Q. What do you think about asking a candidate an interview question like, "How would you approach [a real problem you'll run into on the job]?" I'm not looking for free consulting advice, I just want to know if they understand how to break down the problem I gave them.

A. It's always fine to ask a candidate, "How would you approach this problem?" It could be a marketing issue, an HR problem or any situation they might run into at work.

It's much better to ask them, "How would you approach this or that situation?" than to say, "Tell me about a time when you..." which gives them NO context and no idea of what you're actually facing in your company.

You would only ask for free consulting if you said, "Tell me exactly how to achieve X result. What is the strategy? What are the steps - 1st, 2nd and third?" You'd grab a notepad and start writing down everything they said. This is inappropriate and tacky.

In that case you'd be asking for and expecting a custom solution to your specific problem - on the spot and without the normal fact-finding and careful study that a consultant would require of you (and get paid for).

When you ask, "How would you tackle this challenge?" you are asking about their thought process. No one knows the "right" answer to your marketing problem or HR problem yet. There are many steps that have to happen before anyone could arrive at the perfect answer.

So instead, you can ask, "What process would you follow to solve this problem?" When you as a candidate are asked for free consulting in an interview ("What would you do about this if you were me?") you'll outline your approach instead of blurting out a proposed solution.

Manager: So I told you my problem. What would you do next if you were me?

You: If I were you, I would hire me or somebody else whose thought process sounds reasonable, and let them dig into the problem. I'll tell you how I would approach the issue if you hired me for this job.

First, I'd talk to enough people inside and...

...outside the company to define the problem, understand its impact on your business and hear about what you've tried already to solve it, so we don't waste time. That might be 15 or 20 interviews. I'd research solutions, circle back with the key people involved a few times to...

...make sure I'm on track, and present you with three or four options in about six weeks. I'd lay out the costs, benefits and downsides to each option and you'd pick one. Some of them might work best as a pilot project. Others might require full commitment from the start.

Manager: Okay, good process but you don't have an overall answer for me, like "If I were you I'd do X."?

You: You have smart peopIe here. If there were an easy answer, you would have found it already. I'd be wary of anyone who tells you they have The Answer. I laid out my approach. It's how I solved a similar problem at Acme Explosives. Should I tell you that story?