
  • Fitness & Personal Trainer Resume: Examples & Best Practices
  • Resume Update 2023: Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd
  • The Top Paying Management Jobs in 2023: A Complete Guide

Rate this article

0 / 5. Reviews: 0

More from ResumeHead

problem solving skills under pressure

  • Personal Development
  • Sales Training
  • Business Training
  • Time Management
  • Leadership Training
  • Book Writing
  • Public Speaking
  • Live Speaker Training With Brian
  • See Brian Speak
  • Coaching Programs
  • Become a Coach
  • Personal Success
  • Sales Success
  • Business Success
  • Leadership Success

How to Remain Calm Under Pressure & Overcome Problems in 9 Steps

January 14, 2015 by Brian Tracy --> Personal Success

When times get tough and you are faced with any of life’s complicated problems it can be hard to stay motivated…

How do you stay motivated and keep your cool when things are going badly around you?

Here are some tips on how to stay positive and motivated when times get tough and you face problems. If you want to learn how to overcome your problems and stay motivated, keep reading…

1) Don’t Blame Others

dont-blame-others-how-to-overcome-problems

Accept responsibility and take charge. You especially must keep yourself positive and focused. You do this by reminding yourself and repeating these words:

‘‘I am responsible! I am responsible! I am responsible!’’

Above all, refuse to blame anyone for anything. Anger and negative emotions of all kinds are dependent upon blame for their very existence. As soon as you stop blaming other people for what has happened and take responsibility for the future, your negative emotions cease, your mind becomes calm and clear, and you begin to make better decisions.

As soon as you stop blaming other people for what has happened and take responsibility for the future, your negative emotions cease, your mind becomes calm and clear, and you begin to make better decisions.

2) How to Remain Calm Under Pressure

The starting point of staying calm under pressure is for you to refuse to react automatically and unthinkingly. Instead, take a deep breath to calm your mind and then think carefully about your next words and actions. Imagine that everyone is watching.

Imagine that this situation is a test to see what you are truly made of. Imagine that everyone is waiting to see how you will respond.

Resolve to set a good example, be a role model for others, to demonstrate the correct way to deal with a major problem, as if you were giving a lesson.

3) Get the Facts

Instead of overreacting, keep yourself calm by asking questions of the other people involved. Listen patiently to the answers as you use your problem-solving skills to find a solution.

If there is a solution, your job is to find it by fully understanding what has happened before you respond.

4) Ask Questions

asking-questions-to-solve-problems

Ask key questions and listen carefully to the answers. Here are some that will help you get at the facts: What is the situation exactly?

  • What is the situation exactly?
  • What has happened?
  • How did it happen?
  • When did it happen?
  • Where did it happen?
  • What are the facts?
  • How do we know that these facts are accurate?
  • Who was involved?
  • Who is responsible for doing (or not doing) certain things?

The very act of asking questions and gathering facts keeps you calm and increases your courage and confidence.

The more facts you have, the stronger and more capable you will feel about making good decisions to solve the problem and get through the crunch.

5) Write it Down

Begin by asking, ‘‘What, exactly, is the problem?’’ If you are working by yourself, write down a clear statement of the problem on a piece of paper.

We find that if you can get the problem down on paper it starts to solve itself. Then write down what all of the possible solutions to the problem.

You will find that when you write out your problem and solutions, you will be able to identify the best way to solve it quickly. It may not seem like a problem at all after you write it down.

6) Try Something Different

By trying something different or taking a different approach to solving a problem. You may find a new, more beneficial way to go about things.

When something fails, by taking a different approach and solving what went wrong the first time, will help you improve over the long run.

It might also help to take a break from solving the problem altogether. I find that motivational quotes and inspirational images can recharge my energy, which allows me to return to the problem at hand with full vigor.

7) Communicate With Others

Sometimes, talking over the problem with a spouse or trusted friend will help immensely to keep you calm and controlled. Go for a long walk and review the situation, examining it from every angle, seeking a possible solution. Remain optimistic, no matter what is going on.

Look for something good in the problem or situation. Very often, what appears to be a major setback is an opportunity in disguise. The complete failure of a project, process, or business venture may be exactly what you need because it may compel you to channel your time and resources in another direction.

8) Make a Decision

No matter what happens, seek the valuable lesson in every difficulty and setback.

Within every problem you face, there is the seed of an equal or greater benefit or advantage . When you discipline yourself to look for the good in the situation, and to seek the valuable lessons that the situation or crisis might contain, you automatically remain calm, positive, and optimistic.

As a result, all the powers of your wonderful mind remain available to you to solve the problem or resolve the crisis.

9) Get Busy Solving the Problem

Get so busy taking action that and solving the problem and bringing about a solution, that you don’t have time to worry or think about the problem anymore. The only real antidote to worry, is purposeful action in the direction of your goals.

Instead of becoming upset or doubting yourself and your abilities, decide to take action, any action, to resolve the difficulty and get yourself through the crunch. Remind yourself that problems come not to obstruct, but to instruct. Related article: The 10-Step Process to Solve Any Proble m

When times get tough and you are faced with any of life’s complicated problems, stay motivated knowing that using this technique you can recognize and develop strategies to solve any problem.

How do you solve your problems and stay motivated? Join the conversation below.

If you want to learn how to build greater confidence in yourself and keep calm under pressure, click the button below to download my Self-Confidence Assessment .

Self-Confidence-Assessment-Bottom-Blog-Banner

« Previous Post 4 Easy Steps to Reach Your New Year’s Goals & Perform Better Next Post » Using The Law of Reciprocity and Other Persuasion Techniques Correctly

About Brian Tracy — Brian is recognized as the top sales training and personal success authority in the world today. He has authored more than 60 books and has produced more than 500 audio and video learning programs on sales, management, business success and personal development, including worldwide bestseller The Psychology of Achievement. Brian's goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever imagined. You can follow him on Twitter , Facebook , Pinterest , Linkedin and Youtube .

problem solving skills under pressure

  • Most Recent
  • How to Sell and Become a Master Salesperson
  • Navigating Life with a Professional Life Coach & How to Become One
  • 165 Inspirational Quotes To Keep You Motivated In Life
  • How to Create a SMART Goals Action Plan
  • Increase Sales at Any Time of the Year with These Sales Strategies
  • Free Webinar: How To Write a Book and Become a Published Author
  • Free Video Series: 3-Part Sales Mastery Training Series
  • Free Assessment: The Confidence Factor
  • Free Assessment: Discovering Your Talents

problem solving skills under pressure

Browse Categories

  • Financial Success

problem solving skills under pressure

Follow Brian & Join the Discussion

  • Free Resources
  • Best Sellers
  • Knowledge Base
  • Shipping & Returns
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Brian
  • Brian Recommends

Your Privacy is Guaranteed. We will never give, lease or sell your personal information. Period!

© Copyright 2001-2024 Brian Tracy International. All Rights Reserved.

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

  • Publications
  • Account settings
  • Advanced Search
  • Journal List

Logo of plosone

Self-Affirmation Improves Problem-Solving under Stress

J. david creswell.

1 Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Janine M. Dutcher

2 Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America

William M. P. Klein

3 Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, NCI, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America

Peter R. Harris

4 Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom

John M. Levine

5 Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Conceived and designed the experiments: JDC JMD WMPK PRH JML. Performed the experiments: JMD. Analyzed the data: JDC JMD. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: JDC. Wrote the paper: JDC JMD WMPK PRH JML.

Associated Data

High levels of acute and chronic stress are known to impair problem-solving and creativity on a broad range of tasks. Despite this evidence, we know little about protective factors for mitigating the deleterious effects of stress on problem-solving. Building on previous research showing that self-affirmation can buffer stress, we tested whether an experimental manipulation of self-affirmation improves problem-solving performance in chronically stressed participants. Eighty undergraduates indicated their perceived chronic stress over the previous month and were randomly assigned to either a self-affirmation or control condition. They then completed 30 difficult remote associate problem-solving items under time pressure in front of an evaluator. Results showed that self-affirmation improved problem-solving performance in underperforming chronically stressed individuals. This research suggests a novel means for boosting problem-solving under stress and may have important implications for understanding how self-affirmation boosts academic achievement in school settings.

Introduction

Acute and chronic stress have been shown to disrupt problem-solving and creativity [1] . For example, acutely stressful contexts, such as completing problem-solving tasks under negative social evaluation, have been shown to impair performance on a variety of tasks, such as anagrams and remote associate problems [2] , [3] . Feeling chronically stressed produces similar performance impairments. For example, Liston and colleagues found that participants who reported high levels of stress over the previous month demonstrated impaired attention-shifting performance compared to participants who reported low levels of stress [4] , [5] . Moreover, these stress-induced performance impairments were reversed when the high-stress participants completed the tasks after a one-month low stress period [4] . Although this body of research provides supportive evidence indicating that acute and chronic stressors can impair problem solving, little is currently known about stress management approaches for mitigating the effects of stress on problem solving.

An emerging body of research suggests that self-affirmation may be one such effective stress management approach. Self-affirmation theory posits that the goal of the self is to protect one’s self-image when threatened and that one way to do this is through affirmation of valued sources of self-worth [6] , [7] . In order to manipulate self-affirmation, experimental studies commonly have participants rank-order personal values (e.g., politics, relations with friends/family), and then participants in the self-affirmation condition are asked to respond to questions or complete a short essay on why their #1 ranked value is important (control participants complete a similar activity about why a lower ranked value might be important to someone else) [8] . As a result, participants in the self-affirmation condition have an opportunity to affirm a valued self-domain or characteristic [6] , [8] . Studies using this experimental approach have found that self-affirmation can buffer threats to the self in variety of domains [6] , with several recent studies showing that self-affirmation can buffer stress responses to laboratory stressors [9] , [10] and naturalistic academic stressors [11] . Collectively, this work suggests that if self-affirmation can reduce stress, it may also promote problem-solving performance under high stress conditions, although no previous studies have tested the effects of self-affirmation manipulations on actual problem-solving performance [12] – [16] .

In the present study, we test whether a brief self-affirmation can buffer the negative impacts of chronic stress on problem-solving. Specifically, we used a well-known measure of problem-solving and creativity (the Remote Associates Task (RAT)) [17] – [20] to test three hypotheses. First, we tested whether chronic stress is related to poorer problem-solving performance. Second, we tested whether self-affirmation improves problem-solving. Third, we tested whether these two main effects are qualified by a chronic stress × self-affirmation interaction, such that self-affirmation will improve problem-solving in chronically stressed participants, whom are likely to have impaired problem-solving, compared to participants who are low in chronic stress.

Ethics Statement

This research was approved by the Carnegie Mellon University Institutional Review Board.

Participants

Eighty students from two urban universities in Pittsburgh participated for course credit or $20. We excluded seven participants who did not follow instructions (N = 5) or who did not rate academic performance as important to them (N = 2). The sample thus consisted of 73 students (34 females; 39 males) who ranged in age from 18 to 34, with an average age of 21 (SD = 2.4). Given this broad age range and the marginally significantly association between age and overall RAT performance ( r  = −.21, p  = .07), we controlled for age in all analyses. The ethnic composition of the sample was predominantly Caucasian (55%), followed by Asian-American (16.5%), Other (12%), African-American (9.5%), mixed-race (5.5%), and Latino/Hispanic (1.5%). The sample had similar levels of chronic stress ( M =  16.6, SD  = 7.1, Range = 1–34) to normed US samples of individuals under 25 years of age (M = 16.8) [21] . Ethnicity (Caucasian vs. all others) and gender (male vs. female) did not moderate any of the primary study results (see Tables 1 and ​ and2 2 ).

Participants provided written informed consent and then completed an experiment ostensibly about intelligence and performance. Participants were informed that a trained evaluator would administer the performance task. Prior to completing the RAT and while the evaluator was ostensibly preparing to administer the test, participants were asked if they would be willing to complete a questionnaire and writing activity that was being piloted for an unrelated experiment on personal values (all agreed). Participants were randomly assigned either to the self-affirmation or control condition. In both cases, they rated 11 values (i.e., art, business, friends/family) in order of personal importance. Next, they wrote about their first ranked value and why it was important to them (self-affirmation condition) or their ninth ranked value and why it might be important to others (control condition) [12] . Following the self-affirmation writing task, as a manipulation check, participants were asked to respond to two items assessing how important the value they wrote about was, using a 6-point response scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 6 = Strongly Agree). Items were, “This value has influenced my life” and “This value is an important part of who I am” (study α = .96). Participants then completed a state mood adjective checklist assessing state positive mood (5 items: proud, content, joyful, love, and grateful; study α = .84) and state negative mood (3 items: sad, angry, scared; study α = .65) (PANAS-X; [22] , [23] ).

Participants’ heart rate and mean arterial pressure were measured at 2-minute intervals using an automatic sphygmomanometer and inflatable cuff on their left arm (Dinamap Carescape V100, General Electric Company, Finland) during three different periods: an eight-minute baseline period, followed by the RAT (about 9 minutes), and a five-minute recovery period. All readings in each period were averaged. Heart rate was included because it is a useful indirect marker for task engagement [24] , [25] , which may be affected by our self-affirmation manipulation. Mean arterial blood pressure was collected to measure cardiovascular reactivity to the laboratory challenge task.

The experimenter was blind to participant condition, and a separate RAT evaluator (also blind to condition) administered the 30-item RAT performance task. 144 RAT items have been normed for difficulty [17] , and pilot testing indicated that our undergraduate sample population can solve all easy RAT items. We thus selected 30 challenging RAT items ranging in difficulty from moderately to extremely difficult (the items are available in Table S1 ). For each RAT item, participants saw three words on a computer screen (e.g., flake, mobile, cone) and were asked to generate a fourth word (e.g., snow) that when combined with each of the three stimulus words results in a common word pair used in everyday English language (e.g., snowflake, snow mobile, snow cone). They were given 12 seconds to provide an answer verbally. The evaluator provided veridical verbal performance feedback (incorrect, correct) after each response and recorded each response. In order to create performance pressure, the evaluator provided evaluative feedback three times during the 30 RAT trials (“I need you to try harder”).

After completing the performance task, the evaluator left the room and the experimenter re-entered and indicated that the participant was to rest quietly (5 minute recovery period). Participants then completed individual difference measures, including the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale [26] to assess perceived stress over the last month (all items were summed to form a composite index of chronic stress, study α = .87). To reduce potential confounding effects, we administered these measures at the end of the experimental session because previous studies indicate that completing individual difference measures at the beginning of an experimental session may act as an affirmation manipulation (i.e., they have carry-over effects) [27] . We had no reason to expect that the experimental task would bias participants’ responses when self-reporting their chronic stress levels over the past month, and a one-way ANCOVA indicated that the self-affirmation manipulation did not affect perceived stress over the last month ( F (1, 72) = .95, p  = .22, η 2  = .01). After completing individual difference measures, participants were debriefed, compensated, and excused.

Data Analysis

All descriptive statistics, ANCOVA, and multiple regression analyses were conducted using SPSS 19.0 (IBM, Armonk, New York). All predictor variables were mean-centered prior to being entered in multiple regression equations. Our experimental manipulation of self-affirmation was dummy coded (self-affirmation = 1, control = 0). Correct responses on the RAT were summed across the 30 trials to form an overall composite RAT problem-solving performance score. As described above, age was included as a covariate in all analyses (except the preliminary chi-square analyses described below).

Preliminary Analyses

It is possible that there may have been significant differences in how participants ranked their #1 value across study conditions, which could indicate a failure of randomization. To test whether there were differences in the selected #1 ranked value between study conditions, chi-square analyses were conducted to test for condition differences (self-affirmation vs. control, low vs. high chronic stress) on which value participants’ ranked #1 ( Table 3 provides frequencies of #1 ranked values across conditions). Consistent with previous studies [28] , approximately 50% of participants selected “Relations with Friends and Family” as their #1 ranked value. Importantly, there was no main effect for either self-affirmation condition (χ 2 (8) = 6.36, p =  .61) or chronic stress level (χ 2 (8) = 6.50, p  = .59) on the #1 ranked value. Moreover, the self-affirmation × chronic stress interaction for the #1 ranked value was not significant (χ 2 (8) = 3.03, p  = .93). In sum, there was no evidence that self-affirmation condition or chronic stress level affected participants’ selection of their top-ranked value.

As expected, self-affirmation and control participants wrote about different values during the writing activity (χ 2 (10) = 33.7, p<.001; see Table 4 ), such that participants in the control condition wrote about a ninth-ranked value that was different from the first-ranked value in the self-affirmation condition. As shown in Table 4 and noted above, approximately half the self-affirmation condition participants wrote about relations with friends and family, whereas control condition participants wrote about a heterogeneous set of values. We had no reason to believe that chronic stress would influence choice of value. Consistent with this expectation, there was not a main effect for either chronic stress level (χ 2 (10) = 11.08, p  = .35) nor a self-affirmation condition × stress level interaction (χ 2 (10) = 10.6, p =  .39).

As a manipulation check, we compared the ratings that participants in different conditions made about their value writing activity immediately after completing the writing activity. A one-way ANCOVA confirmed that the self-affirmation group ( M  = 22.97, SD  = 1.38) rated the value as significantly more important than did the control group ( M =  15.13, SD  = 3.69), F (1, 71) = 142.6, p <.001, η 2  = .671, indicating success of the value-affirmation manipulation.

We also conducted an ANCOVA comparing the total number of words written in the affirmation and control essays to determine if self-affirmation participants were more engaged in the writing task and thus wrote longer essays. Although self-affirmation condition participants wrote somewhat longer essays on average ( M  = 68.79 words, SD  = 25.9) than did control condition participants ( M  = 60.34, SD  = 26.9), this difference was not statistically significant ( F (1,72) = 1.63, p  = .21). Moreover, chronic stress level was not associated with the number of words written in the self-affirmation essays ( F (1, 72) = 1.13, p  = .35). There was also no interaction between self-affirmation condition and chronic stress level on number of words written ( F (1,72) = 1.30, p  = .26). It is also worth noting that word count was not correlated with RAT problem-solving performance ( r  = .14, p  = .23), and including word count as a covariate did not appreciably change our primary problem-solving results (word count was not further pursued as a variable of interest).

Self-Affirmation, Stress, and Problem-Solving Performance

To test our primary hypotheses, we conducted a multiple regression analysis with condition (self-affirmation vs. control), perceived stress over the last month, and their interaction predicting RAT score. Consistent with hypotheses, we observed a significant main effect of chronic stress on RAT performance ( β  = −.45, t (72) = −2.75, p  = .008), such that participants with higher stress in the last month had lower problem-solving performance. Moreover, we observed a significant main effect for self-affirmation condition, ( β  = .31, t (72) = 2.88, p  = .005), such that affirmed participants performed significantly better on the RAT task than control participants ( Figure 1 ). Consistent with our self-affirmation stress buffering hypothesis, these main effects were qualified by a significant chronic stress × self-affirmation interaction on RAT problem-solving performance ( β  = .35, t (72) = 2.09, p  = .041). As shown in Figure 1 , self-affirmation (compared to the control condition) improved the RAT problem solving performance of underperforming high chronic stress individuals, but had a minimal impact on the performance of participants low in chronic stress. Moreover, as depicted in Figure 1 , this stress buffering effect of self-affirmation improved the problem-solving performance of high stress individuals to a level comparable to individuals low in stress.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is pone.0062593.g001.jpg

Low and high stress groups (as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale) were determined by median split for visual presentation. Error bars reflect standard errors of the mean.

Testing the Positive Affect and Task Engagement Accounts of Problem-Solving

Previous studies indicate that positive affect boosts problem-solving performance [29] , [30] , so we tested the possibility that the self-affirmation activity was a positive affect induction, and that positive affect engendered by self-affirmation explained the problem-solving effects. Consistent with other reports [28] , we found that the self-affirmation group had higher state positive affect compared to the control group (as determined by multiple regression controlling for age: β = . 51, t (69) = 4.79, p <.001.) We also tested negative affect using the same approach, but there was not a significant main effect for self-affirmation condition ( β  = −.12, t (71) = −1.06, p  = .29) or a stress × self-affirmation interaction ( β  = −.02, t (71) = −.90, p  = .37) on state negative affect. However, there was not a self-affirmation × chronic stress interaction on positive affect ( β  = .19, t (69) = 1.19, p  = .24). Given that self-affirmation increased state positive affect, we conducted mediation analyses (following procedure described in [31] ) testing whether state positive affect mediated the impact of self-affirmation on problem-solving. In the first step of the mediation analysis, self-affirmation increased positive affect (as described above). The second step in testing mediation consists of evaluating whether the mediating variable (positive affect) predicts the outcome variable (problem-solving performance) when entered simultaneously with the predictor variable (self-affirmation condition). This second analysis revealed that positive affect was not a significant predictor of RAT performance when it was entered as a simultaneous predictor variable with the self-affirmation condition variable ( β  = −.07, t (71) = −.54, p  = .59). Thus we did not find supporting evidence for positive affect as a mediator for the self-affirmation main effect or the chronic stress × self-affirmation interaction on problem-solving performance.

As noted earlier, previous research suggests that heart rate is a useful indirect marker for task engagement [24] , [25] . To test whether there was differential task engagement in the self-affirmation and control conditions using this physiological measure, we conducted a repeated measures ANCOVA to assess change in heart rate over time between conditions (In order to run a parallel ANCOVA analyses as our primary analysis, the heart rate and mean arterial pressure analyses were run with the chronic stress variable entered as a two-level between subjects variable (low vs. high stress), as determined by median split). Although participants showed an overall significant heart rate increase from baseline ( M  = 68.50, SE  = 1.03) to the RAT problem solving period ( M  = 76.44, SE  = 1.31) ( paired-samples t (69) = −9.26, p  = <.001), there were no significant main effect or interactive effects of conditions on heart rate change. Specifically, we did not observe a significant main effect for self-affirmation condition ( F (1, 67) = .36 p  = .55, η 2  = .01) or chronic stress ( F (1,66) = .09, p  = .77, η 2  = .001). Notably, we also did not observe a significant self-affirmation condition × time interaction ( F (2, 67) = .43 p  = .65, η 2  = .01) or a condition × time × chronic stress interaction ( F (2, 67) = 1.15 p  = .32, η 2  = .03) ( Figure 2 ), indicating that there were no differential effects of self-affirmation (or the self-affirmation × chronic stress interaction) on heart rate. Collectively, these findings do not provide support for a differential task engagement explanation of our performance findings. Instead, our data indicate that participants across conditions were similarly engaged in the problem-solving task.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is pone.0062593.g002.jpg

Panel A depicts the results for participants low in chronic stress, and Panel B depicts the results for participants high in chronic stress, as determined by median split. Error bars reflect standard errors of the mean.

We also assessed the impact of our self-affirmation manipulation on mean arterial blood pressure responses during the RAT problem-solving period. Like heart rate, participants showed an overall significant mean arterial pressure increase from baseline ( M  = 79.71, SE  = .86) to the RAT problem solving period ( M  = 89.05, SE  = 1.08) ( paired-samples t (69) = −12.12, p <.001), but we did not observe significant main effects of self-affirmation ( F (1,67) = 2.21, p  = .14, η 2  = .03) or chronic stress ( F (1,66) = .32, p  = .57, η 2  = .01). Similarly, the self-affirmation condition × time ( F (2, 64) = .13, p  = .88, η 2  = .004) and condition × time × chronic stress ( F (2, 64) = 1.53 p  = .23, η 2  = .05) interactions were not significant ( Figure 3 ). These heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure results are in accord with our previous work showing that self-affirmation does not appreciably alter heart rate or blood pressure responses to acute stress-challenge tasks [9] . Importantly, the changes in heart rate and blood pressure reaffirm that the RAT task was stressful for participants.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is pone.0062593.g003.jpg

The present study provides the first evidence that self-affirmation can protect against the deleterious effects of stress on problem-solving performance. Specifically, we show that chronically stressed individuals have impaired problem-solving performance and that self-affirmation can boost problem-solving performance under pressure. Notably, these effects were qualified by a significant chronic stress by self-affirmation interaction, such that self-affirmation improved problem-solving performance in underperforming chronically stressed individuals. These findings have important implications for self-affirmation research and educational interventions. First, although we have shown in several studies that self-affirmation can reduce acute stress experiences [9] – [11] , previous research has not tested whether self-affirmation can be protective in the context of chronic (or ongoing) stressors. Moreover, until now it has been unclear whether the stress buffering benefits of self-affirmation translate into improved performance outcomes on actual problem solving tasks. Our present study suggests that a brief self-affirmation activity is sufficient to buffer the negative effects of chronic stress on task performance and can improve the ability to problem solve in a flexible manner during high stress periods [3] , [32] . It is important to note that the task used in the present study (RAT) is a common measure of creativity performance and insight [18] , [33] , and hence our study suggests that self-affirmation may increase creativity and insight in stressed individuals [16] , [34] .

Second, our study suggests that self-affirmation may be effective at boosting performance in academic tasks requiring associative processing and creativity, particularly for students who experience stress on such tasks [34] . Thus, our findings identify a potential mechanism by which a self-affirmation intervention at the beginning of a school term can improve at-risk students’ academic achievement, reducing achievement disparities between African Americans and European Americans and between women and men in science [12] – [15] .

Finally, two limitations of our study should be mentioned. It is possible that the stress buffering effects of self-affirmation on problem-solving performance that we obtained are specific to evaluative performance settings, since all of our participants completed difficult RAT items under time pressure in front of a critical evaluator. (We note that the problem-solving task we used produced significant cardiovascular stress reactivity (see Figures 2 & 3 ), comparable to other well-known psychosocial stress-challenge tasks [35] .) Future studies should therefore experimentally test whether social evaluation is a necessary condition for self-affirmation problem-solving effects. Another limitation of our study is that we measured chronic stress using a self-report measure, and this measure was collected at the end of our study session (although there were no experimental (self-affirmation manipulation) effects on chronic stress scores). We elected to use this procedure given that completing individual difference measures may have carry-over effects if completed immediately prior to self-affirmation activities [27] . Future studies using other measures for assessing chronic stress (e.g., selecting chronically stressed vs. matched control groups) [4] would therefore be useful.

The present research contributes to a broader effort at understanding how stress management approaches can facilitate problem-solving performance under stress. Despite many studies showing that acute and chronic stressors can impair problem-solving [1] , [2] , [4] , we know little about stress management and coping approaches for buffering stress during problem-solving [36] . Our work suggests that self-affirmation may be a relatively easy-to-use strategy for mitigating stress and improving problem-solving performance in evaluative settings. It will be important for future studies to consider the mechanisms linking self-affirmation with improved problem solving. We show here that our self-affirmation effects are unlikely to be explained by changes in positive affect or task engagement. The fact that we did not see any differential effects of self-affirmation on a physiological measure of task engagement (heart rate) also suggests that these effects are not driven by changes in persistence or motivation [32] . A more likely possibility, to be tested by future research, is that self-affirmation facilitates a more open and flexible attentional stance (e.g., [16] ), which increases working memory availability [37] , [38] for problem-solving in evaluative contexts.

Conclusions

The present study builds on previous research showing that self-affirmation has stress protective effects in performance settings [9] , [12] , [13] , [15] , providing an initial indication that self-affirmation can buffer the effects of chronic stress on actual problem-solving in performance settings.

Supporting Information

Remote Associate items used in the present study.

Acknowledgments

This dataset is available upon request ( ude.umc@llewserc ).

Funding Statement

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant #924387 and the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse Opportunity Fund. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

See our features in action

How skills-based hiring works

Explore all of our integrations

Assess coding skills

Discover what drives candidates

Test thinking and problem-solving

Evaluate language proficiency

Hire industry-leading tech talent

High-volume hiring done right

Find skilled candidates fast

Our customer success stories

Expert talent assessment articles

Insights into candidate potential

Why it works and how to adopt it

problem solving skills under pressure

Learn how TestGorilla uses industry-leading science to create skills-based hiring solutions.

Why are problem solving skills in the workplace so important? Subskills, benefits, scenarios

Test your candidates' problem-solving skills with testgorilla.

problem solving skills in the workplace

The importance of problem-solving skills in the workplace can’t be overstated. Every business and job role has its problems. From entry-level hires to senior staffers, every one of your employees will face challenges that don’t can’t be answered by doing a quick Google search – or asking ChatGPT to come up with solutions.

That’s why employers must hire people with excellent problem-solving skills, especially for roles that require dealing with complex business challenges, tight deadlines, and changing variables – for example, when recruiting leaders .

But what are problem-solving skills? What role do they play in the workplace? 

And, most importantly, how can you evaluate candidates’ skills before you hire them?

Table of contents

What are problem solving skills, the benefits of problem solving skills: why are problem solving skills important , examples of problems at the workplace – and how problem solving skills can help, how to assess problem solving skills, evaluate problem solving skills and hire candidates who can think for themselves.

To fully understand the importance of problem-solving skills in the workplace, it’s important first to understand the broad skill set that we commonly refer to as “problem solving skills”. 

Generally, problem-solving refers to a person’s ability to successfully manage and find solutions for complex and unexpected situations. 

Candidates with great problem-solving skills have a combination of analytical and creative thinking. They’re comfortable with making decisions and confident enough to rise to challenges in the workplace.

These candidates possess a combination of analytical, creative, and critical-thinking skills – and a high level of attention to detail . As a result, they will quickly identify problems when they arise and identify the most effective solutions. 

They’ll also identify the factors and forces that might have caused the problem and instigate changes to mitigate future challenges.

There are six key problem-solving skills that you should look for when assessing job candidates: 

key problem solving skills to look for when hiring

1. Listening skills

Active listeners are generally great problem solvers. 

They can listen to those around them to gather the information needed to solve the problem at hand. They also recognize the importance of valuing others’ opinions and experiences to help understand why the problem occurred and define the best course of action to remedy it. 

2. Analytical thinking skills 

Analytical thinkers can identify the logical reasons why a problem occurred, what the long-term effects of the issue could be, and identify how effective different solutions might be to select the most practical one. 

That’s why it’s essential to assess analytical thinking skills during recruitment.

Learn how pre-employment assessments can streamline your hiring process

Book a free live demo with us and learn how quick and easy it is to create an online skills assessment

problem solving skills under pressure

3. Creative thinking skills

Creative thinkers can balance their analytical skills with creative approaches to challenges. Creative thinking skills enable individuals to uncover innovative and progressive solutions to problems. 

In this way, they’re able to provide new perspectives and provide imaginative and experimental solutions to all kinds of problems. 

4. Communication skills 

Problem solvers should also possess great communication skills . The ability to effectively relay complex information thoroughly yet succinctly is a huge benefit for employers working in fast-paced environments. 

5. Decision-making skills 

Those with problem-solving skills will also possess the ability to make decisions and be confident in them. This is important, because most problem-solving involves making firm decisions to reach a successful outcome. 

6. Teamwork

Although problem-solvers need to be independent thinkers, it’s also vital for them to work well as part of a team . 

Determining the best solution often requires collaboration, so it’s important that candidates can demonstrate how they can motivate others to come up with the best solutions and work with them to help develop and implement solutions. 

Problem-solving skills enable you to find candidates who are cognitively equipped to handle anything their jobs throw at them.

Problem solvers can observe, judge, and act quickly when difficulties arise when they inevitably do. Moreover, they are not afraid of the unknown, which is invaluable to employers who rely on their employees to identify and solve problems. 

Why are problem solving skills important?

There are several important benefits of problem-solving skills in the workplace. Below, we’ll go through five of the most significant ones that all problem solvers can bring to their roles and workplaces: 

1. Ability to organize their time intelligently 

Time management skills can often be underlooked as one of the benefits of problem-solving skills in the workplace. 

However, those with problem-solving abilities also typically possess stellar time-management skills. The ability to manage their time wisely and laser-focus on what’s important to the business will lead to better decision-making and business impact. 

2. Ability to prioritize, plan, and execute strategies

Problem solvers have no issue with carefully assessing customer and business needs and deciding how to prioritize, plan, and execute strategies to meet them. They can manage all moving parts and strategize to meet multiple unique demands.

3. Ability to think outside the box

Problem solvers can often identify hidden opportunities in problems. Thinking outside of the box is an important problem-solving skill in the workplace, because it can often lead to better outcomes than the originally expected ones. 

4. Ability to work under pressure

This is often one of the most important benefits of problem-solving skills in the workplace. Problem solvers often work well under pressure, for example when dealing with short deadlines and changing project requirements.

Depending on your workplace culture, you might prefer someone who can deliver quick solutions or someone who takes their time to identify the next steps. Both are valid and important problem solving qualities. 

5. Ability to address risk

Planning is an important problem-solving skill. Problem solvers are not just equipped to deal with the problem at hand but are also able to anticipate problems that will arise in the future based on trends, patterns, experience, and current events.

Let’s now look at some specific examples of problems that could arise at the workplace – at any workplace, really – and how employees’ problem solving skills can help address each issue. 

Below, you’ll find five typical scenarios where problem solving skills are essential.

Conflict between team members

Poor team dynamics or lack of a collaborative spirit might result in frequent workplace conflicts – especially within larger teams.

For example, members of cross-functional teams might disagree on the way they should address a particular issue or even on the priority they should give to it. 

How problem solving skills can help: 

Teamwork is essential when solving conflict – and a cornerstone of effective cross-functional team leadership .

For this, coworkers need to share a common understanding of the team’s goals and also be willing to work towards achieving them, even when they disagree on the specific approaches to each goal.  The ability to understand others’ perspectives, analyze information critically, and come up with a few different solutions is key to finding a common ground and making progress on the team’s objectives.

Inefficient processes

Outdated, inefficient processes can reduce productivity and frustrate employees.

Multi-step approval processes are a typical example of this. Having multiple layers of approval for routine decisions can significantly slow down team progress and lead to missed opportunities.

Analytical thinking skills are key in identifying inefficiencies and building better procedures. Employees or team leads can build flowcharts that speed up decision making without having to ask a supervisor’s permission at every step of the process. 

Communication challenges

Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings and lack of clarity and direction – which, in turn, can be detrimental to team performance. 

For example, if you’re a remote-first company, maintaining clear and effective remote communication can be challenging. 

The over-reliance on emails and messaging apps might make it feel like teams are communicating effectively and are always connected. However, the lack of non-verbal cues and face-to-face interactions might make it more difficult to build rapport and a positive workplace culture .

Listening skills are essential to solving communication issues – and good listeners are often excellent at solving problems by recognizing, understanding, and acknowledging others’ points of view. 

One-on-one meetings enable people to communicate more freely and effectively and solve challenges together, so consider encouraging team members to hop on a call each time they encounter a difficult challenge.

Additionally, you can help employees bond with each other with some remote team building activities to improve team cohesion. Plus, problem solving challenges can be excellent team building exercises.

Technological disruptions 

New technologies often disrupt the usual ways of doing things – and sometimes, this can be disruptive for entire teams’ work. 

For example, generative AI and automation technologies have revolutionized numerous types of work, including data analysis, marketing, customer service, and even content creation.

Creative thinking and cognitive flexibility are among the top 10 most important skills of the future , according to the World Economic Forum. Both are essential for adopting new technologies successfully – and finding ways to make the most out of each new tool to improve productivity. 

Insufficient onboarding resources 

Team members may struggle to do their best work if they haven't received proper training or resources.

For example, start-ups that experience rapid growth might hire a few employees at once – or even entire teams. 

If they fail to allocate sufficient time and resources to onboarding new hires, this might lead to lost productivity, a lacking sense of belonging, or increased turnover. That’s true not only for junior employees but also for newly hired senior leaders , as the Harvard Business Review points out.

Your leadership team’s analytical and decision-making skills are crucial in enabling them to distribute limited resources in a way that would give their teams the best chances of success. 

To build a solid onboarding process , you need leaders who are able to take ownership of it – and who have the right problem-solving skills.

Many organizations use problem-solving interview questions to identify the right candidates for their job openings. However, the most effective way to assess problem-solving skills is with pre-employment skills assessments . 

That’s because skills tests provide an objective way to quantify a candidate’s problem-solving skills in a way that isn’t possible during an interview.

How problem solving skills tests work

Tests like TestGorilla’s problem-solving skills test assist organizations in finding candidates who are able to quickly identify the key elements of the problem and work through the problem at speed without making mistakes. 

By presenting candidates with a wide range of questions related to typical problem-solving scenarios, hiring teams can rank their candidates based on an intensive assessment of each candidate’s skill level.

screenshot of a sample question in TestGorilla’s pre-employment problem-solving test

The test specifically evaluates whether a candidate can perform problem-solving tasks like:

Creating and adjust schedules

Prioritizing items based on a given set of rules

Interpreting data and applying logic to make decisions

Analyzing textual and numerical information to draw conclusions

As you can see, even the best interviewer would have trouble assessing each of these skill areas while still covering all the other questions that they need to ask. 

If you’re convinced of the importance of problem-solving skills in the workplace and want to build a team of employees that can think independently and solve their own problems without constant supervision, assess problem-solving skills during the hiring process. 

Problem-solving skills tests like ours are an excellent way to achieve this – especially if you combine them with other skills tests. Check out our extensive test library for other tests you can use in your talent assessment process to hire the best talent. 

Sign up for our free plan to start building your first assessment – or schedule a demo with one of our experts to see how to evaluate applicants’ problem solving skills quickly, efficiently, and without bias. 

Related posts

How to write a program management job description featured image

How to write a program management job description

How to assess numerical reasoning in an interview featured image

How to assess numerical reasoning in an interview

How to asses non verbal communication skills during the hiring process featured image

How to assess non-verbal communication skills during the hiring process

Hire the best candidates with testgorilla..

Create pre-employment assessments in minutes to screen candidates, save time, and hire the best talent.

problem solving skills under pressure

Latest posts

Why you should ask candidates to take the DISC test featured image

The best advice in pre-employment testing, in your inbox.

No spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

Hire the best. No bias. No stress.

Our screening tests identify the best candidates and make your hiring decisions faster, easier, and bias-free.

Free resources

problem solving skills under pressure

Anti-cheating checklist

This checklist covers key features you should look for when choosing a skills testing platform

problem solving skills under pressure

Onboarding checklist

This resource will help you develop an onboarding checklist for new hires.

problem solving skills under pressure

How to find candidates with strong attention to detail

How to assess your candidates' attention to detail.

problem solving skills under pressure

How to get HR certified

Learn how to get human resources certified through HRCI or SHRM.

problem solving skills under pressure

Improve quality of hire

Learn how you can improve the level of talent at your company.

problem solving skills under pressure

Case study: How CapitalT reduces hiring bias

Learn how CapitalT reduced hiring bias with online skills assessments.

problem solving skills under pressure

Resume screening guide

Learn how to make the resume process more efficient and more effective.

problem solving skills under pressure

Important recruitment metrics

Improve your hiring strategy with these 7 critical recruitment metrics.

problem solving skills under pressure

Case study: How Sukhi reduces shortlisting time

Learn how Sukhi decreased time spent reviewing resumes by 83%!

problem solving skills under pressure

12 pre-employment testing hacks

Hire more efficiently with these hacks that 99% of recruiters aren't using.

problem solving skills under pressure

The benefits of diversity

Make a business case for diversity and inclusion initiatives with this data.

problem solving skills under pressure

Work Under Pressure Skills and How to Describe them on Your Resume?

Here are the top ways to show your work under pressure skills on your resume. Find out relevant work under pressure keywords and phrases and build your resume today.

Woman on chair

Is your resume ATS-friendly?

Drop your resume here or upload a file to find out if the skills in your resume are readable by an ATS.

Avatar image

What does working under pressure mean?

Why are work under pressure skills important, what skills, activities and accomplishments help you highlight your work under pressure abilities, working under pressure skills: key takeaways for your resume.

The ability to work under pressure involves dealing with constraints that are often outside of your control. These might be last-minute changes, upcoming deadlines and a lack of knowledge required to finish your tasks.

To work under pressure also means that you must still perform well. Don’t allow stress to affect your quality of work. The best thing to do is to put aside your frustration and emotions and find the best way to continue to work normally. Unexpected holdbacks shouldn’t harm your performance or the efficacy of your work.

Employers will often ask if you can work well under pressure. It’s a sought-after skill many organizations value highly. If you possess work under pressure skills, you can maintain level-headedness when urgent needs arise instead of getting stressed out and overwhelmed. And no matter where you work, there will undoubtedly be occasions where you have to work in high-pressure situations.

In many cases, the difference between an average employee and an excellent one is the ability to perform well in a crisis situation when a quick decision is needed.

No matter how well planned or organized you are, unexpected events or problems may occur. The ability to respond calmly and effectively to pressure is extremely important in any line of work. How you respond will vary from person to person. Some people thrive on it and perform with a clear head under stress, others may get anxious and become ineffective. We live in a fast-changing work environment. All areas of business are affected by outside circumstances that need last-minute adjustments to continue to work as normal as possible. That’s why nowadays the quality to work under pressure is so valuable from recruiters.

Since stress is unavoidable in work of line, it's important to have some set of skills. Show on your resume that you know how to deal with obstacles that get in the way of you doing your job. Here is a list that you can count on:

  • Planning : Planning lets you see the situation from a broader perspective, helping you to understand what is really at stake. To work better under pressure, take 10 minutes to identify the problems that may arise and think about backup solutions. Maintain a calm demeanour when expectations change or things don’t go as planned
  • Overcoming problems is connected with your ability to problems solving. The first steps are to identify the issue and determine the cause of the problem. Next is to select alternatives for a solution that will solve the problem.
  • Reorganizing the tasks to adapt them to the current situation. Consider what you can outsource to another team or coworker. Adjust your frame of thinking and quickly change priorities without getting flustered.
  • Time control: Work smarter - not harder. Failing to manage your time effectively can have some very undesirable consequences. Evaluate the setbacks and create a new timing for each activates. Meet changing deadlines while still producing high-quality work.
  • Adaptability: Stay focused on what needs to be done; never lose sight of the end goal. Be flexible and adjust to changing factors.
  • Team Work: Stay Calm in stressful or emergent situations; help those around you feel more at ease.

How to demonstrate your work under pressure abilities on your resume:

  • Provide examples of your planning skills.
  • Explain why you work well under pressure, and how pressure helps you to do your work more efficiently.
  • Describe your experience working under pressure and how you learn to work well during deadlines.
  • Give examples of what you do to control your time when working under pressure.
  • Talk about times when you work under pressure, and you didn’t panic, maintain self-control and work as efficiently as possible.

Example 1: Demonstrate work under pressure in the experience section

  • • I organized weekly team meetings and define the meeting planning process that is consistent, so all team members know what to expect each week. This increased the work efficiency by 20%.
  • • Manage relationships and interface on a daily basis with engineers, contractors, architects, and colleagues on a variety of construction projects.
  • • Prepare contractor requests for proposals, administer/align bids, and review pricing.
  • • Participate in the design process, providing budget, schedule, and constructability input.

The action verbs used by this assistant project manager prove their abilities to work under pressure. They show organizing and planning skills by implementing a strict meeting planning process. This increased the work efficiency of the team, which shows they understand the needs of planning and keep up with deadlines.

Coordinating the communication with all kinds of subcontractors shows strong verbal skills and process managing. They also proved their administrative knowledge. They have the experience to do budgets, schedules, and constructability inputs. This shows they have the needed expertise to complete the tasks if obstacles arise.

Example 2: Demonstrate work under pressure in the resume summary section

Even if you are confident about your ability to work under pressure, the goal of your resume is to convince your employer of that.

This resume summary proves they understand working under pressure, and they are confident in their abilities for quick decision-making when needed. They perform better in the working place when they are challenged. This shows that they are flexible and adaptive to the challenges.

Example 3: Show your working under pressure in your achievements sections

Giving examples for your ability to work under pressure in your achievements section is a key to standing out from other applicants. Most candidates only outline duties and responsibilities.

These achievements sections show how well they performed under pressure. The examples prove that they acquired effective decision making and complied with deadlines in critical situations.

Here are the top related skills on resumes to work under pressure:

  • Project Management
  • You need to show on your resume that you have a good record of working under pressure.
  • Describe a previous professional situation in which you displayed excellent ability under pressure.
  • In addition to explaining how you work effectively under pressure, also mention that you got the needed skills to work under pressure like good time management, decision making, showcase your ability to meet a deadline and work proved your teamwork skills

About this report:

Data reflects analysis made on over 1M resume profiles and examples over the last 2 years from Enhancv.com.

While those skills are most commonly met on resumes, you should only use them as inspiration and customize your resume for the given job.

Try our professional resume builder

A Resume Example

*No credit card required

Looking to build your own resume?

Author image

  • Resume Skills

Article image

How to Write an Informational Interview Email that Lands You the Interview

Article image

10 CV Mistakes You Need to Avoid

Article image

How To Write A Resume Personal Statement (With Examples)

Article image

Here's What You Need To Know Before Your Next Job Interview

Article image

Quitting Your Job Without Another One Lined Up: Pros and Cons

Article image

Graduate With Honors Resume

Letter Icon

Find out how you have showcased your skills & optimize your resume

  • Create Resume
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Resume Examples
  • Resume Templates
  • AI Resume Builder
  • Resume Formats
  • Resume Checker
  • How to Write a Resume
  • Modern Resume Templates
  • Simple Resume Templates
  • Cover Letter Builder
  • Cover Letter Examples
  • Cover Letter Templates
  • Cover Letter Formats
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • Resume Guides
  • Cover Letter Guides
  • Job Interview Guides
  • Job Interview Questions
  • Career Resources
  • Meet our customers
  • Career resources
  • English (UK)
  • French (FR)
  • German (DE)
  • Spanish (ES)
  • Swedish (SE)

© 2024 . All rights reserved.

Made with love by people who care.

  • Resume Examples
  • Resume Samples
  • Resume Templates

Work Under Pressure 

The soft skill of working under pressure refers to an individual's ability to perform effectively in a high-pressure and demanding work environment. It involves being able to manage stress, stay calm and focused, and make sound decisions in a fast-paced and rapidly changing situation. This skill is particularly essential in jobs that involve strict deadlines, frequent interruptions, or unexpected challenges. It requires individuals to prioritize tasks, maintain their composure, and communicate effectively with team members or clients, all while delivering high-quality work. Working under pressure also involves adapting to changing circumstances and coming up with creative solutions to complex problems. Those who possess this soft skill are often seen as reliable, resilient, and capable of delivering results in even the most challenging circumstances.

Importance of work under pressure skills

Image for part: Importance of work under pressure skills

Working under pressure skills are crucial for several reasons, including;

  • Meeting deadlines: In many jobs, meeting deadlines is critical to the success of the business or project. Employees who can work effectively under pressure are better able to manage their time and meet project deadlines, which can help the organization achieve its goals.
  • Managing unpredictable situations: In any job, unexpected situations can arise, such as a sudden increase in workload or a problem that needs immediate attention. Employees who work well under pressure are better equipped to handle these situations, adapt to changes quickly, and find creative solutions to problems.
  • Delivering quality work: Working under pressure can be stressful and may lead to errors or subpar work. However, employees who can manage their stress and stay focused are more likely to produce high-quality work even in difficult situations.
  • Improving productivity: The ability to work under pressure can also help improve productivity, as employees can stay focused on their tasks, manage their time effectively, and make efficient decisions.
  • Enhancing reputation: Employees who can work effectively under pressure are often seen as dependable, capable, and resilient. This can help enhance their reputation within the organization and improve their chances of career advancement.

In general, the ability to work under pressure is a valuable skill that can benefit employees and organizations in many ways.

What activities and accomplishments help in highlighting work-under-pressure abilities

Here are some activities and accomplishments that can help highlight an individual's ability to work under pressure:

  • Meeting tight deadlines: Completing a task or project within a short timeframe, especially when there are competing priorities, can demonstrate an individual's ability to work under pressure.
  • Successfully managing a crisis: Handling a crisis or emergency effectively, such as resolving a customer complaint or managing a project issue, can demonstrate an individual's ability to stay calm and focused in high-pressure situations.
  • Multitasking effectively: Juggling multiple tasks and priorities while maintaining a high level of quality can demonstrate an individual's ability to work well under pressure.
  • Handling high-volume workloads: Successfully managing a high volume of work, such as processing a large number of orders or managing a complex project, can demonstrate an individual's ability to work under pressure and maintain focus and productivity.
  • Achieving results in challenging situations: Overcoming obstacles and achieving results in challenging situations such as a tight budget, difficult client, or resource constraints can display an individual's ability to work under pressure and deliver high-quality work.
  • Receiving positive feedback from colleagues or managers: Positive feedback from colleagues or managers about an individual's ability to work under pressure can demonstrate their competence in handling challenging situations.

How to showcase work under pressure abilities on your resume

Here are some tips for showcasing work under-pressure abilities on your resume:

  • Use bullet points to highlight specific accomplishments: Instead of just stating that you have experience working under pressure, provide specific examples of situations where you successfully managed tight deadlines or handled difficult challenges.
  • Quantify your achievements: Use numbers or data to demonstrate the impact of your work. For example, if you completed a project with a tight deadline, state the project's scope, the time frame, and the results achieved.
  • Emphasize skills that relate to working under pressure: Highlight skills such as time management, multitasking, problem-solving, and decision-making, which are essential for working effectively under pressure.
  • Incorporate keywords: Use keywords such as "deadline-oriented," "high-pressure environment," or "crisis management" that are related to working under pressure to help your resume stand out to hiring managers.
  • Be concise and clear: Use clear and concise language to convey your experience and accomplishments. Make sure that your resume is easy to read and highlights your most relevant experience.
  • Provide references or testimonials: If you have received positive feedback from colleagues or managers about your ability to work under pressure, consider including references or testimonials in your resume.

Remember that your resume is a marketing tool, and you want to present yourself as a qualified candidate who can handle high-pressure situations. By highlighting your experience and accomplishments related to working under pressure, you can mention your value to potential employers.

How to add working under pressure in your achievements sections

Here are some tips for adding working under pressure to your achievements section:

  • Choose specific examples: Rather than stating that you can work well under pressure, provide specific examples of situations where you had to work under pressure and what you achieved. For instance, you might mention a project you completed within a short timeframe or a challenging situation handled successfully.
  • Highlight results: When describing your accomplishments, focus on the results achieved despite the pressure. Use data, numbers, or percentages to show the impact of your work, such as how you increased productivity, decreased errors, or improved customer satisfaction.
  • Use action verbs: Start the sentence with action verbs to demonstrate your active role in managing high-pressure situations. For instance, you could use verbs such as "managed," "prioritized," "resolved," or "adapted" to showcase your abilities.
  • Quantify your achievements: When possible, quantify your successes by stating the amount of work that you completed, the number of tasks that you managed, or the percentage of improvement that you achieved.
  • Show your problem-solving skills: When working under pressure, problem-solving skills are essential. Highlight situations where you came up with creative solutions to problems and how you managed to achieve a positive outcome.
  • Be concise and specific: Your achievements section should be clear and concise, with each bullet point highlighting a specific accomplishment related to working under pressure.

"Prioritized tasks, managed resources, and adapted to changing requirements to deliver the project on time and exceed customer expectations. Increased project efficiency by 20% through process improvements and problem-solving, resulting in a 95% customer satisfaction rating. Demonstrated strong time management and decision-making skills, and the ability to work well under pressure and maintain a positive attitude."

This example highlights a specific project where the candidate had to work under pressure, focusing on the results achieved, such as completing the project on time, under budget, and exceeding customer expectations. The candidate also quantified their achievements by stating the increased efficiency and high customer satisfaction rating. The language used, such as "prioritized tasks," "adapted to changing requirements," and "demonstrated strong time management and decision-making skills", showcases the candidate's ability to work under pressure, prioritize tasks, and problem-solving.

What skills do you need to work under pressure

Working under pressure requires a specific set of skills and attributes. Here are some essential skills needed for handling pressure effectively;

  • Time Management:  The ability to prioritize tasks, allocate time efficiently, and meet deadlines is crucial when working under pressure.
  • Problem-Solving:  Quick and effective problem-solving skills help in addressing issues as they arise, preventing them from escalating.
  • Adaptability:  Being flexible and open to change allows you to adjust your approach and strategies when unexpected challenges occur.
  • Stress Management:  Developing techniques to cope with stress, such as mindfulness or deep breathing, is essential for maintaining composure under pressure.
  • Decision-Making:  The capacity to make informed and timely decisions is vital, especially in high-pressure situations where quick judgments are necessary.
  • Communication:  Clear and concise communication helps prevent misunderstandings and ensures that information is conveyed accurately and efficiently.
  • Resilience:  The ability to bounce back from setbacks, learn from experiences, and maintain a positive mindset is crucial for long-term success under pressure.
  • Teamwork:  Collaborating with others and leveraging the strengths of a team can help distribute the workload and find innovative solutions.
  • Organization:  Keeping workspaces and tasks organized minimizes chaos and makes it easier to manage multiple responsibilities.
  • Focus:  Maintaining focus on priorities and avoiding distractions is important when working under pressure to ensure that critical tasks are completed.

These skills, when developed and applied effectively, contribute to an individual's ability to perform well under pressure in various personal and professional situations.

How do you say can work under pressure on a resume

On a resume, you can convey your ability to work under pressure by incorporating specific phrases and showcasing relevant experiences. Here are a few examples;

Skills Section

  • Strong ability to thrive in high-pressure environments.
  • Proven track record of meeting tight deadlines and delivering results under pressure.

Professional Summary

  • Dynamic professional with a demonstrated capacity to excel in fast-paced and high-pressure work settings.
  • Adept at managing multiple tasks simultaneously, ensuring accuracy and efficiency even in stressful situations.

Experience Section

  • Successfully managed and prioritized tasks in a demanding environment, consistently meeting project deadlines.
  • "Thrived in a high-pressure sales environment, exceeding targets through effective time management and strategic planning.

Use Action Verbs

  • Navigated challenging situations by remaining calm and focused, ensuring successful project completion.
  • Executed tasks efficiently under tight timelines, demonstrating resilience in high-pressure work scenarios.

Quantifying Achievements

  • Reduced project turnaround time by 20% through effective time management and the ability to work under pressure.
  • Achieved a 98% accuracy rate in time-sensitive tasks, highlighting proficiency in handling pressure.

Remember to tailor your resume language to reflect the specific demands of the job you're applying for and to support your claims with concrete examples from your professional experience.

How do you manage working under pressure

Tips on how to manage working under pressure;

  • Stay Organized:  Having a clear plan and organized workspace can help reduce stress and make tasks more manageable.
  • Prioritize Tasks:  Identify the most critical tasks and focus on completing them first. This helps prevent feeling overwhelmed by addressing the most important aspects of the job.
  • Break Down Tasks:  Divide larger tasks into smaller, more manageable parts. This makes the workload seem less daunting and allows you to focus on one step at a time.
  • Time Management:  Allocate specific time slots for different tasks. This helps in maintaining focus and ensures that each task gets adequate attention.
  • Deep Breathing and Relaxation Techniques:  When pressure builds up, taking deep breaths and practicing relaxation techniques can help calm the mind and improve concentration.
  • Maintain point of view : Remind yourself of the larger scope and the final purpose. It can help put immediate challenges into perspective and reduce stress.
  • Learn to Delegate:  If possible, delegate tasks to others. Effective delegation can lighten your workload and ensure that responsibilities are shared appropriately.
  • Adaptability:  Be open to changes and adapt to unexpected situations. The ability to be flexible and adjust to new circumstances is crucial when working under pressure.
  • Positive Mindset:  Cultivate a positive attitude. Focus on what you can control and try to see challenges as opportunities for growth.
  • Seek Support:  Don't hesitate to seek guidance or support from colleagues, friends, or mentors. Sometimes, discussing challenges with others can provide valuable insights and perspectives.

Remember that everyone handles pressure differently, so it's important to find strategies that work best for you. Developing resilience and effective stress management skills can contribute significantly to your ability to work well under pressure.

What is a word for the ability to work under pressure

A word that describes the ability to work well under pressure is "resilience." Resilience refers to the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or adapt effectively in the face of challenges, including those that come with time constraints or high-pressure situations. Other words that convey a similar meaning include "calmness," "composure," and "poise."

What are examples of working under pressure

In an office environment, situations that require working under pressure can arise for various reasons. Here are some examples;

  • Tight Deadlines:  Having to complete a project or task within a short timeframe can create pressure, especially if unexpected issues arise.
  • Emergency Situations:  Dealing with unexpected crises or emergencies, such as a sudden technical failure, can demand quick and effective problem-solving skills.
  • Multitasking:  Juggling multiple tasks simultaneously, especially when they are all urgent, can create a high-pressure environment.
  • Client or Customer Demands:  Meeting the demands and expectations of clients or customers, especially in situations where there are high stakes or tight schedules, can be stressful.
  • Budget Constraints:  Working within tight budget constraints may require creative solutions and efficient resource management.
  • Employee Conflicts:  Resolving conflicts among team members or addressing personnel issues can be challenging and may require immediate attention.
  • Presentations and Meetings:  Making presentations or leading meetings, especially in high-stakes situations, can be pressure-filled, particularly if important decisions are being made.
  • Technical Issues:  Dealing with technical problems, such as server crashes, data loss, or software malfunctions, can be stressful, particularly when a quick resolution is necessary to avoid disruptions.
  • Unexpected Changes:  Adapting to sudden changes in project scope, goals, or team composition can require quick thinking and effective decision-making.
  • Performance Reviews and Evaluations:  Periods of performance reviews or evaluations can be stressful for employees, as they may feel pressure to meet expectations and demonstrate their value to the organization.
  • High-Profile Events:  Organizing or participating in high-profile events, conferences, or product launches can be intense, especially when success is crucial for the company's reputation.

These examples highlight the diverse challenges that employees may face in an office environment, requiring them to work efficiently and effectively under pressure. Developing skills to handle such situations can contribute to professional growth and success in a dynamic workplace.

What is the ability to stay calm in difficult situations

The ability to stay calm in difficult situations is often referred to as "emotional resilience" or "emotional composure." This is a personal trait that allows individuals to maintain a sense of calm, control, and clarity of thought, even when faced with challenging or stressful circumstances. People with high emotional resilience can navigate adversity without becoming overwhelmed or reactive. They can stay focused, make rational decisions, and effectively manage their emotions in the face of difficulties. Other terms that may describe this ability include;

  • Composure:  The state of being calm and collected, especially in challenging situations.
  • Equanimity:  Mental and emotional stability, maintaining balance and calmness, even in challenges.
  • Serenity:  A state of tranquility and peacefulness, often maintained despite external pressures.
  • Poise:  Graceful and controlled behavior, especially under pressure.
  • Stoicism:  An ancient philosophy emphasizing the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and complaints.
  • Cool-headedness:  The ability to stay calm and think clearly in stressful situations.
  • Level-headedness:  Having a balanced and rational approach to challenges, avoiding excessive emotional reactions.

Developing emotional resilience is a valuable skill, both personally and professionally. It enables individuals to cope effectively with adversity, maintain mental well-being, and make thoughtful decisions even in the face of difficulty.

How do you handle stress and pressure at work

Here are some strategies to handle stress and pressure at work;

  • Prioritize and Organize:  Make a list of tasks and prioritize them based on urgency and importance. This can help you focus on what needs immediate attention.
  • Divide the work Into easy steps: Complex tasks can be challenging. Break them into smaller, more manageable tasks to make progress feel more achievable.
  • Time Management:  Manage your time effectively. Set realistic deadlines for tasks, and avoid procrastination to prevent a last-minute rush.
  • Take Breaks:  Breaks can help recharge your mind. Step away from your desk, take a short walk, or practice deep breathing to clear your thoughts.
  • Maintain Perspective:  Remind yourself of the bigger picture. Consider whether the situation will matter in the long run, and try to maintain a balanced perspective.
  • Communicate:  If you're feeling overwhelmed, communicate with your colleagues or superiors. They may provide support, resources, or assistance in managing the workload.
  • Delegate:  If possible, delegate tasks to others. Effective delegation can lighten your workload and ensure that responsibilities are shared.
  • Learn to Say No:  Recognize your limits and be realistic about what you can take on. It's okay to say no to additional tasks if you're already stretched thin.
  • Practice Stress Management Techniques:  Incorporate stress management techniques into your routine, such as mindfulness, meditation, or exercise.
  • Maintain a Healthy Work-Life Balance:  Ensure that you're not consistently overworking yourself. Balance is crucial for sustained productivity and well-being.
  • Develop Resilience:  Cultivate a resilient mindset. Instead of seeing difficulties as unreachable, see them as chances for learning and personal development.
  • Seek Assistance : If stress becomes too much for you to handle, don't be afraid to ask friends, family, or experts for assistance. Talking about your feelings can be cathartic.

Remember that everyone handles stress differently, so it's important to find strategies that work for you. Developing a combination of organizational, time management, and coping skills can significantly contribute to your ability to handle stress and pressure at work.

What are the characteristics of working under pressure

Working under pressure requires a combination of skills, traits, and behaviors that enable individuals to perform effectively in challenging and demanding situations. Here are some characteristics associated with working under pressure;

  • Calmness:  The ability to remain calm and composed, even in the face of high-stress situations. This helps in making rational decisions and maintaining focus.
  • Adaptability:  Being flexible and able to adjust quickly to changing circumstances or unexpected challenges.
  • Time Management:  Effectively managing time and prioritizing tasks to ensure that critical activities are addressed promptly.
  • Problem-solving Skills:  The capacity to analyze problems quickly and find practical solutions under tight deadlines.
  • Resilience:  The ability to bounce back from setbacks, learn from mistakes, and persevere in the face of difficulties.
  • Decision-making:  Making informed and timely decisions, even when faced with incomplete information.
  • Effective Communication:  Being able to communicate clearly and efficiently, especially when conveying urgent information or coordinating with a team.
  • Focus:  Maintaining concentration on the task at hand and avoiding distractions, despite external pressures.
  • Positive Mindset:  Cultivating a positive attitude and viewing challenges as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable obstacles.
  • Team Collaboration:  Collaborating effectively with team members, delegating tasks when necessary, and fostering a cooperative work environment.
  • Organization:  Having well-organized work habits and systems in place to manage tasks efficiently.
  • Confidence:  Believing in one's abilities and remaining confident in the face of uncertainty or high-pressure situations.
  • Effective Delegation:  Knowing when and how to delegate tasks to others to ensure that work is distributed appropriately and completed efficiently.
  • Attention to Detail:  Being meticulous and paying attention to details, even when working under tight deadlines.
  • Proactive Approach:  Taking initiative and being proactive in addressing issues before they escalate, anticipating challenges, and having contingency plans in place.
  • Self-awareness:  Understanding one's own strengths and limitations, and knowing when to seek help or additional resources.
  • Customer Focus:  Maintaining a focus on meeting the needs of clients or customers, especially in situations where their satisfaction is crucial.

Developing these characteristics can contribute to an individual's ability to thrive in high-pressure work environments and effectively navigate challenging situations. Keep in mind that these traits are often interrelated and can be cultivated over time through experience, self-reflection, and intentional development.

How do you handle stress and pressure answer

Here are a few instances of how I handle stress and pressure in a professional setting;

  • I handle stress and pressure by employing a combination of strategic planning, time management, and maintaining a calm mindset. When faced with tight deadlines or challenging situations, I start by prioritizing tasks, focusing on the most critical aspects first. Breaking down larger projects into smaller, more manageable steps allows me to make steady progress and prevents feeling overwhelmed.
  • I place a strong emphasis on effective time management, setting realistic goals, and avoiding procrastination. This ensures that I have sufficient time to address each task thoroughly without sacrificing quality. Additionally, I'm proactive in anticipating potential challenges, allowing me to develop contingency plans and be better prepared for unexpected developments.
  • Maintaining a calm and composed demeanor is essential. I practice mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing or short breaks, to clear my mind and regain focus. I believe in the power of a positive mindset and view challenges as opportunities for growth. When faced with difficulties, I leverage my problem-solving skills to identify solutions and make informed decisions.
  • Communication is key during high-pressure situations. I keep team members informed, delegate tasks when necessary, and foster a collaborative environment. Seeking support from colleagues and acknowledging when assistance is needed is crucial in ensuring that everyone is working cohesively towards a common goal.

Ultimately, my ability to handle stress and pressure is grounded in a holistic approach that combines organizational skills, adaptability, and a positive mindset, allowing me to perform effectively and maintain a high standard of work even in demanding situations.

How do you handle pressure and conflict at work

Here's how to approach these challenges;

Handling Pressure

  • Prioritize and Plan:  Identify the most critical tasks and create a plan to address them systematically. Prioritization helps manage pressure by focusing on what needs immediate attention.
  • Time Management:  Efficiently manage your time by setting realistic deadlines and breaking down tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.
  • Stay Calm:  Maintain a calm demeanor. Deep breathing, short breaks, or mindfulness techniques can help clear your mind and allow you to approach tasks with a level head.
  • Positive Mindset:  Cultivate a positive attitude. View pressure as a challenge rather than a threat, and remind yourself of past successes in similar situations.
  • Learn to Delegate:  If possible, delegate tasks to others. Effective delegation can distribute the workload and ensure that responsibilities are shared.
  • Communication:  Keep team members and superiors informed about your progress. Open and transparent communication helps manage expectations and reduces the potential for misunderstandings.
  • Adaptability:  Be flexible and adaptable to changes. High-pressure situations often involve unexpected challenges, and the ability to adapt is crucial.

Handling Conflict

  • Active Listening:  When conflicts arise, listen actively to understand the perspectives of others. This demonstrates respect and opens the door for effective communication.
  • Empathy:  Put yourself in the shoes of others to understand their feelings and motivations. Empathy fosters understanding and can facilitate conflict resolution.
  • Stay Calm and Professional:  In conflict situations, remain calm and professional. Avoid escalating emotions and focus on finding constructive solutions.
  • Effective Communication:  Communicate your perspective and needs. Use "I" statements to express how you feel and what you need without placing blame.
  • Seek Common Ground:  Identify shared goals or interests to find common ground. It can serve as a foundation for resolution and compromise.
  • Conflict Resolution Skills:  Learn and apply conflict resolution skills, such as negotiation and compromise, to find mutually agreeable solutions.
  • Involve a Mediator if Necessary:  In cases of persistent conflict, consider involving a neutral third party, such as a mediator, to facilitate resolution.
  • Follow-up:  After a conflict is resolved, follow up to ensure that the agreed-upon solutions are implemented. This helps prevent the re-emergence of similar issues.

Handling pressure and conflict requires a combination of interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, and effective communication. Continuous learning and self-reflection can further enhance these abilities over time.

Create your resume in minutes for FREE.

Use resume templates that are tested and proven to fit the rules employers are looking for.

Skills Converged Logo

Training Materials

  • Train the Trainer
  • Free Training Materials
  • About Training Materials
  • All Training Materials
  • Personal Development
  • Interpersonal Development
  • Sales & Marketing
  • Human Resources

Training Materials

How it Works

Training Materials Contents

What Is Included

Course Design Strategy

  • Train the Trainer: The Art Training Delivery
  • Focused Determination
  • In-Depth Guides on Train the Trainer
  • Online Courses
  • Training Courses
  • Train the Trainer Coaching
  • In-House Train the Trainer Courses
  • Clock Buddies Generator
  • Sign In to Online Train the Trainer Course

Online train the trainer course

Online Course

Train the trainer course

Instructor-Led

  • Collection of Free Training Materials
  • Popular Training Articles & Exercises
  • Download Free Training Resources
  • Free DOCX PPTX Downloads
  • Guide to Body Language
  • About Skills Converged
  • A Selection of Our Customers
  • Testimonials

Cookie policy

We use cookies and similar technologies to provide the best experience on our website. Refer to our Privacy Policy for more information.

Your cart is empty

Problem Solving Exercise: Solve Problems Under Pressure and Stress

Jun 6, 2011

By Skills Converged

Problem Solving Exercise: Solve Problems Under Pressure and Stress

This exercise helps delegates to understand the importance of several key principles, such as “ Parkinson’s Law ” as well as managing their performance in the face of change or increasingly challenging environments. It is also useful for teamwork, decision making, leadership and creativity. You can use this exercise to teach “ Parkinson’s Law ” in a time management course.

Solve puzzles as a team in different environments and compare results.

What You Need

  • A puzzle that can be solved in a short time. This must be a physical puzzle that requires handling items or parts. An ideal puzzle is a jigsaw puzzle. Choose the size based on the capability of your delegates and the available time. You need two puzzles of a similar nature for each group. For example, use two jigsaw puzzles with a different image and provide one set to each group.
  • Gloves for each delegate. These gloves should make handling objects more difficult. You can use leather or wool gloves but not medical or thin plastic gloves.
  • A timer that you can use secretly.
  • A counter that can be configured to show an increasing number (see below for instruction on how to set it). For example, you can use a timer app and project it on the screen or use a Mobile App counter on a tablet computer or a phone for everyone to see.
  • Divide the delegates to groups of 3 or 4.
  • Distribute one set of puzzle to each group.
  • Explain that there are a couple of rounds in this exercise. In the first round you want them to solve a puzzle that they have been given.
  • State “On my mark start, ok, go...”
  • Provide no more information. Do not set a time limit or state that there is one. Teams are free to solve the puzzle however they want, whether as a team, by choosing leaders or in any way they like.
  • Ask the teams to state when they have finished and secretly record their time. It is important that they don’t feel they are timed.
  • When everyone has finished ask them to state how they felt about the puzzle.
  • “Recently there has been an outbreak of a dangerous epidemic which is taking lives worldwide. The whole world is involved in finding a cure or prevention as quickly as possible. You are working in a lab which has made a lot of progress. The last hurdle is captured symbolically in this puzzle which if you can solve leads to a cure. Since everything is currently contaminated, you must not touch anything with your bare skin and so you must use the gloves provided at all times while handling the pieces of the puzzle.
  • Distribute the gloves and ask all the delegates to wear them.
  • “Ladies and gentlemen, people are dying and you are the best chance for humanity to survive...”
  • At this point, reveal the counter for everyone to see. This is a counter which keeps increasing and indicates the number of people dead so far. Set it at a large number such as 1,470,329 and program it to increment every second by about 10,000. You can also use premade counters such as those here . Simply rezise your browser's window to show only one of the counters and explain what it represents in the context of this exercise. 
  • “The sooner you can solve the puzzle, the more lives you will save. Do not waste any time or more people will die and humanity will be lost…”
  • At this point expect everyone to quickly get back to their puzzles and solve them. This time it would be more frustrating because of the gloves and lack of dexterity. Delegates need to perform under pressure due to lack of time.
  • Record their times as in round one and as before make sure no one notices that you are timing them.
  • Once finished, record all the timings and then get back everyone together.
  • Ask them how they felt and get them to compare their two performances.
  • Reveal the timings. In most cases, they should have finished solving the puzzle in the second round much faster than the first round, despite being more challenging due to use of gloves. Highlight this result and follow with a discussion.

Explaining the Exercise: 5 minutes

Activity: 10 min round 1 + 10 min round 2 = 20 minutes

Group Feedback: 10 minutes

Did you perform better in the second round? Why is that? Do you think having a limited time helps you to focus and increase your performance? Can you take advantage of this in your everyday life? Did you feel frustrated with the gloves? Did you simply accept the challenge with the gloves as part of the problem? Did you think you would have performed in a similar way if you were not told about the scenario, but were just told to wear the gloves for no particular reason? What does this suggest for managers and informing others on why they need to do certain tasks in certain ways?

Dilip Basu

By Dilip Basu @ Sunday, September 4, 2011 1:31 PM

Chris

By Chris @ Monday, October 8, 2012 2:40 AM

Download Soft Skills Training Materials Online

Soft Skills Training Materials

Browse Full Product Catalogue

About Our Training Materials

Get downloadable training materials

Train the Trainer Core Skills Course

Online Train the Trainer Course: Core Skills

Learn how to become the best trainer in your field.

Full Course Details

Leave a comment

All comments are moderated before being published.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Reading next

Feedback Exercise: Analyse People’s Lives

Feedback Exercise: Analyse People’s Lives

The Secret to a Successful Teambuilding is Constructive Collaboration

The Secret to a Successful Teambuilding is Constructive Collaboration

Training Resources for You

Course Design Strategy

Available as paperback and ebook

Training Resources

Free Training Resources

Download a free comprehensive training package including training guidelines, soft skills training activities, assessment forms and useful training resources that you can use to enhance your courses.

Body Language Guide

Our Comprehensive Guide to Body Language

Train the Trainer Guides

Train the Trainer Resources

Get Insights - Read Guides and Books - Attend Courses

Get downloadable training materials on: Management Training , Personal Development , Interpersonal Development , Human Resources , and Sales & Marketing

Join 30,000+ Readers

Download Free Exclusive Training Resources and Join Our Mailing List. What You Get.

Advertisement

Supported by

Memory Loss Requires Careful Diagnosis, Scientists Say

A federal investigator said that President Biden had “poor memory” and “diminished faculties.” But such a diagnosis would require close medical assessment, experts said.

  • Share full article

President Biden speaks at a podium with American flags behind him.

By Gina Kolata

A lengthy report by the Department of Justice on President Biden’s handling of classified documents contained some astonishing assessments of his well-being and mental health.

Mr. Biden, 81, was an “elderly man with a poor memory” and “diminished faculties” who “did not remember when he was vice president,” the special counsel Robert K. Hur said.

In conversations recorded in 2017, Mr. Biden was “often painfully slow” and “struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries.” So impaired was Mr. Biden that a jury was unlikely to convict him, Mr. Hur said.

Republicans were quick to pounce, some calling the president unfit for office and demanding his removal.

But while the report disparaged Mr. Biden’s mental health, medical experts on Friday noted that its judgments were not based on science and that its methods bore no resemblance to those that doctors use to assess possible cognitive impairment.

In its simplest form, the issue is one that doctors and family members have been dealing with for decades: How do you know when an episode of confusion or a memory lapse is part of a serious decline?

The answer: “You don’t,” said David Loewenstein, director of the center for cognitive neuroscience and aging at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

The diagnosis requires a battery of sophisticated and objective tests that probe several areas: different types of memory, language, executive function, problem solving, and spatial skills and attention.

The tests, he said, determine if there is a medical condition, and if so, its nature and extent. Verbal stumbles are not proof, Dr. Loewenstein and other experts said.

“Forgetting an event doesn’t necessarily mean there is a problem,” said Dr. John Morris, a neurology professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Mr. Hur, the special counsel, based his conclusions on a five-hour interview conducted over two days — the two days following Hamas’s surprise assault on Israel — and a review of interviews with a ghostwriter recorded in 2017.

But to scientifically identify a memory problem requires that doctors assess the change in a person’s cognitive function over time and ascertain that its magnitude is sufficient to reduce the patient’s ability to perform usual activities, Dr. Morris said.

The best way to determine if such a change has occurred is to compare results from a memory test today to the results from a test taken five or 10 years ago, he added. Failing that, doctors may interview someone who knows the patient well — usually a close family member — to get a sense for whether there’s been a decline.

Recall is just one aspect of cognition, noted Dr. Mary Ganguli, a professor of psychiatry, neurology and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh.

To make an accurate diagnosis, a geriatric psychiatrist might ask how long the patient has been having problems with the ability to plan and organize, or to express himself or herself. If the person is forgetful, what is the person forgetting, and when?

“We want to know what particular losses were observed, not just ‘memory,’” Dr. Ganguli said. “Was it a one-off when the person was tired or sick, or is it occurring consistently and increasing in frequency?”

It’s important to rule out other possible causes that may affect cognitive function, like a stroke or a head injury, or even use of certain common drugs, Dr. Ganguli added.

For example, a frequent culprit in memory lapses is diphenhydramine (sold as Benadryl and other brands). People who take it chronically to fall asleep often become forgetful as a result. (Patients often tell her they take Tylenol at night, she said, but Tylenol PM actually contains diphenhydramine.)

Alzheimer’s in particular has a distinctive pattern of memory loss, not to be confused with routine forgetfulness, Dr. Ganguli added. A person with the disease will typically forget recent events, like what he or she had for breakfast, but recall things from the distant past, like a wedding day.

A detailed exam might take an hour, Dr. Ganguli said, and might additionally involve interviews with family members. A family doctor might do a more abbreviated assessment, including quick memory tests like the Mini Mental State Examination or the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, known as MoCA.

In those tests, patients are asked the date and time and asked the location of the doctor’s office. They may be asked to draw a clock showing a specific time. They are told several words and, a short time later, asked to repeat them.

To assess cognitive status, Dr. Loewenstein often administers a much longer, more probative series of objective tests. It’s a basic tenet of the field never to diagnose a patient you have not seen in a medical setting, he said.

Dr. Loewenstein said he was outraged by pundits “who would have the audacity to make diagnoses by saying, ‘Oh, this person went to the refrigerator and forgot why,’ or ‘Oh, they substituted somebody’s name for another name when they have other things on their mind.’”

Gina Kolata reports on diseases and treatments, how treatments are discovered and tested, and how they affect people. More about Gina Kolata

Biden’s Mental Acuity Under Scrutiny

Comments about president biden’s age and memory in the special counsel’s report have captured democrats’ fears ahead of the november election and fueled republicans in their efforts to cast the president as weak..

An Age-Old Question: How old is too old to be president? The report has thrust the issue back into the spotlight  just as America seems poised to elect a commander in chief well past typical retirement age, no matter who wins in November.

Implications for 2024 Election: Why is the age issue hurting Biden  so much more than Donald Trump? Both are over 75, but voters are much less likely to worry that Trump is too old to serve .

Voter Reactions: To Americans in their 70s and 80s, the renewed questions swirling around Biden’s age have resonated in deeply personal ways . Many agree that it’s an issue, while others feel the criticism of Biden is insulting.

Rebuffing the Report: Vice President Kamala Harris and other White House officials have sought to discredit the report , suggesting that it was more of a political attack than an unbiased legal document .

The Science of Memory Loss: After the report’s release, medical experts noted that the special counsel’s judgments on Biden’s mental health did not appear to be based on science .

A Protective White House: Biden’s top aides have created a cocoon around him out of concern that his mistakes could be amplified and damage his image. The events that followed the report’s release emphasized those risks in striking ways .

IMAGES

  1. How to Perform Under Pressure

    problem solving skills under pressure

  2. 5 ways to help you perform under pressure

    problem solving skills under pressure

  3. problem solving skills under pressure

    problem solving skills under pressure

  4. 10 tips to help you perform under pressure

    problem solving skills under pressure

  5. problem solving skills under pressure

    problem solving skills under pressure

  6. 15 Problem Solving Skills

    problem solving skills under pressure

VIDEO

  1. 04 The pressure

COMMENTS

  1. How to Boost Your Team's Problem-Solving Skills Under Pressure

    1 Identify the problem 2 Generate solutions 3 Choose the best option 4 Implement the solution 5 Evaluate the results 6 Here's what else to consider Pressure is inevitable in any team project,...

  2. 12 Ways To Make Crucial Decisions Under Pressure

    1. Clear Your Mind. Calm your mind to gain clarity. Leaders are under constant pressure to make critical decisions that impact their organizations, personnel and customers. Doing so with a clear ...

  3. 26 Good Examples of Problem Solving (Interview Answers)

    Employers like to hire people who can solve problems and work well under pressure. A job rarely goes 100% according to plan, so hiring managers will be more likely to hire you if you seem like you can handle unexpected challenges while staying calm and logical in your approach. But how do they measure this?

  4. How to Solve Problems Creatively Under Pressure

    How to Solve Problems Creatively Under Pressure Last updated on Dec 27, 2023 All Soft Skills Creative Problem Solving How can you improve your Creative Problem Solving skills under...

  5. How to Develop Problem-Solving Skills Under Pressure

    How can you develop problem-solving skills in a high-pressure environment? Powered by AI and the LinkedIn community 1 Identify the problem 2 Generate possible solutions 3 Evaluate and...

  6. Leadership Under Pressure: 3 Strategies for Keeping Calm

    1. Wait to Act A leader is someone who responds to a situation calmly and with a well-thought-out plan. Before you jump headfirst into problem-solving, take a deep breath and pause to collect your thoughts and assess the situation with a clear mind.

  7. Coping Under Pressure

    [1] The negative impact of pressure first shows with mild dissatisfaction and a minor deterioration in the quality of a person's work. When the pressure becomes excessive, they can succumb to stress, anxiety and unhappiness.

  8. How to Build Your Ability to Work Under Pressure

    1. Create a Strategy Plan Failing to plan is planning to fail. No matter how much pressure you're facing in a given situation, you should take time to plan your course of action.

  9. Working under pressure

    The ability to work under pressure involves dealing with constraints which are often outside of your control - these might be resource or time constraints, the difficulty of the task or having insufficient knowledge required to complete the task, or unforeseen changes or problems.

  10. Effective Problem-solving and Decision-making under Pressure

    The problem-solving model helps you understand what the problem is, identify causes and opportunities, generate solutions, evaluate and choose the best solution, and implement and monitor your actions. So, you get 2 conceptual models - one for problem solving and other for decision-making - and 5 techniques.

  11. Interview Question: "How Do You Work Under Pressure?"

    Convincing your potential employer that you can do a good job under pressure can also suggest other qualities, such as quick decision-making, organizational and time management skills, as well as problem-solving abilities. It can set you apart from other candidates. Related: 12 Tough Interview Questions and Answers

  12. The 7 steps of Effective Problem Solving and Decision Making

    Here we see the two skills of problem solving and decision making coming together. The two skills are vital to managing business risks as well as solving the problem. 6. Monitor and measure the plan. Having evolved through the five steps to this stage, you mustn't take your eye off the ball as it were.

  13. 11 Secrets to Performing Well Under Pressure

    5. TRY TO HAVE FUN. A small attitude adjustment—seeing your high-pressure moment as a challenge rather than a threat—can help you feel more ambitious and less fearful. And, if you find your ...

  14. Emphasizing Work Under Pressure Skills on Your Resume

    Problem-solving skills are essential when working under pressure. This means the ability to think creatively and quickly identify solutions to unexpected challenges. Common Misconceptions about Work Under Pressure Skills

  15. Staying Calm Under Pressure

    The starting point of staying calm under pressure is for you to refuse to react automatically and unthinkingly. Instead, take a deep breath to calm your mind and then think carefully about your next words and actions. Imagine that everyone is watching. Imagine that this situation is a test to see what you are truly made of.

  16. Self-Affirmation Improves Problem-Solving under Stress

    Introduction. Acute and chronic stress have been shown to disrupt problem-solving and creativity .For example, acutely stressful contexts, such as completing problem-solving tasks under negative social evaluation, have been shown to impair performance on a variety of tasks, such as anagrams and remote associate problems , .Feeling chronically stressed produces similar performance impairments.

  17. 18 Ways To Get Better At Working Under Pressure

    Then use The Eisenhower Model, which consists of four easy steps to prioritize each: (1) urgent and important; ( 2) important but not urgent; (3) urgent but not important; (4) neither urgent nor ...

  18. The importance of problem solving skills in the workplace

    Thinking outside of the box is an important problem-solving skill in the workplace, because it can often lead to better outcomes than the originally expected ones. 4. Ability to work under pressure. This is often one of the most important benefits of problem-solving skills in the workplace.

  19. How to Answer "How Well Do You Work under Pressure?"

    Dec 7, 2023 10 min read How to Answer "How Well Do You Work under Pressure?" Your answer can make or break your chances of landing the job. Chris Leitch Editor-in-Chief | Résumé Expert Reviewed by Chris Leitch Job interviews aren't exactly what you'd call a barrel of laughs.

  20. What Are Problem-Solving Skills? Definitions and Examples

    Creativity. Communication. Decision-making. Team-building. Problem-solving skills are important in every career at every level. As a result, effective problem-solving may also require industry or job-specific technical skills. For example, a registered nurse will need active listening and communication skills when interacting with patients but ...

  21. How to Emphasise Work Under Pressure Skills on Your Resume?

    May 17, 2022 • 8 min read TABLE OF CONTENTS What does working under pressure mean? Why are work under pressure skills important What skills, activities and accomplishments help you highlight your work under pressure abilities? Working under pressure skills: key takeaways for your resume What does working under pressure mean?

  22. Resume Skill

    Emphasize skills that relate to working under pressure: Highlight skills such as time management, multitasking, problem-solving, and decision-making, which are essential for working effectively under pressure.

  23. Problem Solving Exercise: Solve Problems Under Pressure and Stress

    Reveal the timings. In most cases, they should have finished solving the puzzle in the second round much faster than the first round, despite being more challenging due to use of gloves. Highlight this result and follow with a discussion. Timing. Explaining the Exercise: 5 minutes. Activity: 10 min round 1 + 10 min round 2 = 20 minutes

  24. Keep you frinds close! JIU-JITSU teaches solving problems while under

    Keep you frinds close! JIU-JITSU teaches solving problems while under pressure. The discipline of training builds confidence. Teach kids the skills to protect yourself. Have fun while exercising. Learn critical thinking and problem solving while under pressure so you are ready, aware & become more resilient.

  25. How To Become A Fire Engineer: A Comprehensive Guide

    A good fire engineer should also possess excellent problem-solving skills, communication skills and the ability to work under pressure. Below is a list of vital skills required for a fire engineer: Problem-solving skills. Fire engineers are responsible for identifying potential fire hazards and developing solutions to mitigate these threats.

  26. Memory Loss Requires Careful Diagnosis, Scientists Say

    The diagnosis requires a battery of sophisticated and objective tests that probe several areas: different types of memory, language, executive function, problem solving, and spatial skills and ...